Jakarta
Our first stop in Java was Jakarta. The place is so dirty and run-down that we made a rapid exit.
West Java: Bandung
As the birthplace of Erwin's mother, Bandung was an important stop on our Indonesian journey. We visited the war cemetery where his great-grandfather, a former head of police, is buried and the neighbourhood where his mother was born.
Then we hit the tourist sites. We enjoyed watching Javanese women making the infamous batik, a technique of applying wax or other dye-resistant substances to cloth to produce a design. The Javanese have been making batik as early as the 12th century. In another part of Bandung, we observed and helped Javanese women harvesting rice.
Central Java: Yogjakarta & Borobudur
The dramatic Borobudur Buddhist Temple was built some 1200 years ago, and has survived volcanic eruptions, terrorist bombs, millions of tourists and even 'souvenir' robberies. More than 60,000 cubic metres of stone (or 2 million blocks of stone) had to be hewn, transported and carved during its construction.
While exploring the temple, we had the most curious experience: we became the tourist attraction. Indonesians of all ages asked to have their photo taken together with us. This continued to happen in other parts of Indonesia. It's a strange thought that complete strangers are now circulating photos of us throughout the country. Celebrities at last?
The other must-see site in Java is the majestic Gunung Bromo (2392 m). Catching a glimpse of the volcano's beautiful setting is well worth the 4 am wake-up call.
Bali - Ubud
Just as described in the Lonely Planet, Ubud is the kind of place where you find yourself staying much longer than intended. The city offers rich culture in the form of temples and dance shows, art museums and galleries, chic shops, all-day markets and a terrific array of restaurants. Lush and picturesque rice paddies are not far off, as well as artist colonies selling all manner of paintings, wood and cement carvings.
Bali has an abundantly rich artistic community. We spent one pleasurable afternoon conversing at great length with Ubud artist Fachrudin Malik, who has a unique and meticulous style of painting with black ink. Malik described how he just took up painting one day and how blessed he feels with his life. We felt blessed, too, to have crossed his path and enjoyed some time in his company.
We also greatly enjoyed a week lodging at Siti Bungalows, owned by the wife of late Han Snel, a well-known Dutch painter who settled in Ubud after WWII. Siti is a gracious host and the compound is quiet with lush, tropical grounds.
Lombok - Gili Meno Island
Aaahhhhh, Gili Meno. We spent an extremely relaxed eight days on this small, blissfully quiet island. There is frankly little more to do here than sleep, read, eat and swim.
Aaahhhhh, Gili Meno. We spent an extremely relaxed eight days on this small, blissfully quiet island. There is frankly little more to do here than sleep, read, eat and swim.
As tough as it was, we resigned ourselves to this regime: sleep, read, eat, swim, sleep.... Aaaahhhhhhh.
