I definitely need some Java, East Java that is. (Indonesia, Part 1)
- David
- 18 hours ago
- 7 min read
Before we tell you all about our recent experiences on the island of Java, Indonesia, it’s important to know that we are writing this after having spent a few days in our private villa in Bali (more on that in the next post). That is important because as the saying goes “hindsight is 20/20”. So, we are nice and relaxed and have the benefit of meditative contemplation to inform our perspective regarding our prior weeks on Java. And, my editor decided she needed a vacation so, of course assigned me to write this now that my “special assignment” has come to a close.
With that said, we had some amazing experiences in Java that were perhaps some of the most unforgettable of our trip. However knowing what we know now, we would recommend something a little different for others visiting Java.
When we first started planning our time in Indonesia, everything we read and heard said not to bother spending much time in Jakarta or even West/Central Java. We knew we would want to slow things down after coming off some relatively fast travel in Japan & Korea so we were ok with some extra time here or there. And, we kind of wanted to see for ourselves. Due to a flight change we ended up spending only 2 nights in Jakarta (rather than 3) and we have to say that was more than enough.
Jakarta is just a massively enormous and sprawling city and is the second largest urban area by population in the world. As the capital of Indonesia it is also the business and banking center of Indonesia which could be seen by the presence of major financial brands all across buildings in the financial district. Also next to our hotel was a high end shopping mall with every brand you could possibly imagine.
The first thing that really hit us about Jakarta (beyond the heat and humidity) was the traffic. We knew Indonesia had the 4th largest population in the world with 280 Million people (right behind the US) however what we weren’t prepared for was just how highly concentrated that population is in the cities. Naively, we had a perception of Indonesia being a more like a laid back island vacation destination. But, reality strikes when you are met with the sheer volume of cars and motorbikes and the fact that it takes 45 minutes to get to the cute restaurant you thought was close by. So, take our advice, move on from Jakarta as quickly as possible. You might have to fly through or even spend a night but trust us… find the first connection possible and move on!
Our next stop was Yogyakarta (pronounced “JO-GYA-KAR-TA”) or lovingly referred to as just “Yogya” (“JO-GYA”). Here, we were also met with pretty big city and just as snarled traffic. Fortunately and unfortunately we stayed in a Marriott that was a 20-30 minute car ride to anything other than a mall. However, it was sooo worth it as we were treated to the friendliest, most attentive, and service oriented experience of almost any hotel we’ve stayed in around the world. I’m talking about every staff member knowing our name from the second we walked in the door to an amazing Sous Chef who made Ilene any food she wanted to make sure it was Gluten Free! And the best part was the price was extremely budget friendly coming in at less than you might pay for a Motel 6 in California, and this was the M Club level experience. The hotel was so luxe we often decided to just hang there rather than make the trek to the central city.
But, why were we here in the first place? Well, there’s a palace… ehh, the dance performance was interesting. There’s a central walking/shopping street… skip. There’s a cultural heritage museum… ehh, maybe. There’s some street art…eeh. So, why here? Well… there are two really amazing temples located an hour or two drive from Yogya. And these, you really don’t want to miss! Borobudur and Prambanan Temple were both built in the 9th century. These temples are easily seen together as a part of a single day trip from Yogya.
However, there’s a choice to be made… do you wake up super early in the morning to get to Borobudur with time to climb the temple for the sunrise? Or do prioritize sleep and just do a “normal” tour day start time? We chose the later and as it turned out maybe not the best move given the later afternoon Indonesian rain storms this time of year (see below).
We first visited Prambanan, a 9th century Hindu temple complex consisting of three “major” god temples and three “lesser” god temples. These temples were the precursors to the Angkor Wat complex of temples built in Siem Reap, Cambodia four centuries later. Earthquakes had taken their toll on the temples, but they have been restored as part of a UNESCO World Heritage project.
We then visited Borobudur Temple, a 9th century Buddhist temple in Central Java that is considered the largest Buddhist temple in the world. One word of advice here… On the walk to the temple, if you see vendors renting the use of umbrellas for your visit, it is well worth the $2 to take one with you just in case! Let me just say, we didn’t get all the history of the temple due to the sheets of rain, thunder, and lighting storm around us. We did however, make it to the top when a kind security guard loaned us an umbrella.
From here we moved on to Malang by car which was only 4.5 hours vs the train which would’ve been 7-8 hours and less comfortable. Malang is much more quaint (for a SE Asian city) with some of the dutch colonial architecture visible. Malang has small streets barely big enough for 2 cars to pass in opposite directions let alone account for motorbikes on either side of your vehicle. And by the way, sidewalks aren’t really a thing. Ilene and I quickly realized it’s very easy to spot tourists since they are the only ones walking on the sides of the roads… the locals know better!
We were smart to have chosen a centrally located hotel in Malang, so fortunately getting around town was relatively easy and cheap. Using Grab (Uber for SE Asia) we could get to most locations in town for less than $2 per ride. The hotel also happened to be a pretty cool Dutch colonial building with a speakeasy hidden behind a moving bookcase in the back of their upscale Italian restaurant. And, even better, the speakeasy happened to be well stocked with a nice selection of whiskeys from around the world.
That said, Malang was our launching pad toward East Java. This was where we started what may be the most amazing 3-day excursion of our year long journey and also the most tiring. When we signed up to take this little trek through East Java we knew it would be painful. In fact, I complained about it to everyone I could for months prior and when I told our kids about it, they actually thought I was joking. They thought… “no way Dad’s doing that”!
Why? Because the first day started with an easy 5am pickup from our hotel and a 3 hour drive to a “little” waterfall named Tumpak Sewu. From there we proceeded to hike down a cliff side. Luckily it was mostly paved steps, that is unless you count the flowing water we hiked through for a couple hundred feet or the rickety metal ladders. Once we made it down and scampered into the river bed and across a couple makeshift wood bridges we encountered one of the most beautiful waterfalls we’ve ever seen.
After climbing back up the canyon through more waterfalls, we drove about 4-5 hours to our next hotel. After getting settled and having dinner we hit the sack because our pick-up the next morning was at 2:30am! So, with a whopping 5 hours of sleep we crawled into the back of a small jeep-like vehicle and headed off to see sunrise over Mt. Bromo, an active volcano. And of course, seeing Mt. Bromo at sunrise isn’t quite good enough. So after a quick jaunt in the jeep through the caldera we arrived at a staging area about 1km from the base of Mt Bromo. We then proceeded to hike to the top of Mt Bromo so that we could peer into the great gaping maw of the volcano up close.
Then, of course, comes another 4-5 hour drive arriving at the hotel just in time to take a nap. Because, our next pick-up was at midnight! I am still trying to figure out how we got suckered into this one. But, after another 2 hour drive we arrived at Mt. Ijen the home of the famous blue fire a natural phenomenon formed by the burning of sulfur coming directly from the volcano.
The hike was no joke, starting at 2am with headlamps on, it was pretty grueling and steep with around 2000 feet of elevation gain in 2.8km. We hiked up to the crater ridge, then down the boulders that resembled a trail to finally arrive in the crater to see the blue fire! Wearing our gas masks (yes, you read that right) and still in the dark we approached the blue fire to see a flow of fire trickling down the hillside into a pool of fire. The visuals were amazing and surprisingly it was less heat than a campfire.
When we’d had enough of the blue fire, our guide said we would hang out and wait for sunrise and for the crowds to thin before heading back up the crater. When the sun finally came up we were stunned to find out we had been sitting beside one the most beautiful lake scenes we’ve ever seen. However, as we found out later it may also be one of the deadliest as the Kawah Ijen crater lake is composed of extremely acidic water, predominantly hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid. The lake also contains high concentrations of dissolved minerals and has a very low pH (often below 0.3), making it one of the world's largest acidic lakes. The guide said it was ok to touch the water and I discovered it was very warm. Now that we know the water can apparently dissolve skin within seconds… I’m glad I still have my fingers!
In the end, the East Java excursions to Tumpak Sewu waterfall, Mt. Bromo, and Mt. Ijen really made our time in Java special. And, we are very glad we decided to see the blue fire even though I complained endlessly about starting these excursions in the dead of night! (Seriously, who does that?)
Knowing what we know now about Java, we would suggest making your way to East Java as the focus of your time here and sprinkling in the temples outside Yogyakarta if time permits.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of our time in Indonesia and here’s to hoping my editor decides to come back from vacation and not just quit her “job”!
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