Indonesia Tour

#5 Yogyakarta – The Student City (part one)

Yogyakarta, also commonly called Jogjakarta or Jogja, is located in the southern part of Java Island and bordered by the Provinces of Central Java and the Indian Ocean. It is referred to as the student city because one can find some of the top universities in Indonesia, for example, Gadjah Mada University. Many students from all over Indonesia come to this city to study at one of the universities that is why it is called the student city.

It is not just the student city, but also known as the cultural city. Jogja is known for its Sultanate. Right now the city is governed by Sultan Hamengkubuwono and Prince Paku Alam as the vice governor. Because of this Sultanate, the local culture is still held in high esteem and is not affected by modern times.

That was a little information about Jogja’s city, and now I want to continue with the tourist attractions. I will divide this post into two parts because I realized that there are many good places to talk about and one post is not enough for me. Thankfully, unlike Puncak or Bandung, Jogja is more tourist-friendly because it is the most popular tourist destination after Bali. One does not have to have fear of not being able to communicate because there will be more people who can speak in English.

Let us start with the first three destinations

Borobudur Temple

The main tourist attractions in Jogja are mostly 1000-year-old temples and Borobudur temple is one of them. It is the world’s largest Buddhist temple. The temple consists of nine stacked platforms, six square and three circular, topped by a central dome. It is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. The central dome is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues, each seated inside a perforated stupa. It is located in Magelang about 40 km from downtown Jogja and easily accessible by private/rental vehicles and public transportation.

Borobudur Temple from above. (pic credits here.)

2. Prambanan Temple

Prambanan is the 9th-Century temple built as the dedication to the Trimūrti (the triple deity of supreme divinity in Hinduism), the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Preserver (Vishnu) and the Transformer (Shiva). It is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia and the second-largest in Southeast Asia. It is located in the east part of Jogjakarta and can be easily accessed with the bus.

3. Malioboro Street

Malioboro street during daytime. (pic credits here.)

Malioboro is the heart of Jogja’s city. It is located in downtown and one of the busiest business districts in the area. Best way to explore the streets are on foot or one can hire a becak (pedicab) or the ubiquitous four-wheeled horse-drawn carts called “Andong.” Along the streets, one will find many clothing shops and local food cuisine. Jogja is also known for the Batik. Batik is a technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to a whole cloth and also the name of the cloth produced using this technique, originally from Indonesia. In the shops along Malioboro Street, one can buy various designs of Batik clothing.

Malioboro street during night. (pic credits here.)

That is all for today’s post. I will tell you about more places in another post so make sure to always standby. Thank you for reading!

#4 Kota Tua – The Old Town

On my last post, I had mentioned Kota Tua, and I promised to write about it. In this post, I will tell you about the history of the old town called Batavia, the former name of Jakarta and Kota Tua itself. Kota Tua is a reminent of Old Batavia, the first walled settlement of the Dutch in the Jakarta area.

In 1526, Fatahillah, a 16th-century commander of the Sultanate of Demak, invaded the Hindu Pajajaran’s port of Sunda Kelapa, after which he renamed it Jayakarta. Before Indonesia got its name and became an independent country, it was colonized by the Dutch. At that time, Indonesia was still called the Dutch East Indies. In 1619 the VOC (the Dutch East Indies company) destroyed Jayakarta and a year later built a new town named “Batavia” after Batavieren, the Dutch ancestors.

During the 17th century, the city was the Asian headquarters of VOC during the heyday of the spice trade. The area was called the “Jewel of Asia” by European sailors because of its strategic location for trading goods especially spices. The city was only fifteen hectares (about 150.000 m²) in size and was expanded around 1630 by VOC. It was first centered around the east bank of the Ciliwung River but expanded towards the west bank of the river. The Dutch also built the walls around the city, public squares, churches, etc. No native Javanese or locals were allowed to live within the city walls because the government was afraid that they would make a riot.

Batavia’s map with its wall in 1667. (pic credits to Wikipedia)

In the late 18th century, the town was slowly becoming abandoned, probably because of the canals with their near-stagnant water and also the warm and humid climate. The city retained its status as the administrative center of Dutch East Indies when the VOC transferred its possession to the monarchy of the Netherlands in 1800 because of bankruptcy. Because the town was already neglected, they moved the city’s administration to another part of the city called Weltevreden (now it is called Sawah Besar.) Due to financial problems, however, much of the old town, its wall, and the castle of Batavia were torn down for construction materials to build a new government and civic buildings.

From 1835 to 1870, more and more people moved out of the old city, leaving it quite empty. In 1900, the ethnic Chinese people occupied the former mansions and shops and converted them into offices. Because of that Batavia was able to become the business district again. After the independence of Indonesia, the business and banking district was moved to another part of the city called Thamrin. In 1972, Jakarta’s Governor, Ali Sadikin, proclaimed the Kota Tua to become a heritage site. Despite the Governors’s order, Kota Tua remained neglected.

One of the abandoned building in Kota Tua. (pic credits to : here)

Another abandoned building that has already big roots inside it, now is made into a photo spot. (pic credits to : here)

By August 2014, sixteen buildings had been restored and converted into a temporary museum. Despite its development, the government still has more to do because most of the colonial architecture remains in ruins up to this day. Of course, the role of young people is also important. Without them, the city may be forgotten.

That is all for today’s post and see you in my next post.

#3 Bandung – A Short Getaway

In the last post I talked about Puncak, a nature escape and now I want to talk about Bandung, a city located not far from Jakarta. It is about a three-hour drive from Jakarta, again when there is no traffic. I think I will always mention the traffic on my post because, in reality, we have a lot of traffic.

Bandung is the capital of West Java province. Based on 2015 census, it is Indonesia’s fourth most populous city after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bekasi with over 2.5 million inhabitants. Unlike Jakarta, Bandung has cooler year-round temperatures. The city is also known for its history during the Dutch colonial era. It is where the first Asian-African Conference was held by President Sukarno (our first president) in 1955.

The simulation of the conference. (picture credits to : here)

The front side of the museum. (picture credits to : here)

Just like Puncak, Bandung is also the favorite city of Jakarta’s People, because it has a colder climate, variety of food, variety of factory outlets, the zoo, and other attractions in the city. Bandung also has a massive shopping mall called Trans Studio Mall, where inside one can find an amusement park. The ticket price for the amusement park costs around 11 Euro (170,000 Rupiah) on weekdays and around 18 Euro (270,000 Rupiah) on the weekends.

Inside the amusement park. (picture credits to : here)

The front side of the mall. (picture credits to : here)

One of the most popular tourist attractions is the Tangkuban Perahu volcano crater, located on the north side of the city. The volcano erupted recently on 26 July 2019. On 2 August 2019, the volcano experienced eight minor eruptions, and as a result, the place has been closed down for visitors.

Tangkuban Perahu. (picture credits to : here)

This place called Kawah Putih. It is a volcano crater lake located about 50 km south of Bandung. Kawah Putih is a sizeable highly acid lake (pH 0.5-1.3) which changes colour from bluish to whitish green, or brown, depending on the concentration of sulfur and the temperature or the oxidation state. On weekends and holidays, this place will be packed with tourists. According to Perhutani (stated-owned enterprises in Indonesia) staff at the site, up to 10,000 people might visit on busy holidays and the total number of visitors is perhaps 300,000 per year.

Kawah Putih. (picture credits to : here)

That is all for today’s post; I hope you enjoyed reading it. See you on my next one!

#2 Puncak – The Sweet Escape

Puncak is a common weekend destination for residents of Jakarta. It is located in the Bogor Province and lies at the foot of Mount Gede Pangrango on Java island. It is about two-hour drive from Jakarta to Puncak if there is no traffic.

Mount Gede Pangrango (picture credits to : here)

Puncak is known as the weekend destination for people of Jakarta because of its breeziness and natural beauty. There are also many tea gardens where one can experience plucking the tea leaves. It is also possible to visit Mount Gede Pangrango National Park, if one loves hiking.

In Puncak, there is also the famous zoo or animal theme park, called Taman Safari I. Currently, there are three Taman Safaris in Indonesia, and one of them is located in Puncak. The zoo has a collection of 2,500 animals. There are also six wildlife shows, including a dolphin show, an elephant show, etc. What makes this zoo more interesting is that the visitors are allowed to drive through the park, and it is possible to see the animals within close distance. Visitors are also allowed to give the animals food, such as carrots. The ticket price costs around 12€ (185,000 Rupiah) on weekdays and around 15€ (220,000 Rupiah) on the weekends. They are charging for the car as well, which costs around 2€ (20,000 Rupiah).

It is possible to take pictures with the animals. (picture credits to : here)

Cars drive through the park. (picture credits to : here)

If one is travelling with their family or friends, there are also many hotels or villas, which can be rented. There are also other activities that people can do, such as paragliding, walking around the tea plantation or just enjoying the view at Puncak Pass (‘Pass’ is the Indonesian word for ‘top’ or ‘peak’).

Because Puncak is located in the Bogor Province, it is possible to go to Bogor City and visit one of the Presidential Palaces. It is not possible to go inside the palace, of course, but the front yard of the palace is accessible for public. Near the presidential palace, there is also a botanical garden. Today the garden owns 13,983 specimens of trees and plants.

The Presidential Palace. (picture credits to : here)

The botanical garden. (picture credits to : here)

As you can see from the pictures above, Puncak has more nature than Jakarta and is also some type of countryside. Therefore, there can also be some problems especially for foreigners. It will probably be hard to talk with the locals, since not everybody can speak English. There is also traffic, that has been getting more unpleasant in the past years. Make sure to go there earlier in the morning if you do not want to be sitting and stuck in your car.

That is all for today’s post and see you on my next one!

#1 Jakarta – Indonesia’s “New York City”

Hello everyone!

Welcome to my first post or also our first destination of the Indonesia Tour. In this post, I will introduce my home city, Jakarta. As you all probably know, it is the capital city of Indonesia. Here, I will tell you the top five coolest places in Jakarta based on my experience.

First of all, let me start with a bit of geography. Jakarta is not just the capital city, but also the largest city in Indonesia. It is situated on the island of Java and the centre of economy, culture and politics. Because Indonesia lies on the equator, this makes the temperature in our country mostly hot, especially in Jakarta. Therefore, I suggest coming to Jakarta around June or September, where the temperature range from 24-32 Celsius. (see more about the weather here)

Now, let me start with the places in Jakarta.

Kota Tua (Jakarta’s Old Town)

Town hall in Kota Tua. (picture credits to Jakarta Tourism)

Indonesia was colonized by the Dutch back in the 17th century. Kota Tua is a reminder of the Old Batavia, a place people used to trade their goods. It was, in fact, the trade centre for the Asian continent. I would discuss this more in the future post. In Kota Tua, people can see the old town hall, various museums, and artistic restaurants, where one can have good food.

One of the restaurants in Kota Tua, Café Batavia. (picture is from google)

I would suggest seeing the Wayang Museum too because they have the traditional puppets used for theatre.

Inside of Museum Wayang. (picture credits to *museumseni.jakarta.go.id* )

The traditional puppets used for theater. (picture is from google)

2. Monas (National Monument)

The National Monument. (picture from google)

Whereas France has an Eiffel Tower, we have the Monas Tower located in the center of Jakarta. It is the national tower of Indonesia, built to commemorate the struggle for Indonesia’s independence. It is possible to go up to the top platform to have an lovely view of Jakarta’s city. The ticket to go up there is also cheap, costing only 5000 Rupiah for students (€0,31). The best time to go there is in the morning.

3. Dufan (Jakarta’s Amusement Park)

The roller coaster in the amusement park. (picture credits to https://www.ancol.com/id/destination/dunia-fantasi)

If one is a student, they are more likely looking for a bit of adventure. We have an amusement park located in North Jakarta near the beach. The ticket price for this amusement park is a bit expensive. It costs around €13 (200.000 Rupiah) on weekdays and €19 (295.000 Rupiah) at weekends. It is best to go there with friends and I suggest not to go on the weekend because the place will be crowded.

4. Thousands Islands (Pulau Seribu)

One of the island in Thousands Islands, Tidung Island. (picture credits to http://dewawisata.com/paket-pulau-tidung/ )

After two-hour boat trip, we will arrive at Thousands Islands. There one can find a lot of small islands with a beautiful view. Honestly, I have never been there, but it is on my bucket list because I come from Jakarta and it will be a shame if I have never been there. To go there, one must go on a boat, because it is only reachable by boat. The ticket price depends on which island is visited. I will take Tidung Island as an example. The boat ticket costs around €3 (45.000 Rupiah).

5. Grand Indonesia Shopping Town

The front side of the mall. (picture is from google)

Inside the mall. (picture is from google)

Because Jakarta is a metropolis, we have many malls. One of them is Grand Indonesia Shopping Town. It is one of the top five shopping malls in Jakarta. Which has hundreds of restaurants, a 12-screens cinema and also a huge children playground. Malls in Jakarta are actually where most of the people spend their weekends because it has everything.

These are the places that I suggest you see. As you have probably noticed, we do not have that much nature in Jakarta, but in the next post I will suggest a town near Jakarta with a beautiful landscape.

I want to apologize for any grammar mistakes in this post or next post in the future. Please bear with me, since English is not my mother tongue. Therefore, I am waiting for your comments and see you in my next post.