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- What To Do Around Padangbai/Padang Bai, Bali, Indonesia
- Padangbai/Padang Bai, Bali - Gateway to Lombok
- Mount Batur, Bali Hiking Information
- Lunch, Kintamani and Mount Batur, Bali, Indonesia
- Gitgit Waterfalls and Batur Temple, Bali
- Lovina in Bali, Indonesia
- Tanah Lot Balinese Temple
- Visiting Three Different Balinese Temples, Indonesia
- What To Do Around Ubud and Bali, Indonesia
- Walk Down Monkey Forest Road and Through Ubud's Market, Bali, Indonesia
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While walking from one end of town to the other, take time to choose one of the many places to stay and eat; they're all very close together. The majority of tourists only come through Padangbai/Padang Bai to take a ferry to/from Lombok and then make their way onward to the Gilli's. I think that's a mistake. With its beautiful setting, small, un-spoilt village feel, Padangbai must qualify as one of the most attractive port towns in the world. It has excellent accommodation & food options and is well worth spending a few days here. Longer, if you use it as a base to visit sights in East Bali. Also, check out Hotel Prima Group for accommodations all over Bali.
East Bali is in the Karangasem Recency and the other big resort areas (I'm using "big" loosely here since all the resort areas are small) to park yourself (or not) are Candidasa, Amed, Tulamben and Amiapura (the capital of Karangasem) with two royal palaces.
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Leaving Kintamini behind, it was back in the bus once more for us and Jasleen. Everyone else was heading for the one week extension on Lombok, including an overnight climb on Rinjani. A stop at Klungkung with a chance to visit the palace and museum. The Klungkung Palace was built in 1710 and is actually a reconstruction as the Dutch destroyed the original palace and grounds in 1908. I don't think any of us visited but there were a few antique stores (couldn't hold a candle to the ones in Yogyakarta and Ubud) and a small market selling Balinese temple paraphernalia. Temple umbrellas to shield the gods...View image, temple houses (called "spirit houses" in Thailand), lengths of cloth...View image, offering bowls, traditional headwear...View image, and more. Several women were sitting outside the market making temple offerings with paper, fruit and material...View image. There was also an unusual Hindu statue in the center of the roundabout...View image and perseverant sellers who never give up until the bus pulls away.
Another hour to the small fishing village of Padangbai/Padang Bai nestled in a cove and an important port for the ferries to Lombok. These ferries sail back and forth, 24 hours a day, seven days a week and vary in quality...View image. Most of the large air conditioned buses that we see coming off the ferries are on their way back to Denpasar.
Continue reading "Padangbai/Padang Bai, Bali - Gateway to Lombok" »
There are several different volcano climbing options in this area. The sunrise trekking tour to Mount Batur costs $65. Your $65 package includes transportation to and from Lakeview Hotel, the climb, guides, headlamps, breakfast and lunch at the hot springs after the climb. You begin climbing up from Jali temple at the edge of Lake Batur at 4:00 a.m. Mt. Batur is set 1,717m/5,633' above sea level and is an active, volcanic mountain. It first erupted in 1917, followed by a second eruption in 1926, which left a huge crater at the top with a few hot spots steaming. The round trip takes about 5 hours and the first eruption eons ago left a crater 14km/8 miles across. The current Mount Batur is the newer volcano within a volcano and dark lava covers parts of the area from recent eruptions.
An unusual part of the trek is breakfast on Mount Batur where they cook eggs in volcanic steam and then serve. "Eggs a la sulphur."
Continue reading "Mount Batur, Bali Hiking Information" »
A short five-minute ride from Batur Temple to a stretch of restaurants along the highway in Penelokan, all serving buffet lunches that cater to the hundreds of tourists visiting the area. Mob scenes both in front of the restaurants and inside. TIP: The lunches are usually tastier than hotel dinners for some inexplicable reason. And, if we do end up eating large plates of noodles or rice around 2:00 p.m., are usually not hungry for dinner. Our druthers is to just skip lunch because of that. However, the restaurant had a buffet we couldn't refuse, Ian said this was the best buffet in Bali and everything looked so scrumptious. There were pork sates, fried chicken, fried noodles, rice, onion rings, vegetables, soup, tea, coffee, tofu, beef strogonoff (of all things), fish, more items I forget the names of, fruit, black rice pudding, fried bananas with honey (my favorite), and yellow watermelon. It cost 75,000 Rupiah ($7.50), plus 21% tax/service to eat yourself into a food coma, a really good value.
Another big plus was the view from the restaurant terrace facing "Gunung" Mount Batur. An active volcano within a caldera over 14kms/8 miles across left eons ago. Inside the caldera were numerous other craters and small cones. An unbelievable sight...View image.
Continue reading "Lunch, Kintamani and Mount Batur, Bali, Indonesia" »
The Bali trip is almost over and today, a later departure was scheduled for the ride to Kintamani where Mount Batur is located. Two stops first. It was less than two hours to the pretty and touristy Gitgit Waterfalls. Parked the bus, crossed the road over to the signposted path and began walking down flights of good stairs with railings to the first drop of the falls. Even with railings, moss makes it a little slippery so watch your footing. The endless steps down are lined with small souvenir stands (one-third of Bali's income comes from Tourism) selling different spices among all the other "stuff." The women sellers were more than happy to explain each spice to you, even if you didn't buy. Nutmeg (the red nutmeg was actually mace), cloves, vanilla, etc. Lots of "retail therapy" as Ian refers to it. There is another waterfall called Gitgit multi-tier waterfall another 2kms/1.2 miles farther away but this one was too far to walk to with group time constraints.
Gitgit...View image... is a pretty waterfall, basically underwhelming with the exception of the surrounding forest/jungle greenery...View image, rice terraces...View image, the adorable children helping their families by shelling nutmeg, playing along the path and hamming it up, along with offerings to the gods...View image... scattered in auspicious forest locations.
Continue reading "Gitgit Waterfalls and Batur Temple, Bali" »
The drive down the mountain to Lovina on the northern coast of Bali continued with a brief leg stretching at Bedugul market before continuing on. Lovina is known for stunning black sand beaches...View image... made of the black lava which rolled down the volcanoes over the centuries. There is a string of three to four fishing villages which have turned into beach resorts and the entire stretch is known collectively as "Lovina." The very beautiful Aditya Beach Resort is located directly on a black sand beach, a 20-minute walk from town. Lovina has internet, restaurants, small shops, etc., with nothing major to do but relax.
Bali's north coast is known for great diving and snorkeling, Menjangan Island and Tulamben are the most popular sites. There are several certified diving schools but one day wouldn't give you enough time for this. Fishing is also a popular activity and you could even try spear fishing in Indonesia.
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"Crowded" is too kind a word for Temple Number Two, Tanah Lot. Tanah Lot was built by a famous saint called Dang Hyang Dwi Jendra. It is said that during his old age he was led by a holy light to an extremely beautiful location, a huge rock in the shape of a bird. The long story goes on and on and eventually, a rival teacher of religion demanded that he leave the area. Dang Hyant Dwi Jendra lifted the great rock with mystical strength and cast it into the sea, transforming his scarf into snakes to stand guard at his refuge. He then named the place Tengah Lot which means land in the middle of the sea.
A major shock when we pulled into one of four parking lots, made our way through hordes of people and ran the gamut of sellers before walking out to the temple itself. Past a large bat hanging upside down on a post...that alone stopped everyone in their tracks to take a photograph, food, clothes, hats...the variety of goods was endless.
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The usual routine of breakfast, bags on bus and the Imaginative Traveller group made their way to Lovina for two nights. Another long day but we had three Balinese Temples to visit. Temple Number One, Taman Ayun, is a short, 18km/11mildx west of Denpasar, and built in 1634 by a rajah to worship royal ancestors and bring prosperity to the area. Taman Ayun is a Royal Temple of the Mengwi Empire and just one of Bali's Hindu Temples visited by many tourists because it is usually on the same route of Tanah Lot Temple (our Temple Number Two). Wide, spacious...View imageView image, filled with towers, shrines, dedicated to separate deities. The higher the tower, the more important the deity. Taman Ayun was filled with busloads of students (from Borneo) who were extremely excited to meet westerners and be photographed with us.
Non-Balinese are not allowed inside Taman Ayun or most Bali temples, and you must be satisfied to just walk around the perimeter looking in the ponds, at gorgeous merus, the multi-leveled towers so that the Gods can descend to earth. There are shrines and memorials at the important temples that go back many generations.
Continue reading "Visiting Three Different Balinese Temples, Indonesia" »
If you can only spend a few days in Bali, I'd make it Ubud rather than Seminyak for the variety of tours, shops, restaurants, performances, scenic beauty and massages. There was a massage parlor every two to three feet offering traditional and therapy massages, reflexology, herbal baths, body scrubs, milk...sea salt...honey. The most unusual one is called Mandi Lular (Herbal Bath) that includes a traditional one hour massage followed by a body scrub with lular (turmeric sandal wood and rice powder) to remove dead skin and then a yoghurt splash to eliminate toxins. Costs range around 120,000 Rupiah, $12.50 for 1:45 minutes. Such a deal! I would have loved to try this but when a person is as hot and sweaty as I was, the thought of taking clothes off to be massaged was unappealing.
Walked by Bumi Bali, a Balinese cooking school where a lesson was in progress. You must reserve 24 hours in advance and it costs 250,000/person. Looked and smelled great.
Continue reading "What To Do Around Ubud and Bali, Indonesia" »
ex-Marine and I were actually walking a big square. Straight from the Puri Dalem Cottages to Monkey Forest Road and make a right. Continue past the Monkey Forest Sanctuary and football field, until reaching a corner occupied by the Royal Palace on one corner, Central Market on the other and small Tourist Office on the diagonal. Make another right on Jl Raya Ubud and walk for blocks (a much quieter street) until you reach Jl Hanoman. Make one last right turn on Jl Hanoman (runs exactly parallel to Jl Monkey Forest) and there is Puri Dalem Cottages on your right. Very easy to find but a much longer walk than you'd think from reading this. By the time dinner was over, we were hot, sweaty and exhausted.
Ubud is famous for it's nightly traditional dance performances. Kecak Fire, Trance, Legong, and shadow puppets arranged for tourists on a regular schedule. Each takes place on different nights and at different locations. The Tourist office...View image... has a schedule of all performances. Almost everyone in the group was heading for one of the dances (the majority don't begin until 7:30 p.m.), but we were just too tired. "Maybe next time," a common refrain of mine.
Continue reading "Walk Down Monkey Forest Road and Through Ubud's Market, Bali, Indonesia" »
Ubud is the cultural center of Balinese life. A Monkey Forest, temples, rice paddies, famous arts and craft market in the center of town. and only 35 km/21 miles northeast of Bali's Denpasar International Airport. Ubud is attractive to tourists being centrally located in Bali with the closest beach only 15 minutes away. It is also around 300 m/984' above sea level and surrounded by rice fields which makes it a little cooler than then other tourist destinations in Bali
Ubud's neighbouring villages are each known for a speciality: weaving, silver, painting, wood carvings, stone carvings, furniture, bamboo crafts (all within a 5km/3.1 mile radius of the central market) and that's all we saw on the ride from Seminyak to Ubud. Shop and shop along the roadside with fabulous looking stuff to buy. I cried big crocodile tears all the way mourning the fact there wouldn't be any time to visit the individual villages. This was a big blow to a compulsive shopper like me.
Continue reading "One Fast Day in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia" »
The very nice Sarinande Beach Inn is air conditioned, has big rooms, swimming pool and friendly staff. A short five-minute walk to the beach in one direction, and the same distance in the other direction to the main street. With only one night here, ex-Marine and I set off to explore the Seminyak area.
First stop was the beach stretch around the Sarinande Beach Inn. Onto the black sand beach with tourists perfecting tans and off the beach towards the upper echelon area of Seminyak. This is where the Oberoi...View image, Legian, and many other five-star hotels are located. There were also villas for sale and myriads of small boutique hotels..View image....around here (without exception, every fancy hotel, restaurant and shop had guards), along with very pricy shops. I went into one stunning shop selling jewelry opposite some of these hotels and there was nothing for under $75. (What did I expect?)
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Banyuwangi...View image... is the eastern-most regency of East Java and a 1-1/2 hour ride from Kaliburu. This is one of the main ports to Bali and the bus would accompany us on the ferry ride. An early morning, excellent buffet breakfast, and on the way by 6:45 a.m. The ferries constantly come and go every 30 minutes, 24 hours non-stop and Ian said that these are not the overloaded ferries that are always sinking with boatloads of Indonesians on board. Vehicles and passengers just come to Banyuwangi, get in line and wait for one to arrive. A gorgeous day with the island of Bali clearly visible from where we stood.
Once on board, we carefully made our way to a higher deck to spend the 45-minute journey. You can either stand outside or sit inside. Either way, prepare to be harassed to death by the sunglass sellers. They stand in your face with their sunglass display...View image, repeating over and over again, "...Buy sunglasses? Buy sunglasses?...", even though I was standing there with sunglasses on. And, if that didn't work, they'd segue into trying to sell little eyeglass kits with mini-screwdrivers in them. Now it was, "...Buy glass kit? Buy glass kit? Very cheap..." opening and closing this little kit with a "click," over and over again, probably thinking that, similar to the chinese water torture treatment, if they clicked the kit enough times, you would cave in and buy anything just to get rid of them.
Continue reading "The Ferry Journey Over to Bali, Indonesia" »
Naturally, today was beautiful and those who went at 4:00 a.m. to see the sunrise over Mount Bromo caught a lucky break. It was possible to get up at 5:00 a.m. to watch the sunrise (at a different angle) from the hotel but we didn't bother. Breakfast and on the road by 8:00 a.m., down the mountains to Kaliburu where we would stay one night before another long day's journey to Bali.
The drive took about six hours, two hours longer than Ian had originally thought with the usual pee and lunch stops. There were some new road sights. Birdcages hanging high in he trees, clothes drying along the road...View image, heaps of coconuts on motorbikes and by the side of the road...View image, huge, colorful, and almost gaudy mosques....View image... while Ian shared interesting bits of Indonesia information to keep us awake. Below are a few of his thoughts, along with some of mine....
Continue reading "Indonesia Travel Tips and Information on The Way to Kalibaru" »
Back down at the "Sand Sea" of Mount Bromo, it was now sunny and getting hotter by the minute. Jeeps arriving and departing filled with tourists, and men on horseback offering rides to the steps of Mount Bromo for $1.00. They follow you to the steps if you walk, probably hoping you'll collapse along the route from the altitude. Your choice - ride or take the 45-minute walk across the black/grey sands. We chose to walk and it's easy going across the sand...,View image... followed by a not easy-going walk uphill for 15-30 minutes until you reach the bottom of the 246 steps to the top. Tourists walked across the sand much faster than we did, but took lots of stops to photograph Mount Bromo, different from every angle...View image... and the changing light...View image, people coming and going, avoiding horses and horsemen who persist until you actually reach the steps, and doing our best to keep an eye out for horse shit. The main sight is, of course, smoking, bubbling Mount Bromo and whenever the wind changed direction you could smell that sulphur.
Once you leave the flat portion of the sand, the going becomes tougher and narrower on the uphill section of hardened lava flow. Horses behind and in front of you, with riders and without, constant stops to move out of the way and let them pass...View image.
Continue reading "Hiking Up Mount Bromo, Java, Indonesia" »
Lava View Lodge isn't heated and it got pretty cold in the room but there were nice, heavy blankets. Neither of us slept well because of the altitude (Lava View Lodge looks down on Mount Bromo) and were up before the 3:30 a.m. knock on the door.
Dressed in layers (t-shirts, long sleeved shirts, pants, heavy socks, hiking boots) as warmly as possible, we met the group in the outside parking lot and loaded three persons to each jeep. THREE BROMO TIPS: Use a pair of socks for gloves if you don't want to buy and haven't packed any; it never hurts to throw a set of thermal underwear in your suitcase, lightweight and easy to pack; and always pack a flashlight/torch because it was difficult to see the small steps up to the viewpoint in the dark. The jeeps were pre-arranged by Ian (this is a national park) and we began jolting up the mountain road in the still dark morning. A 45-minute ride to the main Pananjakan sunrise viewpoint...View image... at 2,700m/8,858' with a major line-up of jeeps parked in the road and people selling warm hats, gloves, renting jackets, blankets and even cameras.
Continue reading "Sunrise (or not) on Mount Bromo, Java, Indonesia" »
It's a four-hour drive from Malang to Mount Bromo including a change of buses in Probolinggo...View image. This smaller bus could negotiate the uphill twists and turns for the last 20 kms/9.3 miles. The ancient bus slowly ground its way up the narrow road, through small communities...View image, past the very fertile fields of corn, coffee, tomatoes...View image, cabbages...View image, into the mist with some sheer drop-offs, and finally above the clouds. Would you that last 20 kms/9.3 miles took over an hour? Believe it...
Mount Bromo is an active volcano and a very popular tourist destination in East Java, halfway between Yogyakarta and Bali. Tourists flock to Mount Bromo to witness spectacular sunrises at the crater rim and that is why we were visiting. Mount Bromo is the only active crater within a enormous caldera that contains seven eruptive centers. Once filled with a lake, the volcano perpetually emits clouds of sulphurous steam. The last eruption took place June 8, 2004 and two tourists were killed when molten lava reached as far as the Hindu Temple (see map below). It is said that you only have to worry about an impending volcanic eruption when the white smoke turns black. Hope the experts are right because if they're not, there would be no escape.
Continue reading "Mount (Gunung) Bromo Volcano, Java, Indonesia" »
Once we found the bird market, it was easy to orient ourselves. They were selling trays of grubs...View image, bees...View image, bird seed, gerbils, rabbits...View image, cats, gorgeous flowers...View image, one bat hanging upside down in a cage..., no snakes though, gorgeous birds, lots of tweeting and feathers (along with bird droppings) wafting through the air while....again "bird flu, bird flu" isn't a joke. There have been recent cases of "bird flu"/Avian Flu in Java.
Once out of the bird market, a walk around Alun-Alun park, looking at old dutch houses, elaborate mosques...View image...before beginning the walk back in what we thought was the right direction. By the way, did you know that McDonald's delivers...View image... in Melang? I was tempted because how cool would that have been to have McDonald's pull up at Enny's Guest House with a Big Mac? Past local restaurants with tasty looking food displayed in windows...View image...
Continue reading "Malang's Bird Market and A Little Identity Theft in Java, Indonesia" »
Breakfast at Enny's, served from 6:30-10:00 a.m., and then the morning free to do whatever we wanted since the group wouldn't leave until 1:00 p.m. for the 4-hour ride to Mount Bromo, the next destination. Ian made arrangements for those who wanted to go into Malang center by Becak, a 30-45 minute walk from Enny's. ex-Marine and I decided to walk to town instead. Could always hire a Becak on the way if we changed our mind. The big Malang sights are the bird market...View image, old dutch architecture, and there is supposed to be the excellent Holland Bakery...View image...near Enny's. Malang was called Paris van East Java under Dutch occupation and attracted colonial residents who built mansions and established coffee and tea plantations in the cool hills.
We hadn't walked more than three minutes towards Alun-Alun, the main square of downtown Malang when a blue bemo (shared taxi) pulled up with the driver asking, "Alun-Alun"? For only 5,000 Rupiah, about 50 cents, there was no reason not to. Such a deal, we jumped in and drove off with the driver stopping every now and then to hustle up more bemo fares.
Continue reading "Finding Our Way Around Malang, Java, Indonesia" »
Malang (pop: 710,000, altitude 476m/1,500') is a large rural, Dutch colonial town in East Java and if we left the hotel at 7:30 a.m., Ian anticipated arrival in Malang, close to 6:00 p.m. with a stay in a pleasant guesthouse just outside the center of Malang. A very long drive and day. The sellers were spread outside Wisma Gajah waiting, and hoping, for a few last minute sales. They were never disappointed. Someone always bought something.
There would be pee stops. We usually stopped in the huge Indonesia State run/owned Pertamina with clean, non-flushable toilets. Step up, do your business, fill the adjacent bucket with water to flush down. THREE TOILET TIPS: Number One -Roll up your pants before stepping in. The clean water tap may not turn off, floor will be covered in water, and when you pull down pants, they get wet. Number Two - The wet floors are extremely slippery. Be careful. Number Three - Always carry toilet paper, tissues and a small hand sanitizer. The Pertamina toilets were usually free with an occasional charge of 1,000 Rupiahs (10 cents).
Continue reading "An All-Day Drive from Yogyakarta to Malang, Java, Indonesia" »
Finished with touring Borobudur, it was lunchtime and the bus worked it's way down a series of dirt roads to a tourist restaurant, Opeks Resto...View image, almost in Prambanan's backyard, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Prambanan complex is located nearer to Yogyakarta than Borobudor, approximately 18 km/11miles east, and on the way, Ian spouted some Indonesia facts,
- Marco Polo was one of the first Europeans to visit Indonesia
- Indonesia has 100 snake species, Rhinoceros, Tiger and Leopard (all three of these very rare)
- Indonesia has 30 active volcanos and
- Java is the most populated island in the world!
...and since everyone was hungry, Serge enlightened us with a little "Aussie food" trivia. A "chip batty" - french fries (or chips as they Aussies and Brits call them) between two slices of bread. Add that to your food vocabulary.
Continue reading "Prambanan Hindu Complex, Java, Indonesia" »
Both Borobudur Buddhist Temple and Prambanan Hindu Temple are scheduled for visits today. Originally on the Imaginative Traveller dossier for separate days, they are being combined into one which I personally find a big mistake. My thinking is it is difficult to digest two major complexes like this without "monument overload," but not my decision to make.
Breakfast and an early start to Borobudur, one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in Southeast Asia. Borobudur is a Buddhist monument that is both a shrine to Lord Buddha and a place for Buddhist pilgrimage. On the bus with Mr. Bootie, our driver, and Mr. Harris, whose job was to open and close the doors then place stools for the group to step on while alighting from the bus. Borobudur is only 40km/25miles from Yogyakarta, and was built on top of a hill in the 9th century. There are over 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues...View image...with the main dome surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside the stupa. Thinking is that when Buddhism declined, Borobudur was abandoned between 928 and 1006. Mount Merapi erupted again in 1006 and covered Borobudur in ash where it lay hidden for centuries under ash and jungle growth...View image.
Continue reading "Visiting Borobudur Buddhist Monument, Java, Indonesia" »
Up early and down for the fabulous (sarcasm here) one-egg breakfast and hired a Becak over to the Tourist Information Office on Malioboro Street for detailed information. Malioboro Street (I kept referring to it as "Marlboro" - sounds like it) is a well-known shopping promenade and very popular among Indonesian as well as international tourists. The 2km/1.2 mile length runs noth and south from Tugu Station to Sultan's square. Malioboro Street is loaded to the gills with hundreds of shops...View image and street stalls selling souvenirs, batik/ikat, along with touts offering free tours of the workshops, student art touts, and all of this on both sides of the street. This will take a while to browse but at least no one gets nasty when you say "no" or keep on walking. People are just trying to make a living.
The Tourist Information had recommended a camera repair shop because my Nikon Digital/SLR is acting ka-ka, not surprising since I dropped it on the boat in Kalimantan. Very grateful I've followed my own travel advice and brought two cameras (just in case), and thankful it worked with the orangutans.
Continue reading "Markets, Sights and Shopping in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia" »
We spent the next 15 minutes sitting in the tunnels until the rain slowed, changed to a drizzle and walked into the busy Yogyakarta bird market where it eventually stopped raining. Lots of "tweeting" going on with cages filled with pigeons that Indonesians race (not eat), exotic birds for sale (tell me what the parrot-looking one is if you know)...
...along with pythons, and other snakes including a bright red one with black bands that Gus said is poisonous. There was a very sad looking monkey...View image, different Geckos...View image, lizards, fruit bats, mongoose, boxes of bees, bugs to feed birds, kittens and puppies for pets (at least I was told they weren't for eating).
Continue reading "Yogyakarta's Bird Market, Java, Indonesia" »
Back outside where our Becak peddlers were waiting and over to Taman Sari...View image...visible from the Becaks with tourists standing on top of the ruins. Taman Sari, or Water Castle, is a ruined complex built as a pleasure garden by the first Sultan in 1765 by a Portuguese architect, of all things. There is a story that the Sultan had him executed to keep this a secret. You don't need a guide to find Taman Sari, just look for tourists standing high on ruins.
The complex was almost completely destroyed by bombs from Diponegoro's Java War, earthquakes and eruptions from Mount Merapi, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes and only a short 60 kms/37 miles from Yogyakarta.. Gus led us up Taman Sari's ruins (no admission charges) where we stood looking towards the actual swimming pools before heading down in the direction of underground tunnels that connect the water castle to the main bathing pools used by the Sultan's harem. (The first Sultan also had a tower overlooking the area so he could choose which lucky lady would join him for a little frolic.)
Continue reading "Taman Sari (Kraton Water Castle), Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia" »
Gus spoke good English, pedaled through more small streets where the Sultan's servants once lived, and escorted us to where you pay admission at the Sultan's Palace (Kraton). Both drivers would be waiting for us in a designated spot when we finished. No worries about them finding us since they wouldn't get paid until the end of the touring. The admission charge was 28,000 Rupiahs for two plus three camera fees at 1,000 Rupiah/camera and we did ask for an English-speaking guide. Even though we had our Lonely Planet pages explaining the Kraton, very glad we took a guide. Indong related lots of interesting trivia that wouldn't be in a book. We gave her 40,000 Rupiahs as a guide fee and thought it was well worth it. This is totally your choice.
The Kraton consists of the main palace, Sultan's residential home, two Sultan's grounds, and large residential area where servants used to reside (we pedaled through that area). More than 25,000 people still live within the greater Kraton compound. You can also visit the Sultan's Carriage Museum that has two carriages imported from the Netherlands and known as Golden Carts. (We didn't, because wanted to watch the dancing at 10:30 a.m.)
Continue reading "The Sultan's Palace (Kraton), Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia" »
There was a sign posted from Imaginative Traveller when we returned from our "non-Cobra"meal. Ian would be our guide and available in the reception area between 9:00-10:00 a.m. if we needed information. The formal group meeting would be held at 6:30 p.m. with instructions to bring obligatory proof of insurance, passports, tip kitty, extra money, etc. to the meeting.
A sparse, schlocky guesthouse breakfast with only one egg, fruit, toast (that never turned brown) and coffee/tea. There wasn't a clue that each person could have one egg until ex-Marine asked for another and was presented with a bill for 5,000 Rupiah after he ate it. One other westerner arrived during breakfast, Susie from the U.K. who will be with us for the two week Java-Bali tour, and then go on to Lombok for a one-week add-on. Susie just flew in from Bali where she met up with her brother who has been traveling around the world for several years. Isn't youth great?
Continue reading "Basic Travel and Touring Suggestions for Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia" »
(The uncommon and adventurous week in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) with the personality-plus Orangutans can be read in prior posts on TravelsWithSheila.) Most travelers have the common belief that airplanes depart either on time or late. That is not the case in Asia. Asian carriers call your flight, load up the plane, and leave as soon as boarding is complete. They also change flight times and cancel flights without explanations. This was the case today. An early call from Fery that the IAT flight to Semarang was now leaving 45-minutes early and to hustle. Bolted down breakfast, transferred to Pangkalan Bun's tiny airport and then waited until the plane left exactly at the scheduled time...not early. There was a 13,000 Rupiah departure tax here and that too is constantly changing.
FYI: There is very little shopping in Kalimantan with the exception of Camp Leakey (t-shirts, etc.), the Pangkalan Bun jeweler, and a few counters selling souvenirs inside the Pangkalan Bun Airport. If you come across something, buy it.
Continue reading "Travel From Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) to Yogyakarta, Java" »
Air? Another complicated itinerary for many reasons. The easy part was to fly United Airlines, Chicago to Singapore, and then turn in United Airlines miles to get two free open-jaw Singapore Airlines economy tickets from Singapore-Jakarta and Denpasar (Bali) back to Singapore. After that, still needed tickets from Jakarta (CGK)-Pangkalan Bun (Kalimantan) with a return from Pangkalan Bun to Yogyakarta where we'd meet the Imaginative Traveller group. You can try to purchase on-line through BookingBuddy's Top Travel Deals newsletter and search Kayak for schedules, a difficult task. The small Indonesian airlines are in a constant state of flux (and bankruptcy) and I've found we're better off using Indonesia tour operators to purchase and arrange flights. They are there and can easily stay on top of schedule and airlines changes. TIP: Try to use miles accumulated on airlines for First or Business Class on long-distance flights (the only way we can afford to fly in those sections) and economy on short-hauls. It may only be 20,000 miles for a short-haul ticket.... .
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Visas? Visas are required for all visitors to Indonesia. Eleven countries are eligible for a "Visa Free" facility. Read the visa information section on Safari Tours & Travel site. As U.S. citizens, we could get a Visa On Arrival in Indonesia. You need a valid passport, onward or return tickets, and two color passport photos. There is a $25 U.S. charge for a 30-day visa. Check your nearest Indonesian Embassy for up-to-date information.
Continue reading "Planning An Kalimantan/Java/Bali, Indonesia Vacation" »
An intensive visit to Sulawesi, Indonesia left both ex-Marine (husband, Steve) and myself wanting more. Kalimantan to visit the Orangutans and Dayaks, Java and return to Bali. The two days spent on Sanur Beach in 1980 can't really be called "visiting Bali." I also wanted to delve into the Baliem Valley, in what was formerly called Irian Jaya and now just known as Papua. Bought a new Lonely Planet Indonesia book (Spend US$40 at the Lonely Planet Shop and receive free delivery and a free gift ) and began contacting tour operators.
Baliem Valley was eliminated almost immediately from my tight budget. The land costs were manageable but there is no such thing as cheap intra-Indonesia air and the airfare was exorbitant. This trip will have to wait. Researching more tour operators, I finally found a 14-day Imaginative Traveller trip, bookable through Adventure Center (see side bar) that would take care of the "East Java and Bali" portion.
Continue reading "Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo), Java and Bali" »
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