Why did I all of a sudden decide to go to Indonesia? Well, while traveling you meet a lot of fellow travelers and exchange experiences, and I heard so many positive stories about Indonesia. When people asked me if I was planning to go there I used to answer "No, I have to do that once on a seperate trip, since it's such a huge country". But after a couple of more positive stories I started thinking about if and when there will be a next possibility for me to travel for a longer time and visit South East Asia again. You never know and since I was close anyway now, I took it into consideration. It feels a bit like tourists from outside Europe wanting to see Europe in 2 or 3 weeks. Indonesia has over 17.000 island which all have a slightly different culture so if you only visit one or two, you haven't really seen Indonesia. But I guess this doesn't mean you shouldn't go there. And secretly, I also liked the idea to change my travel plans just because I can ;)
So I checked flights to Indonesia (not too expensive) and started to read a bit in the Lonely Planet. When I came across 'Cianjur adventure' recommended there, I immediately knew I wanted to go there so I sent an e-mail and when they had accommodation available I confirmed and booked a flight. One of the best decisions so far!
Cianjur is a smaller city in West-Java, a bit higher up in the mountains and not really touristy. I stayed with a local family, of which the man started this homestay after having traveled a lot himself. He has a team of guides which can show you around Cianjur in different tours and for the three days I was staying there I had my private awesome tour guide :) We really became good friends in those days and had a great time! The first day was a tour to a rural village, where farmers live next to a small path up the hills living their simple but happy life. Well they seemed to be very happy, have a smile for every passenger and are extremely welcoming. The bamboo huts that they're living in all have this kind of 'terrace' (or just outside extension of the floor) where passengers can rest for a bit. There are chickens, cats and dogs running around everywhere, often with their babies (here baby animals are born all year around since they don't have a season like spring). I learned a lot about the different trees that are growing there (for spices such as nutmeg, it's why the VOC had been so interested in Indonesia) and food that they are harvesting (rice, brown sugar...) Also the other tours I did were impressive but I won't describe them all here but in stead add some pictures. The people in Cianjur are so surprised to see a 'Bule' (=westerner) here, once saw a priceless face of a little girl after she saw me passing by on the back of a motorbike. They all say 'hello' or 'hey mister' (they don't care if you're a guys or girl ;) ).
Indonesia is clearly less developed than Malaysia. Where in Malaysia everyone drives a car, here everyone has a motorbike and there are much more motorbikes on the road than cars, which makes the traffic quite crazy. Usually there is more than one person on a motorbike or a lot of baggage, once I even saw a whole family with both parents and three kids on one motorbike!
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| Bamboo hut in the rural village |
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| Rice fields in Cianjur |
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| Floating village (with also a fish spa, where I put in my feet waiting for the fish to nibble my skin: tickly!) |
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| You can see almost anything carried on a motorbike. In this case bird cages with birds. |
After three days I headed to Yogyakarta by train. Had to leave the homestay at 4:30 in the morning, to arrive in Jogja at 3 pm. There I couchsurfed at a girls house in a village just outside Jogja. It was very interesting to stay there since she has such a different life then I do. She is 22, has been married for 3 years and lives together with her husband. Waking up so early became regular for me, since my host usually started her day at 5 (that's after the first prayer). Even if you want to sleep longer you will wake up by the loud prayer of a mosque which is always near (this was the case in Cianjur as well, since Java is mainly Islamic).
My first full day in Jogja I went to the temples of Borobudur, which are actually a Buddhist remainder. I really felt like I was the attraction, in stead of the temples. I think I have been on twenty pictures with random people there and also gave some interviews to school children. Bizarre.
This day I was so stupid to leave my phone at my hosts house and without a phone I feel disconnected, disarmed, disabled... I didn't arrange a time to meet my host yet and also I would have liked to read some more about the things I was visiting in Jogja that day. Luckily it turned out fine as I found internet, could reach my host and arranged a meeting time and point, and just used tuktuks to bring me to the tourist attractions. The next day my host invited me to a meet up with her friends and after that her family. Such a nice way to really see the daily life of the locals and learn about there customs, culture and religion. I really enjoyed :) I ate rice and fish with my hands for the first time and oh, the real Indonesian bathroom is also interesting. Taking a shower by taking a bucket of (cold) water out of a sort of bath and just shower yourself with it and using a squatting toilet with manual flush were all new to me ;)
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| A day with my host's family Her grandma was so cool, she really loved to talk to me although she couldn't really speak English, and I loved to talk to her as well. Before we left she asked me please not to forget her, haha :) Well, I won't. |
The next day I was already leaving Jogja and went on a 3 day tour to the Bromo and Ijen vulcanos. Desiana (my host) helped me with booking the tour and I was picked up at the travel agency at 7:30 for an 11 hour ride to the Bromo vulcano. What a trip! The driver drove like crazy in his minivan in which there were me and 3 other tourists (an Australian couple and a Dutch guy). Half of the time he was driving on the right side of the road (while they are supposed to drive left) because he was the fastest on the road. Many times a saw a truck just coming straight to us and so close, before our driver got back to the left side again. I was waiting all the time until we reached the highway, but we never did. There are so many people living in Java that almost everywhere you're in an urban area, with really bumpy roads. I was so glad I survived after all these hours! After a short night of sleep we left the hotel at 3:30 in the morning, to see the view of the Bromo vulcano at sunrise. Well, it was totally worth it! So beautiful! After that we did also climb the active Bromo to have a look into the smoking crater. After another crazy ride of 7 hours to Ijen and again a short night, left at 4 am to climb mount Ijen. On our way up we were guided by one of the miners working down in the crater. They are mining for sulfur under unbelievable conditions. They go down the crater in the sulphur fumes, process the sulfur and walk up with 70-100 kg on their backs, and this twice a day. They carry so much because they are paid by kilogram, 5 cents for every kg. Incredible.
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| Sunrise near the Bromo vulcano |
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| Three peaks, you can see the smoke coming out of the active Bromo vulcano |
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| Processing sulfur in the Ijen crater |
In Denpasar I met other tourists going to Ubud and we shared a ride. When we arrived, suddenly there was this man trying to convince us to stay at his homestay and showed the rooms to me and an Austrian couple. A bit more luxurious than I really need, but it was really nice to have my own double bed to rest a bit after the hectic tour. And Ubud is beautiful! Very different from Java, since Bali is mainly Hindo, as opposed to the Islamic Java. In the South there is Kuta, the 'Salou for Australians' and I'm happy I didn't go there because apperently it's completely westernized and just a beach/party location. Ubud is a very artistic little place with galleries and nice shops everywhere and if you go outside the center, you can reach the green and quiet rice fields. A real bliss!
So my time in the internet cafe is finished, so I'm finishing my story as well. I'm sorry, it's again a blogpost without pictures since the internet was too slow to upload them in time. Hope they will follow soon!
