Adventures in the Capital City

Photo 1: Monas
Photo 2: Bogor Botanical Gardens

Less than a week after getting back from Lombok, Annie and I headed off to Jakarta and Bogor for three days. We caught the overnight train, which ended up being quite comfortable, although not particularly conducive for a good nights rest. We arrived at 6am, and after finding a hotel and having breakfast, we walked up to the national monument (Monas), otherwise known as Suharto’s last great/ final erection. I found this area of Jakarta quite surprising – it was clean, had some tree lined streets and didn’t feel completely dissimilar to Singapore (albeit busier and more polluted) Monas itself is in the middle of a large, leafy, well tended park. Because we arrived so early we had the place to ourselves. The lookout at the top of the monument revealed what I had expected of Jakarta – thick, view obscuring smog. After exploring the (very selective) history museum under Monas, we walked across the road to the more reputable national history museum. Among many things, the museum had a huge selection of ancient inscriptions/statues/relics, including some I had been studying.
That afternoon our plans to explore the old colonial district were sabotaged by a tropical downpour, so we retreat to the regulated climes of one of Jakarta’s many malls. It was quite overwhelming – huge and chock-a-bloc full of luxury brands. We killed several hours just walking and looking in the windows! Particularly exciting for both Annie and I was the ‘International Foods’ section of the basement supermarket – it was (seriously) all we could do to stop screaming with excitement at the vegemite,
Aussie dried fruit, cereals, pasta sauces, chocolate… We both stocked up big on things you just cant get in Yogya.
On Thursday we went caught the train to Bogor (about 1¼ hours) to visit the botanical gardens. They were a breath of fresh air, in all senses of the word. It was amazing to see so much green in one place! Again, we spent hours just walking around and feeling very in love with nature. We even lay down under a tree on some grass! (There is no grass in Yogya).
Yesterday we managed to get down to the colonial district. It was only a shadow of what it must have once been – many of the remaining buildings are looking quite worse for wear. We then walked down to Sunda Kelapa, a fishing port. In the process I saw yet another side to Jakarta – pollution, dust, TRAFFIC, slums, stagnant water… And then in the afternoon we again retreated to the favourite pastime of the middle classes and went to some more luxurious malls.

Lombok - Gili Trawangan and Mangsit

Photo 1: At the beach, Gili Trawangan
Photo 2: Yet another stretch of gorgeous beach

The next afternoon we headed over to Gili Trawangan on the island hopper boat (which was really like a glorified, oversized canoe with a motor). This was an experience to say the least. Before we had even set off the boat guy was bailing out water from between the broken decking. The swell was huge, nearly capsizing the boat on several occasions. There was an Indonesian girl next to us that was nearly hysterical, convincing herself that she was going to be sick. We just kept checking out where the other islands were, in case we needed to swim to shore. We did get there in the end though and met up with another girl from ACICIS, Rachelle and then on Wednesday with Sarah.
I didn’t like Trawangan as much as Air. It was much busier, with lots of European tourists out for a good time. There were a few people along the roads yelling out various suggestive and/or offensive calls, and lots more people trying to sell things. The vibe was very Contiki. The beaches themselves were again beautiful, but apparently much of the coral around the island has been destroyed by fishing. The night scene on Trawangan was pretty lively, with a few bars partying on until late at night – particularly popular was the Irish ‘pub’. There were some amazing looking restaurants all along the waters edge too – you could really eat your way around the world there if you had the time.
We headed back to the mainland on Thursday morning, to Mangsit via Bangsal. Bangsal was where the ferry came in, and was a little overwhelming with people trying to get people on to their buses, demanding money for picking up suitcases unwanted and offering rides up the road in their cidomo. I think we were saved from having the full Bangsal experience though, as we had got off a ferry loaded with tourists, so the attention was spread around.
We went back to a hotel in Mangsit, a few kilometers up the road from Senggigi. The main reason we went there was to check out the Santai Beach Inn recommended for its beautiful setting and communal dinners. Although there isn't anything in Mangsit I’d go back to that hotel in a flash. We stayed in a small 2 story bungalow that looked out onto a green, colourful garden. The food was amazingly good, as we had been promised, and it was easy to while away the day.
Then yesterday I had to leave it all behind to come back to Yogya via Bali. I ended up being stuck at the airport for 6 hours when my 1pm flight ended up leaving at 7pm. So in the end I didn’t get to see Bali at all! Maybe another time…

Lombok - Gili Air

Photo 1: View from a warung, Gili Air
Photo 2: A bungalow at Sunrise Cottages, Gili Air

Early on Sunday morning I met up with Annie to head over to the Gili Islands, approximately one hour by boat from Senggigi. The trip over was absolutely fine until everyone got out of the boat at Gili Trawangan and we continued over to Gili Air. I don’t know if the seas were just choppier, or the lightened load affected the boat, but we got absolutely drenched. The first couple of splashes were kind of funny, but by the end we had waves crashing over our shoulders. We eventually arrived, dripping wet, and got a cidomo to our hotel. The hotel was amazing – 2 story bungalows with a queen bed and veranda upstairs, and a hammock plus day bed down stairs.
Gili Air was stunning – pure white sand, gleaming crystal clear turquoise waters, no motorbikes or cars, peaceful… I think it’s the most idyllic place I have ever been to. The only thing that stopped it being even better was the arid landscape away from the shore. I don’t think they’d seen much rain in awhile, as there was lots of bare, dusty patches of earth and bare trees. The warungs along the beach were all amazing, and served up some brilliant sasak food. Each warung was directly on the beach, usually with little huts complete with low tables and pillows to eat at. All these places were really relaxed though, so it took a while for the food to come. Not that that was a problem with the view that was provided.
We did a bit of snorkeling of the shore near our hotel. There was an amazing array of fish out there – little schools of electric blue ones, angel fish, metallic rainbow fish – the works! The water was pleasantly tropical so it was easy to swim around for ages. Gili Air may have been paradise, but that didn’t stop me: Grazing my knee on a piece of coral, stubbing my toe on a rock and lifting up a big chunk of flesh on my big toe, and getting stung because I waded into a school of jellyfish, resulting in a huge number of little raised bumps like mozzie bites all down my right leg.

Lombok - Senggigi

Photo 1: Sunset over Senggigi beach
Photo 2: Senggigi beach busy with families celebrating the end of Ramadan

Last Thursday night I headed to Lombok, via Bali, for the Lebaran holiday. My stay in Bali lasted a total of 10 hours. I arrived at the hotel only to be informed that they actually didn’t have my booking, but I could stay in a different room for Rp50 000 extra. Since it was 12.30 at night I didn’t have much choice, and decided to be grateful that there was a room at all.
The next morning I flew to Lombok for my 3 nights of solo travel. Lombok itself is beautiful – reminicent of Bali, but less developed and with less Hindu architecture (obviously, being a Muslim island). The airport is in Mataram, which is a small but bustling city centre. On the way out to the coast at Senggigi we drove through markets, the outskirts of villages, coconut palm groves, and past lots of cidomo (the horse drawn carts that seem to be the Lombok equivallent of a becak).
My hotel in Senggigi was gorgeous and amazing value. It was located off the main road on the outskirts of the village. Each room was a detached bungalow with an outdoor bathroom, set around a lush, tropical garden. There was also a large communal area, which was a good place to sit when it rained for 3 hours straight the day I arrived (this was the first rain for months, and thankfully the last of my trip).
I spent my time in Senggigi lazing by the beach, walking, reading and eating. It was incredibly relaxing. The sun was an absolute killer, really intense with no layer of smog to filter out the UV rays. Luckily there were patches of sand that were shaded by trees, but the the best option was just to retreat indoors in the middle of the day.
Senggigi itself is built around the tourist trade. Its nowhere near the scale of beach side Bali, only occupying a few hundred meters along the main road. Even so, the restaurant/ tourist ratio was way out of balance, with many places offering discounts in an attempt to lure people in. There didn’t seem to be that many people, tourists or local, hanging around, but that was probably because my stay in Senggigi fell on the Lebaran holiday weekend. The beach at Senggigi was nice, though not particularly impressive. The sand was the dark volcanic type with wooden fishing boats pulled up along the shore line, and the water was calm, clear and very warm.
Being alone in Senggigi was no bad thing. It was nice just to relax and do my own thing without having to worry about someone else getting bored. Because I was alone people were eager to come and talk to me, and were always eager to chat once they found out I could speak Indonesian.

Week to week

Photo 1: On the back of Romi's bike on the way back from YSI
Photo 2: Sweet food to break the fast

The last couple of weeks I've had a number of experiences in and around Yogya that have let me see things that you just don't get to see as a tourist. Among them:

I finally got on a back of a motorbike (!) I have since been a passenger several times, each time trying to put as much 'protective' clothing on as possible. Having said that I have riden: in thongs, in short sleves, in a helmet that was much too big, though not all at the same time. Sometimes you've just got to get on.

I've been visting the Yayasan Sayap Ibu, an orphanage for newborns to six year olds. The kids are all beautiful and are starting to warm to the bules (whities) in their midst. Yesterday I also went to visit the wing of the YSI for disabled kids. I found this quite heartbreaking - some of the kids are really ill, and I couldn't help but wonder what the future had in store for them. It was heartening to see how many visitors they had though, and one little girl blew us kisses as we rode off.

I've also been going to nongkrong (hang out) with some of my new friends - this can involve all sorts of things - motorbike rides, coffee, card games, movies, going to the mall. Either way its heaps of fun and everyone gets a laugh out of me trying to learn slang!

Finally, I have experienced the excellent academic culture of Indonesia, where the lecturer of one subject has managed to turn up once in 6 weeks. Frustrating, but I guess its best to just go with the flow.

The end of Ramadan holidays start next week and I am heading off Lombok and the Gili Islands via Bali. Needless to say I am looking forward to it. Not that i've been working that hard...