Java

Our tour of Indonesia began with an 8 hour train ride to Yogyakarta - central Java's main hub.  Whilst Jakarta is the archipelago's financial and political center, Yogyakarta is often seen as the cultural capital. 

Waiting on the platform for the train in Jakarta, we watched in amazement as morning commuter trains whizzed by with people hanging out of open doorways.  As the train pulled into the platform, station porters would run alongside and leap through the open doors to tout for business before the train had come to a complete stop.  It's safe to say the term 'health and safety' does not exist in the Indonesian transport system.  When our train arrived there was a gentle scramble for seats; the carriage was a little dirty and shoddy, but the seats were large and comfortable and the journey turned out to be fairly painless.

Yogyakarta
Central Java

After checking into a hotel, we made our way to a local restaurant for a traditional Indonesian meal of sate ayam (or chicken satay).  We washed down our meal with a bottle of Bir Bintang, the local beer - not bad, but we fear nothing will compare to the smooth refreshing taste of Beer Lao.  Yogyakarta is definitely more chilled and backpacker friendly than Jakarta; the streets are filled with people hanging around trying to sell batik and the roads crammed with rickshaw drivers - who also all seem to have friends owning the city's cheapest art and batik shops.

The following morning, we took a twenty minutes stroll through town to the Kraton - the sultan's palace; easier said than done, as we constantly had to dismiss the unrelenting offers and shouts by the touts, drivers and salesmen along the way.  The sultan's palace is still used by the present day sultan, so we could only access a small part.  Our tour guide walked us around the reception hall and surrounding buildings taking us through the history and meanings of various carvings and paintings.  There were large bird cages lining the pathways each one housing a cockerel - this we were told was the palace alarm clock system - no joke!! 

The Sultan's alarm clock stands ever ready...no batteries necessary.

Deciding we could no longer avoid the inevitable, we let our guide talk us into visiting a 'government' batik shop. 

At the shop we were shown the batik design process - the application of beeswax and layers of colored dye.  Despite the 'no pressure to buy', we did of course walk away with a small sample. 

Leaving the batik shop, we went to a traditional puppet museum to get a short glimpse of how Indonesian shadow puppets are made.

The puppets are carved out of thick buffalo skin and erected on to buffalo horn sticks and then painted.

We continued our exploration of the old city wandering a maze of narrow alleyways, crammed with hastily built houses and vibrant with daily life.  We passed rather quickly through a bird market, with the increasing threat of bird flu not many tourists linger in these markets anymore. 

The birds on sale were mostly pigeons, though there were a few parrots, sparrows and owls.  The merchants also sold bird food in the form of live crickets, cockroaches and mounds of maggots and ants. 

The next day began at 4:30 in the morning, when we caught a tour bus to the temples of Borobudur and Prambanan.  We stopped en route to take photos of Mount Merapi - usually only visible in the early hours before being hidden by the almost daily overcast skies.

Currently the world's most active volcano, Mt. Merapi has been making world-wide headlines with its imminent eruption.

Our first stop was Borobudur - a Buddhist temple built in the early 9th century; this colossal structure is considered to be one of the great South East Asian monuments.  The temple was shrouded in clouds when we arrived, creating quite a serene and spiritual atmosphere.  The temple is a 4-sided, 6-tiered squat pyramid covered with Buddha figures, stupas, and lion/dog stone carvings.  We spent a few hours admiring the temple structure and the views from the temples top when the clouds cleared. 

Because of the temple's large size and position on top of a hill, it was hard to capture in its entirety.

 

The carvings remain in excellent condition.

Buddhas and beasts protect the temple.

The top tier is ringed with stupas, each containing a depiction of Buddha.  It is considered lucky if you are able to reach through the diamond gaps to touch the statue inside.

Also at the top were a group of students taking a practice english exam.  They cornered us in groups of 3 or 4 politely inquiring if they could ask us a few questions and of course take the inevitable photos.  After the first two to three encounters, we resigned ourselves to our fate...

If only we could charge for each photo....

After Borobudur, we visited Prambanan - the most grand Hindu complex in Java.  The largest and most intricate of these temples is the Shiva temple, which stands flanked by 5 or 6 other chapels and a field of ruins.  Most of the larger statues inside the temples seemed to have disappeared or been heavily damaged but the outsides remain in impressive condition with quite ornate carvings.

From afar Prambanan resembles one of the great Angkor Wat temples of Cambodia.

Not all the temples of Prambanan have survived into the 21st century.

Soon after it was built Prambanan was deserted for reasons unknown before being rediscovered in the 20th century.

The carvings that line the outer walls of the temples tell the stories of Hindu gods.

Our sightseeing complete, we returned to the city to pack and prepare for our journey to Mt. Bromo the following morning.  Despite our grumblings in our blog about the annoying touts and taxi drivers, we have also met a host of genuinely friendly and helpful people in Yogyakarta and Indonesia in general.  We hope the people and city of Yogyakarta make a swift recovery from the recent devastating earthquake.

Mount Bromo
East Java

A 10 and a half hour bus ride took us from Yogyakarta to the small village of Cemoro Lawang which sits on the lip of the Tengger crater. The crater is home to Mount Bromo, an active volcano, which is one of three mountains which sit in the center of the caldera.  The next morning at 3am, we got up and stumbled down to some waiting jeeps which would take us on a bumpy twisty journey to the top of Mt. Penanjakan for an amazing sunrise view across the caldera.   

We stood at the viewpoint watching the rising sun paint golden colors of red, yellow and pink across the sky.

Mt. Bromo and the taller Mt. Semeru (the highest mountain in Java) were puffing smoke into the air which highlighted the grays and pinks in the dawn light.

After about an hour we drove down from the viewpoint on Mt. Penanjakan and across the sea of sand to Mt. Bromo itself.  Mt. Bromo is a large grayish-white crater of ash and sulphur.  A set of some 260 steps has been built up the side of the volcano to make climbing up to its ridge easier; having said that, it was still quite an exhausting hike given your lungs are gasping for air and receiving nothing but mouthfuls of eggy-smelling ash. 

Looking down from the ridge, you can see a giant crack from which flows an almost constant plume of sulphuric and ash smoke.

    

Eric takes a running leap inches from the steep edge of Bromo's crater.

Nikki tries to jump from Mount Bromo to Mount Batok. 

The Tengger caldra spans 10km wide with 200m high walls circling the flat 'sea of lava sand'.  Looking out over the caldera, thin wisps of clouds hung low in the air adding an eerie aspect to the desolate terrain.

In the afternoon we hiked around the lip of the caldra, and, of course, admired the views.

Malang
East Java

After spending another day enjoying the sights and cooling fresh air of the highlands, we took the local bus to Malang.  With a couple of days to spare before our flight to Sulawesi, we chilled out in this old colonial town.  Local travel agents tried to sell us tours of the local area, which included 'highlights' such as a swimming pool, a tofu factory and a dairy farm - complete with cow-milking (however, the tour operator could not guarantee we would actually be able to see the cow being milked; but there would definitely be a cow present).  At $30 each, we declined their offers.  Instead we used our time in Malang to write postcards, catch up on emails and play billiards. 

Malang was a mix of colonial period houses and hectic city streets.

After a transit night in Surabaya, we took a flight up to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi.

North Sulawesi

Manado

Determined to avoid Bali, we decided to spend some time in North Sulawesi instead and see for ourselves its world renowned dive sites.  Situated on the Celebes sea, Manado is a compact yet bustling city where mikrolets rule the streets.  These doorless blue vans are a cross between a taxi and a bus, and for a set fee they will pick you up and drop you off along the city's main roads. 

Known locally as mikrolets, these buzzing cars outnumber all other vehicles 10 to 1. 

Manado will be permanently associated in our minds with fish and national flags.  Our hotel was located just minutes from the docks, and from its large rooftop restaurant we watched a near constant stream of boats sail into and out of the port. 

The hotel restaurant overlooked the main street and the dive and fishing boats moored in Manado's docks.

In the immediate areas located around our hotel was a large dried fish market where merchants seemed to sell a dried version of almost any fish, from tiny sardines, to green parrot fish and giant barracuda. 

Throughout Indonesia, it seems that nearly every male we have come across has been a football (soccer) fanatic.  Upon hearing that we are from London, they joyfully announce which English Premiership team they support and whom their favorite player is.  Eric has often been drawn into long debates about the winners and losers of the latest season and predictions for next year.  World Cup fever has certainly taken hold in Manado; throughout the city it is possible to see the national flag of almost every team participating in the tournament.  It seems the locals adopt a country to support just like they pick between Man U and Chelsea, identifying with their favorite player or choosing whichever team is the 'enemy' of the neighbour's favorite side.  Indeed it seems the locals would be upset if the Indonesian national team ever qualified for a major tournament, as this would mean they would have to forgo the enjoyment of supporting rival teams and their favorite international players.

One of many of Manado's flag vendors displays his wares outside the local cinema; the American flag remained suspiciously absent.

Bunaken

From Manado we hitched a ride on a local supply boat to the island of Bunaken.  Bunaken is a tiny island off the coast of North Sulawesi and is fringed with beautiful coral reefs making it a great place for snorkelling and diving.  After docking at Bunaken Village, we walked along Pangalisang Beach where we found a spacious bungalow for our stay on the island.  The beach was hardly a beach, but rather a coastline of mangrove trees and sea grass; when we arrived the tide was out, preventing us from having an afternoon snorkel and instead forcing us to spend our time snoozing in a shady hammock.

Eric tests out the hammock.

The sun sets over the mangrove beach in front of our bungalow.

During our stay on the island we did 4 dives, all on 'wall' reefs down to 30 metres.  True to its reputation, the reefs of Bunaken were teeming with a huge variety of colorful sea life.  We were treated with glimpses of sea turtles, sting rays, moray eels, tiny brightly coloured nudibranchs, anemone crabs, box fish, bat fish, flute fish and many more.  Best of all was the discovery of some minute pigmy seahorses which were bright yellow and clinging to strands of soft coral with their tiny curly tails.

Two rare 'le flipflop' fish are spotted swimming out of the blue.

Spot the spotted box fish.

The reefs were always teeming with life.

Two angel fish swim amongst the coral.

Evenings were spent at the 'Blue Parrot Cafe', listening to local guys play guitars and strum on a box bass (a homemade instrument made out of a packing crate).  We sampled the local plum wine (it tasted a bit like English Christmas Pudding), but sensibly stuck with beer.  Tangkoko

After 4 days on the island, we opted for a change of scenery, so we took a boat back to the mainland and headed to Tangkoko National Park.  From the docks we took a mikrolet to the bus station; we shared the 6-seater vehicle with 4 other people, our bags, their bags, their boxes and a set of bamboo hats.  Upon exiting the station, we immediately had to deal with a dozen touts and hawkers who were simultaneously trying to jam us onto already full buses and sell us snacks and drinks for the journey.  We decided to forgo the buses that were leaving straight away and got on an empty one, agreeing that having our choice of seats was worth the wait for other passengers (buses only leave when full).  Our backpacks were strapped to the roof of the bus as every inch of space inside the vehicle was reserved for customers - the aisle was lined with additional seating in the form of plastic chairs and even the driver shares his seat with a passenger.  Five minutes before the bus departed the station we pondered the fact that our bags would get wet if it rained, 10 minutes after we left the heavens opened.  The bus journey was only an hour long; we spent the time snoozing, staring out the window, and watching cockroaches climb up and down the carpeted walls of the bus. 

After arriving at Tangkoko Bus Terminal, we took a mikrolet to the town centre where we would be able to find a car to take us to the small village outside the park entrance.  We stopped outside a hardware store and negotiated a ride on a pick-up truck - the only form of  transportation up to the village.  The back of the pick-up was loaded with various supplies, from rolls of corregated iron, to fuel containers, to boxes of laundry detergent, to bags of vegetables and racks of eggs.  Once sufficient (ie too many) people had turned up it was time for us to depart.  The lucky two who had turned up first got to sit in the cab with the driver, the rest of us had to perch on planks of wood balanced across the back of the truck to form crude bench seats.  As if the winding, hilly, up-and-down roads weren't dangerous enough, the driver decided to enter into a race with another pick-up truck which had left at the same time.  We sat nervously smiling and desperately bracing ourselves whilst the rest of the passengers seemed either too busy gossiping to care or shouted at the driver, egging him on to go faster.  Somehow we made it to a guesthouse on the outskirts of the national park in one piece.

Nikki tries to control her shaking legs as she climbs down from the back of the pickup after a very nerve-racking one hour drive through the hills.

Tangkoko National Park is home to the world's smallest monkeys, the tarsius, as well as a huge variety of tropical birds.  After lunch and a short time spent recovering from our journey, we went on a 3 hour dusk trek into the park in search of the tarsius.  We walked for about 45 minutes and soon became incredibly hot and sweaty despite the setting sun.  The tarsius are nocturnal animals which live in groups inside hollow or cavernous trees.  Our guide, Semuel, skillfully located a family just after sunset.   

The tarsius grow to about 8cm high with bushy tails 20cm long; their tiny size and huge round eyes and ears make them incredibly cute.

A tarsius clings to the tree trunk; they were a little shy but we were able to stand quite close to them and some helpfully posed for our photographs.

We watched as they emerged from their sleep and sat on or clung to branches outside their home, where they waited for the growing sound of crickets, the signal for their night time hunting to begin.

Once the tarsius had departed for dinner, we walked back through the jungle in the darkness.  On the way back we stopped to see a tarantula.  The spider, which was as big as a man's hand, was sitting on a tree trunk at shoulder height.  Our guide insisted we stand a mere 3 feet away from it, physically pulling us closer to the tree trunk.  Our objections that we had "perfectly adequate zoom lens on our camera" fell on deaf ears.

We took a few pictures before the use of our flash finally spooked the tarantula.  It's a very scary moment when a giant tarantula, only three feet away, suddenly moves just as your guide turns off the only flashlight so you have absolutely no idea where it has run to.

...thankfully the tarantula had only retreated back into its hole in the tree trunk.

We returned drenched in sweat, but very happy with our evening's expedition.  After a fitful night's sleep in which we were kept awake by a huge thunderstorm, we departed at 5am for an early morning jungle trek.  The trees were still dripping heavily from the storm the night before, giving the illusion that it was still raining.  Our clothes were soon drenched from the damp air and wet leaves, and would stay that way for the remainder of the trek. 

Exhausted, soaked, disheveled, trousers tucked into socks and shirts tucked into trousers....what a sexy pair!!

One of the main hazards of walking through the jungle in the early morning is all the spider webs stretched out across the trails.  As our guide was walking in front he bore the brunt of them and could be seen flailing his arms around his head, wiping cobwebs from his face and hair.  On two occassions he was momentarily blinded when he got a web directly in the eye.  Unfortunately, our guide, like most Indonesians, was rather short so he didn't always clear the path completely.  Walking behind him we too occasionally walked face first into a spider's web. 

Spiders hung over the trails and giant moths clung to leaves.

We were primarily on the look out for the Sulawesi Crested Black Macaque - a black monkey.  Along the way we saw quite a few Red Knobbed Horn Bill's (Toucans) flying noisily above the jungle, and some Dwarf Kingfishers.  Our guide showed us an amazing tree that was a tangle of tree trunks and roots, and completely hollow inside. 

The tangle of roots formed a natural ladder making it possible to climb up inside the 300 year old tree.

After trekking for over 4 and a half hours, we still hadn't found any black monkeys, it was time to call it a day.  We found it ironic that we had found the world's smallest monkey so easily, but had been outsmarted by their average-sized cousins! 

Having completed our exploration of the park, we headed back to Manado, travelling the exact reverse of the journey that had brought us to Tangkoko.  It was now time for us to leave Indonesia and head to the Philippines.