INDONESIA 2019
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| Mt. Bromo |
Friday, 14 th of June/ Saturday, 15th of June
Sunday, 16th of June
Breakfast at 06:00 o’clock and off to the Djieng Plateau. We cannot
believe our sheer luck: the morning mists lift ,the clouds thin out and the sky
breaks open to leave us with the stunning view of Gunnung Sikunir…in full sunshine.
What a treat; beautiful landscapes with tea, tobacco, coffee, rice and a lot of
vegetables, all under a blue sky!
Arjuna Complex lies there at 2000 m ‘s height, with various little
temples from the 8+9th century. We learn that the lingam, oval/egg
shaped stone, is the male symbol, which is worshipped, the yoni , square like ,
the female symbol. The temples are simple and quite modest, but the general
atmosphere plus the landscape are fantastic: the locals are terribly nice and
extremely keen on taking pictures with us. We become all of a sudden a very
wanted object: being the only white people at the temple complex, people enjoy
the photo shooting with us and we get lovely pictures with old temples at the
background, laughing children, colourful head coverings, all too good!
After Arjuna we continue to the volcanic attractions of Kawah Sikidang.,
the crater. The stench is rather strong and there are continually little
sulphurical eruptions, unpleasant even with the masks that we wear. The locals
have turned the place into a kind of “Fairground attraction”, not at all to our
taste. Sri shows us a cinnamon tree, we can taste its bark.
We continue our trip, facing some terrible traffic jams, involving
hundreds of scooters, buses, vans and lorries. The small serpentine road gets
crammed by all sort of vehicles. Finally back in Wonosobo, we get a delicious
lunch and a taste of Kuni Saram, a drink with tamarind, cucumber and brown
sugar.
Monday, 17th of June
8:00, after a terrific and rich breakfast, we leave towards Prambanan,
Java’s and Indonesia ’s main
temple, from the Hindu period, in honour of Brahma, Vishnu and Krishna . The sight is absolutely jaw-dropping and we
almost get a mystical feeling approaching the huge complex. There is the
typical Hindu wealth of sculptural detail to discover on every square meter….On
top of that the Javanese people are smiling, happy and extremely friendly: the
story is repeating itself, we take plenty of pictures with laughing children,
all clad in colourful clothes, all keen on having us on the picture, too. And
Alain “over-towering” it all, like the gentle giant….there are Banyan trees
(the sacred Buddha tree) Rain trees (a large and wide crown) and Mahogany trees
(a tall tree with long branches).
After a while we turn our back on the temple and drive to the walled city palace, the Kraton of Yogyakarta. Yogya has been a symbol of resistance to the colonial rule. The Sultan supported rebels against the Dutch occupation. As a result of that help, Yogya was granted the status of a special region. The Kraton itself is walled, holds various halls, pavilions and reception buildings. Several departments are dedicated to the different Sultans. On the whole a rather dull and dusty thing, nothing spectacular. We bravely suffer in silence till the end of the tour and head to one of Yogya’s special silver workshops. Here we admire the typical fine and filigree work, done by patient silversmiths who strain their eyesight and keep their hands very steady. I buy a lovely filigree ring.
After a while we turn our back on the temple and drive to the walled city palace, the Kraton of Yogyakarta. Yogya has been a symbol of resistance to the colonial rule. The Sultan supported rebels against the Dutch occupation. As a result of that help, Yogya was granted the status of a special region. The Kraton itself is walled, holds various halls, pavilions and reception buildings. Several departments are dedicated to the different Sultans. On the whole a rather dull and dusty thing, nothing spectacular. We bravely suffer in silence till the end of the tour and head to one of Yogya’s special silver workshops. Here we admire the typical fine and filigree work, done by patient silversmiths who strain their eyesight and keep their hands very steady. I buy a lovely filigree ring.
After that we return to the hotel to pack our main luggage that will be
transported to Jambang. ( the East of Java).
Tuesday, 18th of June
The last night at the Phoenix Hotel was short: we have a very early
breakfast at 05:30 , get a Becak (Javanese rickshaw) to get a ride to the
railway station.
From here we catch the train that will lead us across the
country, all the way to the East, to Jambang. The ride is nice, the train trip
through the countryside is very pleasant with uncountable rice paddies, people
working in them, barefoot in knee deep water. A lot of sugarcane fields, onions
and some corn. The houses vary from rather shabby looking shacks and cabins to
solid stone houses. As the landscape flies by we doze off from time to time… . At
Mojokertor our driver picks us up and drives us to Tosari, where we get a
lovely lunch.
From here another 1 ½ hour to get to Wonotoro, the Jiwa Jawa Hotel, at the foot of
Wednesday, 19th of June
Early birds again, we get up at a cruel 03:00 o’clock to leave with a
4x4 towards Mount
Bromo
To our surprise Penanjakan (2770 m) , the view point, isn’t as bad as we expected. We join the rest of the crowd to wait for sunrise. While we do so, the cold creeps up from our feet to our back and everybody starts to shiver, awaiting impatiently the first sun rays. At 05:30 sharp, Matahari , the Eye of the Day, rises and golden beams start to tickle the ridge of the volcanoes. Breathtaking and stunning. The light and the colours change continuously and turns the volcanoes into beauties. After a long photo session we return to the car. From here, over the bumpy road again to the sea of sand. We start to walk to the foot of Bromo where a long staircase leads us up to the crater. After the staircase we end up face to face with the steaming, sulphurous guts of the volcano. The eerie walk through that sea of sand is rather hard on one’s breathing: the sand and the fine, black ashes of the volcano lift in endless clouds since people ride horses and scooters there, run around like mad shuffling up the dust that twists and twirls in the air. Everybody has some trouble breathing properly, and the height has its call on us, too. On the whole we could have skipped the dusty experience but the joy of that beautiful sunrise will stay as the most pleasant memory in our minds.
To our surprise Penanjakan (2770 m) , the view point, isn’t as bad as we expected. We join the rest of the crowd to wait for sunrise. While we do so, the cold creeps up from our feet to our back and everybody starts to shiver, awaiting impatiently the first sun rays. At 05:30 sharp, Matahari , the Eye of the Day, rises and golden beams start to tickle the ridge of the volcanoes. Breathtaking and stunning. The light and the colours change continuously and turns the volcanoes into beauties. After a long photo session we return to the car. From here, over the bumpy road again to the sea of sand. We start to walk to the foot of Bromo where a long staircase leads us up to the crater. After the staircase we end up face to face with the steaming, sulphurous guts of the volcano. The eerie walk through that sea of sand is rather hard on one’s breathing: the sand and the fine, black ashes of the volcano lift in endless clouds since people ride horses and scooters there, run around like mad shuffling up the dust that twists and twirls in the air. Everybody has some trouble breathing properly, and the height has its call on us, too. On the whole we could have skipped the dusty experience but the joy of that beautiful sunrise will stay as the most pleasant memory in our minds.
Back to the hotel, breakfast and pack up and off to Surabaya Bali .
Here we arrive early night, at Keraton Jimbaran Resort, a rather chic place but the people less friendly than in Java. Dinner at the hotel.
Thursday, 20th of June
Happy birthday Anita the Wanita (wanita=woman)! A little dip into the
sea and off to the airport close by to catch the flight to Flores .
Flying via Luang Bajo we land in Ende, stay at Kelimutu Ecolodge. Jimmy, our Flores guide, welcomes us and we start our long trip up
the winding road. The landscape is rough, deep gorges and ravines, jungle
vegetation. The serpentine road seems to be endless, we start feeling seasick.
Finally we arrive at the lodge and we make out a rather big difference between
Bali and Flores standards. Our cabins are
clean and close to a river. The stuff is nice and helps to get Anita a little
birthday surprise with singing and some lovely fruits.
It is pitch dark around our cabins and the soft gurgling of the river
nearby helps slipping into a sweet slumber…..But not for a long time:
Friday, 21rst of June
Get up at 3:30 to leave at 04:00 o’clock for the famous Kelimutu Lakes
Around 5:30 we can see 2 lakes, both blueish coloured, the 3rd
one is already covered by mist. The lakes are famous for the variation of their
colour: according to the mineral that dominates at a certain time, the colours
can change from green to blue, red and black. Sunrise
Beautiful terraces, the blue sky is reflected in the
water….We drive on for a while and come to a beach with blue pebbles, a rest
from volcano eruptions. Here we have a relaxed lunch, fresh fish for our
friends…We continue after the break and the landscape is slowly changing: from
green and wild into dry and bare, a wasteland, Savannah like. The Temperature
rises. The road turns from bad to REALLY bad and we can only make slow
progress. In Riung somebody picks us up to lead us to a Ngada village where we
should see some tribal dancing. It is rather cold and we are not quite so eager
to see this dance show.
The performance itself is rather modest, but the people
are so nice and enthusiastic that we get carried away with them: in the end we
wear their costumes, dance with them and have a lot of fun! There is a lot of
laughing involved and some flirting by an old gentleman…..with a single tooth
left in his mouth…Finally we get to our Hotel in Riung, Pondok Souverdi, a
modest but clean place. We arrange for an excursion the other day, a
snorkeling and swimming boat trip, get a funny and simple dinner (there are
helpless apprentices running around…) and a deserved rest.
Saturday, 22nd of June
Breakfast is simple, but sufficient. Antonio, the local guide, takes us
on his boat to the 17 Islands Marine Park. On
one of the islands some mangroves give shelter to hundreds of flying foxes who
rest in the trees during daytime.
These mammals are harmless, feeding on fresh
fruit. After that we get some nice snorkeling, seeing “old” friends like
Clownfish, Angelfish, Triggerfish, Trumpet Fish, you name them…Some beautiful
corals and big, oddly shaped sponges. Although the water is a bit cloudy it is
a very pleasant moment. On the beach we get spoilt with a lovely lunch,
barbecue of fresh fish, a lot of vegetables, fresh fruits, all delicious.
After our return to the land we leave for a visit of the Ngada tribe,
Warusaba village. The roofs of the houses are amazing as well the arrangements
of the whole village. The trip goes on, following the serpentine road with just
so many bends…In Bajawa we stay at Sanian Hotel. The place is quite bare and
simple and cold. Dinner at Lucas
Restaurant
Sunday, 23rd of June
After some trouble to get breakfast going we leave for another visit of
the Ngada tribe, Bena village. The houses with high and thatched roofs line up
in 2 rows, some ceremonial places to see as well.
We have a nice stroll through
the village taking plenty of pictures. Driving on we have a short break at
“bamboo” forest, the light patches between the trees offer some nice pictures.
On the road again, off to Air Pana Soa, the Hot Springs Arak Arak
Last but not least a stop and a walk at Ranamese lake and river.
Unfortunately it is already rather late, dusk falling already. We finish the
day in Ruteng, Santa Maria Hotel, an old convent , still run by nuns. It is
clean but the rooms are extremely tiny. We get some nice dinner at Spring Hill
and try to sleep in our small rooms.
Monday, 24th of June
Off from the convent and its modest breakfast to a visit of the
Manggarai Tribe’s village, the famous round houses. In the main house (chief’s
house) we get some explanations how they organise life in the village. We drive
on to Lingko Cara (near the village
of Cancar Flores ,
as far as we can look anything but rice paddies.
After that a long and winding road towards Labuan Bajo. Here in Bintang
Flores Hotel we meet Ervish, our guide who explains the procedure for the
coming days on Komodo
Islands
Tuesday, 25th of June
At 08:00 o’clock Bonaventura the guide picks us up, and leads us to the
harbour. Here we get on our boat Fadaelo and leave the small port. We have a
lovely snorkeling time, with some current but a lot of sea life under the
water’s surface. Then we sail on to Rinca
Island Kalong Island
Tuesday 25th of June
06:45 o’clock, we are sailing already and get our breakfast. We plan
another trekking and some more snorkeling today. We hope the sea will be calm
enough to see some mantas.
Komodo island is nice on early morning, we see some Warans, all in the
forest and more active than the other day. Some Cacadus and a tiny flying lizard,
not much more to see (under the pontoon bridge a small black tipped reef shark).
Snorkeling at Pink
Beach
Snorkeling next to them is wonderful although
pretty tough, with an elegant flick of their fin they are faster than we can
swim at full speed. We see several of them, different sizes, one of them
probably an old male, quite large! Back on the boat we are happy and tired.
Our stay on the Fadaelo comes soon to an end, we are back in the Bintang
Hotel, do some laundry and sort things out for the last week in Bali .
Thursday, 27th of June
Today late breakfast and the 4 of us doing a briefing how to plan and
organise our last days in Bali . Then taking
the plane to Denpasar and driving on to Ubud. There is more traffic than we
expected and we arrive rather late in our Hotel Wapa di Ume. From here we
organise some nice excursions.
Friday, 28th of June
07:00 o’clock, we have an early morning walk with the hotel guide. It is nice and gives us a first impression of the area around. After our breakfast we take the shuttle bus to Ubud’s centre. From here we start our “rice field walk”. The views are nice, there are only a few scooters using the single trail and a few pedestrians. The irrigation system for the rice paddies is very interesting, rice growing in general involving a lot of work, all done by hand, or with the water buffalo’s help. We continue towards the Monkey Forest Sanctuary. This is a place with wild and abundant nature around temples, monkeys running everywhere, giving the whole reserve an “Indiana Jones” look. We are among many other people, the forest is busy with tourists but the place has its charm all the same.
07:00 o’clock, we have an early morning walk with the hotel guide. It is nice and gives us a first impression of the area around. After our breakfast we take the shuttle bus to Ubud’s centre. From here we start our “rice field walk”. The views are nice, there are only a few scooters using the single trail and a few pedestrians. The irrigation system for the rice paddies is very interesting, rice growing in general involving a lot of work, all done by hand, or with the water buffalo’s help. We continue towards the Monkey Forest Sanctuary. This is a place with wild and abundant nature around temples, monkeys running everywhere, giving the whole reserve an “Indiana Jones” look. We are among many other people, the forest is busy with tourists but the place has its charm all the same.
In the evening we get a nice pizza for a change…
Saturday, 29th of June
07:00 o’clock a quick breakfast and after that off to the East. We
arrive at Besakih after 1 ½ hours’ drive. Although we brought pareos and scarves
to wear we have to wear some sarongs on top of all that clothing and look
rather ridiculous. Besakih is Bali ’s main
temple and tourists are made to pay for EVERYTHING: scams and irritations all
around, we are almost wishing to have skipped the complex altogether.
But we
keep our dignity, complete the visit and the tour. Next place to visit is Tirtagangga
Water palace. Again the palace is overrun by tourists, a pity since we see the
potential of taking beautiful pictures. Again we keep our chin up and bear it
good naturally and try to find some spots empty of Chinese “models” taking
hundreds of pictures from each others….Before our return to Ubud we see some
rice fields, right after harvest, not so much greenery. But we can watch parts
of a thanksgiving ceremony (ritual after harvest).
Back in busy Ubud we walk the Campulan Ridge Walk, a trail right on the
ridge offering some views to both sides of the valley.
Dinner at restaurant Tropical
Sunday, 30th of June
Early breakfast; the driver from Sobek-Adventure picks us up and we are
off to the North. The sky is clear, we can see Mount
Agung (the highest), Mount Batur
(smoking) and Mount
Abang
Our
female guide is very good, she shows us original houses, private family
temples, explains about birth and funeral rituals, all held in these temples.
Kitchens are very basic with gas and a coal stove. –We ride on , eventually on
single trails leading us through the woods and the fields. We stop at various
temples (shortly) and come to a Luwak Coffee farm right in the jungle. The Luwak
is an animal (a bit weasel like) that swallows the whole coffee bean, the bean
runs through its digestive system, gets evacuated the “natural” way which gives
an extra taste to the bean ( the digestion liquids do their work here). The
beans get of course cleaned, boiled and peeled after the “pooh-moment”. The
whole procedure turns the Luwak coffee into the most expensive coffee in the
world. We get a taste of different teas and the Luwak coffe (“ca-pooh-ccino….).
Interesting experience. We ride on with our bikes and Suki, the guide, leads us
through beautiful rice fields, we sheer cannot get enough of these views. At
the end of the ride we get a nice lunch and return to Ubud. We do some souvenir
shopping and enjoy a nice massage at the hotel.
Dinner and packing.
Monday, 1rst of July
At 9:00 0’clock we get a transfer lift by Asian trails towards Munduk.
The guide is nice and we arrange our return drive with him. (Munduk- Jimbaran).
We get to Munduk,
Hotel Puri Lumbung Cottages. Here we get a small map and
organise a trek on our own: we plan a round trip to the 3 waterfalls. 1) Red
Coral Waterfall, very nice and rather big, 2) Labuan Kebo Waterfall, also very
nice and reached by a long descent of many many stairs, 3)Laangen Waterfall. On
the whole we are rather amazed at the waterfalls’ sizes and the waterflow. To
be honest we had expected a miserable trickle of water and these flows are just
stunning! From the last waterfall we try to return to the hotel, get a bit lost
and confused, but in the end we find some small trails (still used by the
scooters), through a luxuriant landscape and arrive safely at the hotel.
Sunset bar and drink, early dinner and a good rest.
Tuesday, 2nd of July
9:00 o’clock, the guide picks us up for a lakes-jungle trekking. (Danau
Buyan and Danau Tambligan). After a short drive we come to a view point where
we can see both lakes at the same time. We enter the UNESCO protected National
Park and follow a nice path through the jungle. The trees have an enormous
size, mainly strangler figs: these trees kill the host tree in a period of
about 50 years and leave an hollowed out trunk.
We get to the lakes’ shore, the vegetation changing, we have trees
plantations here ( it reminds us of European forests). We walk around the
second lake and finish the trek after 4 ½ hours. A little lunch , a rest, a
massage and a Balinesian Dance workshop for myself, very pleasant.
Dinner and packing up for tomorrow’s leave.
Wednesday, the 3rd of July
The guide from Asian trails picks us up as settled before and we take
the road to the South. Here we come to the famous rice fields of Jatiluwih. We
take a long walk through the paddies and terraces, taking many pictures, It is
absolutely stunning and one of the highlights of or trip. I buy a typical hat
for my collection and some red rice.
After after a long and satisfying stay at
the place we drive on to the South coast to get to the famous temple Pura
Beraban Tanah Lot which is situated in the
water. It is drizzling, misty, the clouds are low and create a very special
light and atmosphere. On the whole the place is not too crowded and we can take
some nice pictures.
After these visits on to Limbaran, through Denpasar traffic, and on to
the Open House in Jimbaran. José Antonio, the Spanish owner welcomes us. Stroll
at the beach and a rather expensive dinner at the beach (after Flores ’ prices…)
Thursday, 4th of July
Breakfast at a lazy 8:00 o’clock. The sky is covered, we are a bit
disappointed, having planned a last “bikini-day”.
We stroll around, shop at the
local supermarket for lunch, Gaston gets his hair trimmed at the local
barber’s. Funny! The sky clears up, strolling over the beach and a little rest
after 3 busy weeks.
Off to the airport and a long and VERY cold flight back home with
Singapore Airlines. (via Singapore
and Munich
Back home on the 6th of July.
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