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Published: February 9th 2011
Hey peeps, its been a while but lets see if I can accurately recall my recent 5 weeks spend in Indonesia. Happy reading 😱
I arrived In Jakarta (JKT), via Doha, roughly 9:30pm & adhered to the instructions forwarded to me by Liz. They were spot on & I arrived at Sudirman Park to a warm welcome by her 😱 We spent a couple of hours catching up over a hubbly & discussed our Singapore race weekend (see previous blog) in a couple of days time before we called it a night. I was only in JKT for a couple of days before we headed to Singapore. After a successful & enjoyable race weekend in Singapore, just over a mere 48hrs later we were back in Indonesia which would be my home for just over a month. And what a month it was!
JAKARTA Post Singapore, back in JKT, I spend the next few days finding my feet & familiarizing myself with the BIG Durian. Quite a wonderful yet contrasting city! Despite the pollution, chaotic traffic (at the best of times) & not being the most run-friendly or outdoor activity city, JKT does have its charm! My time here
JKT neighbourhood & Skyline
Mosque just outside my window, after a couple of wks it no longer woke me up ;)was filled up taking in some of the main tourist attractions (Monas, The National Museum), spending time in the countless malls, going to the fancy cinema, riding cabs & being fully intrigued on the JKT Kopaja (public bus). Not forgetting to mention, an Indonesian favourite pass-time, having lunches & dinners with Liz & some her of her mates. I would "fail" if I failed to mention that in the BIG Durian, thanks to its quest for cosmopolitan status, one can literally find any type of food that your taste buds desire. After 3 good days in JKT balancing work & being a tourist, I was on my way to Central Java, Salatiga specifically, where I would meet up with some old friends from my previous visit to Indonesia a couple of years ago.
CENTRAL JAVA I flew to Semerang where I caught a Rp200 000 cab ride to Salatiga. It was a smooth trip all round & before I realised it I arrived at the Mountainview International Christian School where I would stay for the next few days. They were expecting me & the heavy security (it's an American school) had received instructions that I would be staying here
for the next few days & to grant me "free" access during my stay. I was welcomed by Abbie - a very friendly & good face to see again! It was not too long before Yohannes (Yo) came out to meet me as well & they walked me to Abbie's place (on the schools premises) which would be my "home" for my stay here - very comfortable & convenient! I had barely settled before I was on the back of Yo"s motorbike off to lunch to meet Mellisa & Tiffany, new additions to the "Salatiga family" since I originally met this group 2 years previously. It was a good time to be visiting here as the school was closed for a weeks holiday which meant that everyone had some free time to entertain me 😊 Furthermore, with Salatiga being pretty central it was a good base to explore other cities in Central Java, something which I had not done previously as my previous trip was an island hopping - beach bum excursion.
Initially skeptic & probably not something that I would have done a couple of years ago, I hopped on the back of Yo's motorbike & we headed
Lunch Time
1st lunch meet up with Liz, in the mall of course ;) for a day trip to Semerang. Semerang itself was nice, with a touch colonial ancestry still visible from the early centuries & it was good to meet Yo's family. However, the highlight of this trip must have been the 90 minutes ride (1 way) at the back of the motorbike! Weaving through buses & trucks, dodging the several hundred potholes & experiencing the amazing scenery was experiencing Indonesia in an entirely different way. Definitely not something that I had planned or imagined but am so glad that it happened & highly recommend it for anyone visiting Indo - exploring the country side by ojek (motorbike). On my next day trip I visited the overwhelming & mightily impressive Borobudur Temple. Previously I had read & heard much about the Borobudur Temple but none of it had prepared me for what I felt when I first laid eyes on it - WOW!! The couple of hours spent at the temple was overwhelming to say the least & the entire time I spent trying to take it all in as best I can! We had good weather on the day & got to witness some brilliant views from the temple. Borobudur was undoubtedly
JKT Traffic
On a good day :) one of the highlights of my trip & undoubtedly a must see for everyone visiting Central Java! There were also a couple of days that I just spent in Salatiga hanging around & catching up with my friends there & getting to know some new ones. On these days of course I took advantage of the wonderful training facilities available at the school. In the mornings I would go for my usual run & in the afternoons I would spend time in the gym with Yo. My fondest memory of my running explorations of Central Java has to be the morning I was "saved" by a very elderly lady (I estimate her to be 75 years plus at least). Having not mastered the practice of running with a water bottle yet, I usually take some money with me to get some fluids during my run. But on this particular run I was loving the scenery so much & before I knew it I was on top of this hill in a village. It was very sparsely populated & soon I realised I was kinda lost! I thought I had a vague idea of where I was so continued on my
JKT Skyline
View from Pilates Studio (32nd floor). Pollution very evident run only to find another hill with a typical Indonesian house at the top. On the stoep/porch of the house was this elderly lady chilling & taking in her stunning views at about 6:45am. I nodded my head as a greeting gesture to which she waved with a slight smile. Roughly 500m from the foot of the hill I hit a cul-de-sac & was forced to make u-turn back in the direction I had come from, so back up the huge-ass hill which I was not looking forward to as I was thirsty & already 60 minutes into a planned 90 minutes run 😞. I still had to run all the way back home; ± another 40 minutes from the time I exit the forest & hit the road back home. Thirsty, hot & bothered I slowly started to lose my sense of humour as I knew I had a long way still to go! If I managed to navigate my way straight out of the forest, it would be roughly a 2 hour 15 minute run in total & at least another 5km's before I get to a cafe to buy some water. But all the negative thoughts that
JKT Skyline
View from Pilates Studio (32nd floor). slowly started to creep into my head immediately vanished when at the top of the hill, the old lady was no longer on her porch but now at the gate to her house with a bottle of water for me!! She still had her smile on her face except now it was a lot broader. Despite the language barrier I could tell she lived there all her life & I was not the first person she "saved" 😱 - lol! After a few minutes of trying to talk to her in English I gave up & thanked her in her native language, "terima kasih"! I could not help but giggle a bit for her sneakiness - not telling me it's a cul-de-sac & rather have me find that out the hard way only to be waiting with what tasted like the best water ever 😱! Nevertheless her gesture was absolutely priceless & definitely one of my running highlights not only during my trip, but ever! GOD bless her! Soon it was my last day in Central Java, Salatiga, a group of us hired a van & did a day trip to Yogyakarta (Jogja). On route to Jogja we visited the
Prambanan Temples. Built in the 9th century & roughly 50 years after Borobobudur completion, Prambanan Temple was worth visiting but not as overwhelming & powerful as Borobudur. Nonetheless we had a good time here, shared some laughs, took some pictures & I'm glad that we stopped here on route to Jogja. After this we made our way to Jogja where we had the afternoon & early evening to fill up before I caught my flight to Bali. With Salatiga not having a cinema the group wanted to take advantage of the cinema in Jogja & we watched Eat, Pray, Love - very appropriate seeing I was flying out to Bali in a few hours time. Before we made our way to the airport we visited the infamous Jogja street market & had a final group dinner. It was not long before we had to rush to the airport, only for my flight to be delayed, as usual when in Indonesia, pffff! After check in it was a little sad saying goodbye to my old & new friends 😞 but that comes with the territory of traveling. We said our goodbyes & there I was in Jogja airport, battling to stay
STARBUCKS
enough said :D awake so I did not miss my flight to Bali. Eventually we boarded & I was on my way to Bali 😱 Alone & with no real plan or itinerary, except to switch off & catch as many sun rays as possible - whoop whoop 😱😱! The only "thing" on my agenda was to relax to the max!
BALI For the first time in over 2 weeks I would have some real alone time to which I was looking forward to, no offense to anyone, but after an exciting, adventurous, exercise filled & busy 2 weeks I was looking forward to being on my ace in Bali. Just doing my own thing, taking each day as it came & basically just going where the wind the blew. My only plan was to switch off completely from work & all other life agendas I have/had going on in my life. Fortunately the weather played its part & my 6 days in Bali were pure bliss 😊 I landed in Bali in the rain & left Bali in the rain, but everything in between was absolutely - tropically superb 😱! Having previously visited Bali & already done the tourist "stuff" here,
JKT great service
foot massages :) (quite cheap too) I settled in the tourist hub of Kuta, Bali. As a result I do not have too many travel stories to share from my Bali experience this time around. I was a mere 5 - 7 minutes walk from the beach & even shorter distance from the infamous Poppies lanes I & II. Each day I grew fonder with my choice of accommodation & was loving the pool area. I left my laptop & phone in my room & my days were filled up with morning runs through Bali & on the beach, buffet breakfast, reading the newspaper or my book by the pool side, smoking hubbly at the pool, lunch at the warungs (street cafes) & spend the afternoons soaking up the sun on the beach 😊 It's a tough life but someone has to do it! The mornings were far too hot to lay on the beach, even for me! In the evenings I would watch the Kuta beach sunsets & go for dinner with fellow tourists/travelers I met during my stay in Bali. Here we would exchange travel stories which would only spurn ones interest to continue traveling without a care in the world. I would end
Typical Indo Jalan (Street)
Ojeks (motorbikes) neatly parked in typical Indo street my days off going for drinks with other tourists or smoking some hubbly either on my balcony or by the hotel pool, depending on how much cooling down I needed as Bali was HOT, in the evenings too! Last time out here I did not visit Uluwatu so I had it in the back of my mind to perhaps take a days break from Kuta & check out Uluwatu as I had heard some good reviews about it. Fortunately for me during sunset one evening on the beach I met Eva from Germany! Having just arrived back from Gili T & sitting in 3hrs traffic to get into Kuta, she decided to come cool off on the beach with her huge ass back pack before heading to her accommodation. She plonked herself so close to me she almost ended up sitting in my lap never mind on my towel. Watching the sunset we started chatting & low-&-behold she was keen on Uluwatu too before she jetted back to Europe in 2 days time. So over dinner we made some plans for the next day & headed out to Uluwatu. Unfortunately the weather on this side of Bali was not playing
Typical Indo Jalan (Street)
One of hundreds of street stalls or vendors its part so we could not go explore the beaches in Uluwatu & never got to do the highly recommended sunset dinners from one of the beach front restaurants. However, we did see the Pura Luhur temple & a couple of other breath taking views from this view point. This temple was not impressive at all & with half a day still to fill we gladly headed back to sunnier & warmer Kuta to catch some more rays. Barring this 1 day, my time in Bali was pure relaxation on my own time & absolute bliss 😱 Another highlight of my trip for sure - it almost completely made up for missing the Bali half marathon. But all good things have to come to an end & fortunately I realised in time that I needed to take care of some urgent work which meant that I headed back to JKT a day earlier than I had initially planned. This extra day in JKT would allow me to successfully complete the work I needed to do before I went on my week of volcano hiking with Liz through central Java
(see next blog).
JAKARTA (Fast forward 1 week) After a
Typical Indo Jalan (Street)
This is a gutter filled with polluted water along a street in JKT hard, fun, exciting & challenging week of volcano hiking & trekking through central Java (3 night hikes in 6 days, all between 10 - 12 hrs long) we arrived back safely in JKT, of course very tired & with some real funky smelling hiking gear & shoes! The arrival back in JKT also marked the last leg of my trip, my last few days of my 5 weeks abroad. As the saying goes: time flies when you're having fun! I did not have much planned on my agenda except for the Jakarta Free Spirit (JFS) Zoo half marathon - sponsored by Standard Chartered. This was Liz's running groups bi-annual event & was penned in for Sunday morning. On Friday evening a group of us went for dinner, went to watch the international comedy festival & ended up at O'Melly's for drinks until the early hours of the morning. A good fun night out & quite enjoyable evening overall! The next morning I got to tick another box on my wish list. Jealous from previous pics I had seen from the food & coffee served there, I together with Liz's mate Sarah, were treated to a scrumptious breakfast at Social House
😊 YUMMY! After breakfast I tried keeping up shopping with the ladies, but weary of the race the next morning, I left the ladies to do what they're good at (shopping, pampering, skinnering/catching-up/girl-talk .... whatever you wish to call it) & took a cab home. The rest of my day was spent watching dvd's with my feet up in anticipation of running a good race! Unfortunately this did not happen, the good race that is 😞 Well by my standards & what I was hoping to do. The race was held in the Ragunan Zoo & is 4 x 5km loop + an additional 1km in the beginning. ± At the 10km mark I was in 3rd place & on track to get my desired time. However, given the hiking activities of the previous few days & only the 2 days of recovery, my legs just gave in from under me! I guess I can compare it to the wheels of a vehicle being brutally stabbed/slashed & the air gushing out from it, because that's how quickly my legs faded! I have never felt anything like it but managed to push on & successfully complete the race. Despite my slowest
Cinema
For a little extra you can go to "Grand" cinema & get a lazy boy that reclines virtually flat & a fresh clean blanket! Full on restaurant food available too! half marathon time for nearly 3 years, 95 minutes, I finished in 8th & still felt a real sense of achievement as I really had to motivate myself & push through the back half of the race. Despite my personal "crap" run I had an enjoyable morning at the race! It was well organised & there was a lot of "Free Spirit" evident at the race. The race is smaller than what we're used to back home, but having met some of the JFS members previously in Singapore, I must commend the JFS running group & its supporters for the fantastic Free Spirit that was always evident .... from fellow runners, to race organisers, supporters & race marshals. The experience was as good as I had hoped it would have been & it was wonderful meeting all of them! So after a very tough exercising week on the body we spoiled/treated ourselves to some good pampering & dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel. A stark contrast to our week of gunung bagging but a good way to end the week & reward ourselves for the epic effort!
My final 3 days in JKT was less active, thankfully, as I
JKT Skyline & Mosque
Balcony view on a clear sunny morning was dead tired by now. I shopped a bit, saw another movie (Social Network), visited malls & of course ate loads of food 😊 My final 2 mornings of my trip, despite declaring on a couple of occasions that I was done exercising on my trip, I had my rubber arm twisted very easily & set out on our 5am morning runs, pffff! Sucker for punishment I know, he he! But I thought why not as I'm not sure if or when I will run in JKT again & relaxing by the pool side or in the jacuzzi a bit after the run was always reward enough for me 😱 Before I knew it my time in Indonesia was up 😞.
My 5 weeks had flown by but I had an amazing time! It combined many of my hobbies & passions which make for fantastic memories! I got to travel quite a bit, met many fun people, ran my 1st "international" races, summitted some volcanoes, witnessed some amazing sun rises & sun sets, explored central Java by motorbike & public transport, spend time with amazing friends, made some new ones & even had a week of pure bliss in
JKT Skyline
Balcony view on a clear sunny morning Bali! They say: Too much of a good thing is bad! I'm not so sure about that , HA HA! I had a sensational trip & feel quite privileged to have had this opportunity! And I do intend to have many many more - so cheers to that 😱
Impressions of Indonesia:
The Good: - despite chaotic traffic & significant pollution, it does have its charm
- the food: one can get delicious local food from the Warungs (street cafes) for ± $1 - $2 at most or go to the countless malls & get whatever food your taste buds desire
- the majority of the locals are very hospitable & make you feel welcome
- generally speaking Indo is cheap & therefore one can do lots of things for cheap, in JKT & across all the islands of Indo
- lotsa hiking trails & trail running routes
The Bad: - Indo, JKT especially, is not really conducive for running or much outdoor activities. Outside the BIG Durian there are plenty of hiking trails & routes to explore, but generally speaking, as I am used to at home, it is not really possible to step outside your door
JKT Skyline
Balcony view on a clear sunny morning - sun still rising & exercise/run. Unless you go at 5am or mission to the hiking trails or running routes
- not clean, lots of litter & lots of pollution
- 3rd largest smoking population in the world (& still growing)
- plenty to do & see in Indo but it takes time to get there, not an issue when you on holiday though
The Ugly: - laws are not always enforced by authorities & often not adhered to by the public (smoking in restricted areas, corruption)
- tourists/westerners are often "exploited" by being charged higher prices on the streets, especially on the islands
Indonesia is a great country with plenty to see & do. It does have its charm & I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here & I will certainly visit again in the future! However, when on vacation one tends to look pass certain things as it is temporary, so I do have my doubts/reservations if I'll ever live here for an extended period of time.
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