Post #148 7 October 2017

Gentlefolk,

This post describes our visit to Surabaya and Malang in East Java, 3 - 7 August 2017.

Surabaya is the second largest city in Indonesia (and the capital of East Java), but much smaller and more laid-back than Jakarta. Vera was born in Surabaya and the family moved to Bali (Klungkung) when she was 4 years old. She lived in Bali until she went to University in Jogja.

We flew from Bali to Surabaya, a one hour flight.  Met at the airport by Vera's cousin Arthur Simadibrata and his wife Annie; we stayed with them for two nights, then they drove us to Malang and showed us around Malang-Batu as well.  Two lovely people, great hosts and very kind.

Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city, has relatively few tall buildings. In 20 years time it will be wall-to-wall high-rise buildings, just like in China; population pressure is so great that they will have to build up rather than out.

We had two nights in Surabaya, then Arthur and Annie drove us to Malang.  It is only about 100 km but took 3 hours; there is a toll road which goes about half-way and that was fine, but the last 40 km we just crawled along.

Vera with Annie and Arthur (Vera's cousin); both retired; they showed us around Surabaya and looked after us very well.

We visited the old historic Hotel Majapahit which was the leading hotel under the Dutch; was opened in 1910 by Eugene Louis Sarkies. It has been very well preserved, and was a delight to inspect.

The well-kept gardens of the Hotel Majapahit.

Colonnaded walkways of the historic Hotel Majapahit.

Annie and Vera in the tastefully furnished lounge area of the Hotel Majapahit.

Dinner with Arthur and Annie, their son Michael and his wife, and Arthur's brother Robert and his wife and daughter.

Arthur and Annie's son, Michael, has a flower business which he started while at university. 

Michael's workshop where he employs about ten staff. He doesn't have a regular flower shop (ie doesn't sell retail); he makes up flower arrangements against firm orders.  He said it was not uncommon for rich Indonesians to spend $500+ on flowers to celebrate a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary.  His 'value-add' is innovative design.  He admitted that he would like to try some other business, but "the profit in flowers is too good".

The three largest manufacturers of kretek (clove) cigarettes are Sampoerna (now owned by Philip Morris), Gudam Garam and Djarum.  The headquarters of Sampoerna are in Surabaya and incorporates a museum which we visited. Here is Annie pretending to run a stall selling Dji Sam Soe, one of their biggest brands.

A poster promoting Dji Sam Soe kretek cigarettes, featuring bull races on Madura Island.  The Museum was full of fascinating stuff.  There is a cafe next door, also housed in a Colonial-era building, and we had afternoon tea there.

Every Saturday morning a group of about 20 couples walk for an hour and then have breakfast in the carpark of a local school.  Everyone brings 'a plate' - delicious!

Arthur and Annie attended a wedding in Surabaya, and we tagged along.  An impressive Catholic Church.  

The bride wore a lovely wedding dress with a long train.  During the ceremony the train got too close to a candle, and started smoldering; luckily one of the groomsmen noticed and quickly put it out.  

The church choir sang during the service - very nice.

On the way to Malang we stopped at Porong to look at the Lapindo site.  Om 29 May 2006 P.T. Lapindo Brantas was drilling for oil/gas when the well blew. Hot, stinking mud inundated surrounding villages. Special retaining walls/levees had to be built to stop the mud spreading (in some places 10 metres deep!). The mud affected a number of villages covering an area of 1,200 hectares. The nearby Porong River has been severely polluted.  It was, and is, an ecological and social disaster to this day.

In Malang we stayed in Fendi's Guest House, and old Dutch residence whose original name was Schoonzicht = nice view.  These days it is in the middle of the city, and the only view is of shops and restaurants on Jalan Kawi.  Malang is about 500 metres above sea level, so a cooler and more pleasant climate than Surabaya.

Fendi's Guest House was full of "old stuff" including these wall hangings. Good atmosphere.

Jalan Besar Ijen is an attractive boulevard in Malang, lined with Dutch-era houses many restored to their former glory.   The street is closed to traffic on Sunday mornings - lots of families and kids wandering about.

Annie and Vera posing in front of St Mary's, an impressive Catholic Church.  The banners in the background mark the 72nd anniversary of Indonesia's independence which is celebrated on 17 August every year.

Arthur, Annie and Vera in one of the lovely public gardens.

We had a look at the Shalimar Boutique Hotel which is in a tastefully refurbished old Dutch building.

This photo was on the wall of the Shalimar Hotel - it started life as the local Masonic Temple, 100 years ago!

We had a look at the Splendid Inn - great name, isn't it? - which was a leading hotel 50 years ago but has now fallen on hard times.

Lunch in popular Madam Wang's restaurant. From left, Caleb, Arthur, Annie, Lance (Caleb's wife and another of Vera's cousins), Vera and me.

One of the dishes in Madam Wang's restaurant.  Well presented and delicious food. From the name I expected Chinese food, but it was mainly Indonesian cuisine.

We spent a day exploring Batu, a hill resort town about 20 km from Malang.  Batu is a popular weekend get-away for people in Surabaya and Malang. Visited the impressive and large Jambuluwuk Resort.

Free standing villas for rent at the Jambuluwuk Resort.

We also visited the recently opened Batu Flower Garden, built on a steep hillside overlooking Batu.  It's still a work in progress.

One of the attractions was the 'I Love You' sign overlooking the valley; cost the equivalent of $1 to access the sign.

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We had a most enjoyable 5 days in Surabaya and Malang - helps if you know people and they show you around. 

On Tuesday 8 August we caught the train from Malang to Jogja (full name Yogyakarta, but most people just call it Jogja) in Central Java and regarded as the cultural centre of Java.

Jogja will be the subject of my next post.

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Best wishes, stay well and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah

Canberra, Australia

Saturday 7 October 2017.

Post #147 7 October 2017

Gentlefolk,

It's high time I updated my blog to describe our recent travels.  Our itinerary was:

12 - 26 July 2017, in Sydney to look after Eddie & Jay
26 July - 14 September, in Indonesia
14 - 19 September, in Perth, Western Australia
19 - 21 September, in Sydney, then drive back to Canberra

We started Indonesia with a week in Bali, then 4 weeks travelling around Java (Surabaya, Malang, Jogja, Salatiga, Semarang, Jepara, Jakarta, Bandung and Sentul), followed by another week in Bali. We then had 5 nights in Perth before flying back to Sydney (and drive to Canberra).

I will do a series of short posts focussed on each place we visited.

This post covers our first time in Bali, 26 July - 4 August 2017.  We then had a month in Java, before returning to Bali for a second time.

Indonesia

Indonesia comprises thousands of islands stretching about 5,000 km along the equator. The most populated island is Java, where the capital, Jakarta, is located.  The most famous island is Bali, a popular tourist destination.

Indonesia is the 4th most populous country on earth, with a population of about 260 million; of whom 143 million live on the island of Java and another 4 million on Bali.

Java, with an area of 128,300 sq km, is one of the most crowded places on earth - you see it best when flying, one village after another with just a few kilometres between them).

In comparison the State of Florida in the USA has an area of 170,300 sq km with a population of 21 million, and the State of Victoria in Australia has an area of 237,600 sq km with a population of just over 6 million.

Indonesia has the largest Moslem population on earth, with 87% of the population followers of Islam; about 10% are Christians, and 1.7% Hindus (mainly Balinese).

Indonesia was a colony of The Netherlands for about 350 years; the country finally got independence in 1949.

Bali

The first 3 nights we stayed at the Green Garden Hotel in Tuban, between the airport and Kuta.  The following 5 nights we stayed at the Jayakarta Hotel on the beach at Legian, near Seminyak.

I came to Bali the first time in 1972.  It was so beautiful then.  There were only a couple of big hotels, life was simple, laid-back.  I stayed with a family in a kampong (village) near Kuta Beach for $1 a night.  Then in the 1980s the world discovered Bali and development hasn't stopped since. It is still a great holiday destination now, but very different.

We were able to connect with some of Vera's relatives. Her mother was from Singaraja on the north coast of Bali (it was the capital city of Bali in the Dutch era) - most of them now live in the southern area, around Denpasar.






Here are some photos of our visit to Bali.

At Sydney Airport 26 July 2017 waiting for the Qantas flight to Bali.  Vera's brother Andre was in Bali and he and his wife Iis picked us up on arrival.

The first 3 nights we stayed at the Green Garden Hotel in Tuban, as recommended by our friend Howard Eakins. Good value.

The swimming pool at the Green Garden Hotel.

We had forgotten how bad the traffic is in Bali (and Java). Literally millions of motor bikes.  But somehow it works, and you finally reach your destination.

Lots of restaurants everywhere; this one was called the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

Some figures outside a small hotel near us - lots of competition and a need to get attention.

The beach at Tuban near our hotel. No wave on the beach here - it is protected by the reef you can see in the distance. Local boats take surfers out to the reef.

These are the traditional boats which locals use for fishing and to take surfers out to the reef.

One day Andre took us Echo Beach at Canggu, about 20 km up the coast from Legian. 

Vera and Andre watching the surfers at Echo Beach.  Vera grew up as a Christian, but some of her siblings have become Moslems.  Andre wears a white cap which indicates that he is a "Haji" - has made the pilgrimage to Mecca.

We had 5 nights at the Jayakarta Hotel across the road from Legian Beach.  An older hotel but with huge grounds and nice swimming pools. 

Another view of the hotel swimming pools. Legian Beach was just past the trees in the distance.

Vera and Iis (Andre's wife) having lunch by the pool at the Jayakarta Hotel.  Iis is a Moslem, and always wears a hijab (head-covering) in public.

Legian Beach, in front of the Jayakarta Hotel. Every morning we had a walk along this lovely beach before breakfast. The surf was usually very big, so I didn't venture in too far (30 years ago I was caught by a huge wave, dumped and broke my collar bone not far from here).  Still, great fun and nice water temperature.

This beach-bar was popular with Aussies (there were lots of Aussies staying at our hotel and in neighbouring hotels). A small Bintang Beer was about A$2.50 and a large bottle about A$4, cheap by Australian standards and they made the most of it.

Every evening we sat on the beach and drank beer or coconut, had a swim and watched the sun set into the ocean.  Vera sometimes had a massage.  Tough life!

A view of some of the rooms at the Jayakarta Hotel. The cost of a standard room was A$110 a night (including breakfast).

The outside of our room at the Jayakarta Hotel, with one of the cleaning staff.

The extensive gardens at the Jayakarta Hotel.

A fountain in the gardens of the Jayakarta Hotel.  Lush, tropical flowers and vegetation.

Vera said this T-shirt was "made for me"!

Some of Vera's relatives (on her mother's side) held a celebration to mark a baby reaching 3 months of age.

Two of Vera's cousins (Ucik & Koming), and a husband.

Some of the delicious food at the baby-party.

Sate, a special dish around Indonesia. Meat (chicken or beef or goat) on skewers, barbequed and usually eaten with peanut sauce.  Balinese are Hindus and also enjoy eating pork.

Vera & I with the baby and her father (Vera's nephew).

Afterwards, the adults played a kind of card game - a traditional past-time at these celebrations.

We had 8 days in Bali - a most enjoyable time - and then flew (one hour) to Surabaya for the start of our month in Java.  My next post will be about our time in Surabaya.

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Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
Canberra, Australia
Saturday 7 October 2017