Java (Day 4: Staying in Jogjakarta)

After the hearty breakfast at Alun Alun Kidul, we arrived at Hotel Sumaryo at Jalan Prawirotaman around 9am. It's actually a guesthouse, owned by some royal families. The owner also stays there, towards the back of the buildings which is off limits to guests.

There are over 10 rooms available for guests, and all the rooms open to a centre courtyard. There's also a small pool for use. The dining area is located next to the garden, and adjacent to the small reception area.

The house has a 70s feel to it. The room is clean but a little gloomy though. The plus point...is that it's quiet and safe. The gate closes a little after 10pm and you need to ring the door bell if you arrive way after that.

There are some restaurants located along the street. Basically, everything is within walking distance.

Since all of us hardly had much sleep on the road last night, we decided to sleep in. Well, Borubudur can wait till after lunch!

Java (Day 4 : Arriving in Jogjakarta)

We arrived in Jogja at 5.30am, after an 11 hours drive from Bandung. As it was still too early to check in at the guesthouse, we drove around the city...hoping to find some stalls but none was open.

We finally stopped at Alun alun Lor, located on the north wall of the Kraton. Surprisingly it was not deserted at that hour. Locals came by to jog around the square. There was also a group aerobic exercise where anyone can join in. As much as I was still hungry and groggy from the terrifying episode in Bandung, I joined the exercise with Olen, just for the fun of it. It's just amazing to see elders (perhaps in their 60s) could keep up with the exercise.

Entrance to Alun Alun Lor

Outside Masjid Gedhe Kraton (walking distance from Alun Alun Lor)

The entrance to square outside Masjid Gedhe Kraton.

Grobak food

From Alun Alun Lor, we drove to Alun Alun Kidul, which was located on the opposite end of the kraton. Found this grobak that sells chicken porridge. I was hungry and didn't mind the street food. Tried to ignore my fear of getting sick from street food...and it was indeed my best decision ever. It was the most delicious porridge that I've ever tasted. It was of the right texture, filled with chicken strips, nuts, vegetable and crackers. We even had a choice of additional items such as quail eggs, chicken liver, etc. It was a healthy breakfast.

There we were, sitting on the mat, with our backs to the wall of the kraton...eating our porridge, drinking hot tea, and watching the people go by.

Street scene around Alun Alun Kidul

Java (Day 3 : Shopping and the visit to the emergency room)

I woke up early today to the noises made by other guests, having breakfast at the centre court of the hotel. Gee...I didn't feel rested.

We checked out of Wisma Gandapura, right after breakfast. Olen wanted to get some leather shoes, so Ferry took us to Cibaduyut. She found a good pair of ankle length leather boots that was under RM100.

Later on we headed to Pasar Baru. I've started getting a headache from the drive into the parking lot. We went floor after floor, until we got our parking.

Despite been here twice before but I've never reached the upper floors. Well, this time I bought some material. I didn't want to buy lots of stuffs or else I won't have enough space in my backpack.

There are a lot of choices and if you're into shopping, you could spend hours here.

As for me, I decided on a maroon french lace, with elaborate design, complete with beads and sequins. Bought 2 meters of it. Thought I'll wear it for Himawan's wedding in December. It only cost me about Rp200,00 per meter or about RM 80.

We had planned to leave Bandung around 3pm, right after lunch so that we could arrive in Jogja early. That was why we didn't spend a lot of time in Pasar Baru.

My headache had worsened. We had to make a stop so that Ferry could massaged my head. It was a relief until I started vomitting. I thought it was over so we headed for lunch at one of the shops near the exit of the city.

What happened later became like a black hole. I couldn't hold any food at all. Was vomitting my stomach out at the restaurant. The guys didn't really have a choice but rushed me to the hospital.

I was immediately admitted into the emergency room. I was given a shot to stop the spasm. Ferry & Olen spoke to the doctor and told her that we were leaving for Jogja. The doctor told them that I was in no condition to travel that distance. She decided to keep me under observation for several hours.

I was scared...this was only Day 3. It wasn't even half the journey. A lot of things came to mind. What if I'm too sick to continue the journey? What if I have to return to Malaysia? But I calmed myself. Told myself that if I need immediate medical attention, then I would have no choice but call Pak Nasser, one of our staff, based in Jakarta.

I fell asleep due to the shot.My backpack with all my documents and money was with Olen. I basically didn't have anything on me except the clothes on my back. I just hoped that the guys are okay with it.

It was only hours later that I came around. The doctor on shift had changed. Since I was no longer vomitting and the headache was getting better, the doctor discharged me.

We finally made our way out of Bandung, around 6pm. I was still weak, so, I decided to sleep at the last row.

We made a few stops along the way...Had our dinner of nasi goreng (fried rice) and teh hangat (hot tea) at a stall in one of the villages.

As I was still feeling dizzy, I've switched to sit in front. I've never travelled at night before so I was getting restless. It would be morning when we would arrive in Jogja. Fortunately, we made some stretching break.

One thing commendable that I must point out is the condition of the public toilets....which were surprisingly clean. The "highway" that we were taking was unlike the ones I'm used to in Malaysia. It was basically a single carriageway, passing through villages. There are no proper R&R area. So, if you need to ease yourself, do stop at the petrol kiosk. Some kiosks came with a minimart, toilets, showers and some with prayer room (Musolllah).

Travelling at night is also an experience, despite the danger. There are many heavy vehicles that used the same road. I only prayed that we would still be safe. I'm glad that we decided to get our own transport instead of the original plan of taking the public transport. If we had been taking the public transport, it would be really difficult for me especially when I'm sick.

If anyone is interested to take the same route, I would suggest getting your own transport. It allows you the flexibility to travel at your own time and pace. You would also be able to stop along the way, for a taste of local food.

Java (Day 2 : Kampung Daun & Bandung)

It has been a long day. After leaving the villa which we put up for our first night, we went to Tangkuban Parahu and Ciater. Before checking into our rooms in Bandung, I suggested to the group to have dinner at a favorite place of mine, Kampung Daun, located in Lembang area.

Kampung Daun:
I was there 1 year ago, and could barely remember the way there. Nevertheless, I managed to show the guys the way...We arrived just before sunset. This time, I've brought my tripod with me so that I could take night shots of the place. The food is good...and the place is cosy...so romantic.

Here's the link to the place :
http://kampungdaun.net/

Nite #2 : Bandung:

It was 9pm, when we finally reached the place where we are going to stay tonite. Tonite, we're staying at Wisma Gandapura, Jalan R.E. Martadinata, Bandung. It's quite cosy...but I guess, most importantly, it's clean. It has all the basic necessities. The room is big enough for 2 single beds. I miss the aircond...but I don't mind the fan...After all, I'm just too tired to think too much of it. Well, tomorrow will be a longer day as we'll be leaving for Jogjakarta. I'd better head to bed soon.

Java (Day 2 : Tea Plantation)

We stopped by the roadside to take picture of these tea plantations...hills of them. Well, this shot was taken on our way back from Ciater, heading towards Bandung.

Bandung is known for it's tea plantations, which were first opened by Dutch colonials in the 18th century.

Java (Day 2 : Hotspring in Ciater)

After Tangkuban Parahu, we headed on to a hotspring in Ciater, which is about 45 mins away. The place is big. One can either take a bath at any of the spring or plain relax your feet in the numerous pool of hot water. There are some recreational activities that you can take part in such as flying fox, paddling, etc.

Losing your way in this place?

A private pool, anyone?

You can shower here, if you want to.

Hot waterfall

Java (Day 2 : Gunung Tangkuban Parahu)

It was a quiet morning. The guys prepared our breakfast and even hot water for our bath. Gee, we were getting pampered. Hehe.

We left Cipanas around 9.30am, heading back to Bandung. We arrived in Gunung Tangkuban Parahu, 3 hours later after making a few stops along the way.

I've been here before but it still amazes me. In my last visit, it was warm but this time around, it was misty and cold...and I now understand why people say that Bandung is cold. I even had to keep my jacket on.

Well, I got to do something different in this trip. Last year, I've trekked to Kawah Domas with my bestfriends but this time, we decided on horse riding to Kawah Upas, which is the oldest volcanic crater on this mountain.

Riding the horse for the first time was a challenge, especially along the long, winding and uneven trails...but what is travel, if it's not for an adventure?

The mist surrounding the souvenir stalls.

Near the crater of Kawah Ratu, busy street peddlars selling souvenirs and food.

Kawah Ratu is behind this.

The travellers riding horses along the ridge.

Kawah Upas

We rode the horses along this ridge.

Siomay

It was way past lunch time and we were getting hungry. Ferry & Erry were waiting for us near the viewing tower, eating this Siomay. In that cold weather, this steamy dish seems so delicious.

After choosing the ones you like from a variety of steamed stuffs, the peanut sauce is added on. Tada...you now have a healthy lunch.

Fancy a vase, made from carved kayu batik?

Java (Day 1 : Puncak)

We arrived in Bandung, a little after noon. Yes, it feels good to be back after almost a year. Ferry & Ery came to pick us up at the airport. Gee, we managed to get a van for our roadtrip and I couldn't help but wondered if it would be fit enough to cover the entire journey.

Right after lunch, we headed for Puncak. It's simply a beautiful place, with rolling hills, planted with tea.

Opss...we later found out that there was slight miscommunication. Ferry thought we only wanted to travel for a day trip to Puncak and that we would return to Bandung for the night...The three of us, however wanted to stay overnite in Puncak.

Fortunately for us, it wasn't weekend and in no time we managed to find ourselves a villa to put up. There were some locals waiting on at Puncak Pass, asking the tourists if they would like a place to stay.

The first villa we viewed was a 3 bedroom and 1 bath, single storey house, located 2 doors away from the mosque. The house felt gloomy...So, we decided to check out another one which was about 1 km away in Cipanas.

It was a double storey house, and gated. It has 2 bedrooms & 2 baths, and a nice cosy family hall in the upper floor. The kitchen was also fully equipped. We immediately decided to take the house. For Rp 400,000 it was damn cheap. It could even fit 1 big family.

The only thing that was missing was the hot water heater. Gosh, it was so cold in Puncak and without a heater, we just needed to boil the water and wait for our turn to shower. Well, I didn't want to wait and it was an experience taking a cold bath.

As for our sleeping arrangement throughout the journey, I will get my own room and Olen & Miss Wong will be sharing. For the first nite, I got a room upstairs...and I felt safe because I have the two guys sleeping at the family hall, just outside my door.

Java (Day 1 : Fancing some titbits?)

Since we skipped Jakarta in the plan, it was natural to backtrack in terms of our starting point. Having flown into Bandung, we drove to Puncak, which was about halfway between Jakarta and Bandung.

Along the way, we stopped to take a picture of River Citarum from the bridge and later stopped in Cianjur, for some titbits. Apparently, Cianjur is famous of it's asinan (preserved fruits) of all sorts....and it's seriously yummy.

I found an interesting fruit on our way, called Sawo Sunda...It looks like unripe mangoes, yellowish green in color...and it tastes like Avocado. Yikes, not something that I would fancy tho.



This titbit which looks like kerepek bawang is just delicious...Oooohhh....the chocolately taste.

Some kedondong and sengkuang asinan.

Java trip - the final plan

With just weeks to go till my ultimate trip to Java...I need to do a minor change to the plan. Initially, we wanted to really rough it out...travelling across the island using the public transportation i.e. buses, trains, etc. Somehow, Olen had a change of heart...She was worried for our safety throughout the trip, and suggested that we engage her local friends who work for a tour agency to help us with the ground arrangement.

We gave our list of to visit place to Ferry and he quoted the fee that we need to pay. Seriously, we got a good deal. Each of us paid around Rp 3,800,000 which is about RM 1400...and that would cover our transportation, accomodation and entrance fee to the tourist attractions.

And that took our headache away.

It's finally in the drawing board

I wrote earlier about my dream to travel across Java. Well, I'm just one step closer to it.

Olen & I took the opportunity of the Indonesian promo at the Air Asia website that ended last sunday.

My original intention was 10 - 14 days travelling but after considering my workload, I figured out that 10 days was the maximum I could take time off. So, I gathered info and asked around. Olen was the only one who responded. That was when we really talked about it. We decided that we were proceeding with it, even if the others would not be joining us.

So, there goes. Bought cheap tickets that cost us under RM300 for return journey. It would be from the 26 August until 3 September. We also decided to skip Jakarta and Bali since both of us had been there before.

At the moment, I'm thinking about how to go about with the plan with just 9 days. Too ambitious, I guess. Hehe.

Anyway, these are the tentative plan:

Day 1 : Travel from KL to Bandung / Tour Bandung city
Day 2 : Tour Bandung outskirt
Day 3 : Bandung - Jogja train ride / Borubudur
Day 4 : City tour / Prambanan / Jogja - Solo train ride
Day 5 : City tour / Candi Ceto & Sukuh
Day 6 : Solo - Surabaya train ride
Day 7 : Surabaya - Cemoro Lawang
Day 8 : Climb Mount Penanjakan (to get the sunrise view of Mount Bromo) / Return to Surabaya / city tour
Day 9 : Travel back to KL from Surabaya

So, stay tune for updates!!!

Jakarta (9 - 12th Dec '07)

I was just there in October, and now back again in Jakarta. However, it's a little different this time. We got to stay in the south of Jakarta...putting up at the Gran Mahakam hotel. It's a nice cosy hotel, with lots of detail. The journey from the airport takes more than half hour, costing about Rp 170,000.


Part of the lobby of Gran Mahakam.


The south of Jakarta gave me a different kind of feel than the usual city centre. The hotel is near residential area. There are several eating area near it such as Izzi, and a Padang restaurant are right across the street. An eatery called Dapur would be about 10 minutes walk from the hotel. There are several spa also within the vicinity...but if you're lazy like I was...I only check out the massage service at the hotel itself. A nice, 1 hour relaxing aromatherapy massage would cost around Rp 150,000 or only RM60.

For shopping, Blok M Plaza is also within walking distance. Things definitely to check out there is the local departmental store called Matahari. Found some good blouses that cost me about Rp 130,000 or RM 52. Good workmanship, with european designs. Found some flat shoes that cost me about RM30. Oh yes, do check out the hair salon academy. Can't remember the names tho...I had a hairwash there which cost me only Rp 17,500 or RM 7 (OMG...I initially thought that I heard the girl wrongly).

If you're into local music...check out a big music store right across the hotel. It's called Aquarius. Not that it's cheap but it has a good range. I bought some tho not as much as during my October trip.

Oh yes...talking about this trip...I definitely have to talk about the experience of a lifetime. On the first day of meeting, the organizer decided to give us a local experience during dinner. We were going to a local restaurant called Mbak Jingrak, right at the corner of the street. So, the organizer arranged for the Bajai, a local transport to pick us up from the hotel. It's something like tuk tuk. It fits 2 passenger at a time. Only cost us Rp5000 for the trip.

Seriously...it definitely isn't for the fainthearted. It cleverly maneuvre in the street...or in my standard, recklessly. I had the horror of my life when my bajai squeezed itself between a moving bus and a parked van. I thought the side of the bus was slighly more than a feet away from my face!!! When I reached the restaurant, my knees were still shaken from the horrifying short journey. The funny thing was that none of my Indonesian friends had even gotten into bajai themselves.