The heart of Indonesia...

Java Facts

Major City: Jakarta
Main Industries: Manufacturing, textiles, rice production & Fags...billions of them!
Population: 120 MILLION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A venture into the unknown

Within Indonesia's vast collection of 17,000 Islands, Java is the main man. It's home to about 60% of Indonesians, and although it doesn't look like it, has more money, power and privilege than the rest of Indonesia combined. Despite its rapid modernization, smelly streets, massive over-population, sanity problems, disease, etc...('what have the Romans given us"?)...it is an Island of stunning natural beauty with rice fields, barren beaches, lots of beautiful (active) volcanoes, and is home to major Buddhist and Hindu temples.

We started our Indonesian adventure its turbulent capital, Jakarta. Like any other typical Asian city is over populated, polluted big time, and political problems at boiling point...

As we left the airport the intense humidity hits you like a ton of bricks, closely followed by around 50 blokes all grabbing your luggage expecting unnecessary tips..grr! The relatively short taxi trip costed 200,000rp (Indonesian Rupah) - which at first seemed likely...until a few days later we learned that for 200,000rp you can get to Saturn and back!

The advice given to us by other people were to get out of Jakarta a.s.a.p...so we did!! We booked a 12hr executive class train to Yogykarta - Java's main cultural centre. The train journey was pretty cool (although crossing the road to the station was about as close to death as you could get)...we passed through dry rice fields with workers sowing the seeds (in 36degs!) ready to be filled with water, also passed huge mountain and volcano ranges, billions of food stools and markets, shanty towns, rubbish tips - which seemed to be every other house, heavily polluted rivers, and billions upon billions upon billions of mopeds.

Although we thought that the train would be a great way to see the countryside, we were disappointed to find that heavy farming and massively over-populated streets had taken its toll. The skies were hazy from vehicle pollution too. Java's nation parks were the last place to find nature left to its own devices.

Yogyakarta

If Jakarta is the financial and Industrial capital, the Yogyakarta (pronounced: 'Jogjakarta') is Java's artistic and intellectual soul. Apparently this is the place where you are likely to see another tourist! Yogya was nevertheless as much a city of burger bars, traffic, advertising hoardings, Batiks (art shops), gamelan music and rituals.

We stepped off the train with sweaty crevices, then lugged our seemingly heavy rucksacks around the rugged streets of Yogya ('jogja') looking for accommodation with air-con (yes we are wimps!). About 4 billion pairs of eyes watched these two pathetic looking sweaty weakling tourists trying to look 'in control' of their location...then we stumbled upon the main road for hotels (God save Lonely Planet Guides). We booked into a nice joint for 135,000rp a night (7.70GBP).

That evening we sampled our first proper Indonesian food, Nasi Goreng - Rice with Fish or meat, vegetables & egg. It were gert lush too!

The next day we were up @ 4am as we booked a trip to Indonesians largest Buddhist temple, Borobudur, and Java's largest Hindu temple, Prambanan...

Temple I up!

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