Blogs from Semarang, Java, Indonesia, Asia
January 11th 2012
When my Aunt Sandy said she was coming to Semarang I thought to myself "Why Semarang?". It is one of the least likely top tourist destinations in Indonesia. Sure it is not far from the diving paradise of Karimunjawa or the cultural hub of Jogja (Yogyakarta) but Semarang is hardly a place blessed with ample tourist facilities. Most tourists, who are predominantly people from Central Java, visit the nearby mountains or the beaches not too far away. It's main heart appears to be industrial scale business located on the north coast but it is also blessed with a huge port. In fact, it is one of the few ports on the north coast of Indonesia that can accomodate cruise ships. This was apparently one of the main reasons my aunt's cruise decided to stop in Semarang, ... read more
Picturesque Central Java on a scooter
Published: December 21st 2011Asia » Indonesia » Java » Semarang
December 15th 2011
My Indonesian language teacher, Mbak Agnes, asked me last week where I felt most at home. Given that I have moved around so much in the past and recently, I answered,"On the seat of my scooter." And so it has been........ Horses used to mean freedom for the cowboy and later cars for the middle class......in America. In Java, the scooter, or motorbike, usually of Japanese origins is in my opinion the undisputed leader of similar free-spiritedness. The horse like the car at present has always been more of a status symbol, although not totally without practicality for a growing middle class....if only Java's roads had room for them. Although there are many cars in Java, the majority of people cannot afford them. I am quite certain that if they could, nearly every Indonesian would own ... read more
November 22nd 2010
Day 12 – Nov. 10 On our way back to Semarang, we went to Borobudur (the largest single Buddhist shrine in the world). It was too close to Mt. Merapi and the shrine and the whole village around it were covered with ash and we could not go in, which was a major disappointment. After a four hour bus ride, we met our host families and proceeded to their homes. ... read more
November 22nd 2010
Day 14 – Nov. 12 In the morning we went to see the Gedongsongo Temple. In the afternoon the group started the batik workshop at Devi’s house. Each person carefully applied hot wax with a tiny instrument to outline a picture drawn on a square cloth. ... read more
November 22nd 2010
Day 15 – Nov. 13 In the afternoon, we went to Devi’s house for a ritual for her daughter’s seventh month of pregnancy. It involved pouring quite a bit of water on the mother-to-be to ensure good luck for the baby. The batik group colored in their pictures, but the batiks could not be dyed because there was no sun to set the colors. The teacher finished them and returned them to the "artists" the following day. In the evening we went to the Wayang Orang Culture show, which was another depiction of the Ramayana story but this time with an interlude with clown characters that involved having several members of our group, including me, dancing on stage. The performance was traditional Javanese, but in the same building in other theaters, there were young people enjoying ... read more
November 22nd 2010
Day 16 Nov. 14 We went to mountains and to a beautiful coffee plantation. We then got ready for a real farewell party at Devi’s house, hosted by Devi and Bonita. Mary Anne said she would kill me or herself if I tried singing again. We printed off some songs for all the US Ambassadors to sing, but without rehearsal or music that effort was a disaster. It was a great party though and we expressed our feelings of friendship and gratitude, but we finally called it a night since we had to catch a 6:15 AM flight back to Bali. What wonderful hosts in Semarang. They were truly the highlight of our trip. ... read more
November 17th 2010
Day 8 Nov. 6 - Day of the forever flight to Yogyakarta – The stories of “Endless Days & Endless Nights” and “The Great Negotiator” We got up at 2 AM to leave for the airport at 3 AM. When we got to the airport (at 4 AM) we found that our flight was delayed because the airport in Yogyakarta was closed because of the volcano on Mt. Merapi which is only 40 km away from Yogyakarta. We waited for a few hours, the flight was finally canceled, and we were stranded. The three airports in central Java were all closed. Our Bali guide, Made, was our savior. He sent three cars to pick us up at about 2 PM and made arrangements for us to go back to the hotel while Paul Martin, Ken Tran ... read more
June 25th 2010
Indonesia Na 1 luxe overnachting in het Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside vlakbij het KL int. Airport, we kregen weer een upgrade naar een super de luxe appartement, ’s morgens heel vroeg naar de terminal van Air Asia. Niets vergeleken met de terminals van de “gewone” luchtvaartmaatschappijen. Low cost vliegen kreeg op deze terminal, aan de andere kant van het vliegveld, een confronterend gezicht. Alles krioelde door elkaar, alles behalve enige luxe. Instappen over het asfalt op de trap in het vliegtuig. Maar de vlucht naar Yogjakarta verliep zonder enig probleem. Na 2 ½ uur zetten we voet op een bijzonder klein vliegveld. De koffers worden voor je van de enige kofferband afgehaald om daarmee de enige kleine ruimte meteen vol te zetten met koffers terwijl de douane en nog een extra X-ray machine controle die kleine ruimte ... read more
February 23rd 2010
We arrived in the Semarang harbor at Tanjung Emas late in the night. It is about 1.5 miles from the city center. Semarang is nestled into a deep curve along Java’s northeastern coast. It has a population of approximately 1.5 million people and has a blend of intriguing historic sites: crumbling fortress walls, colorful Chinese temples, lattice-front cottages and gleaming mosques. Chinese troops made a stop here in 1405, but an Arab mullah founded the original village in the late 15th century. It was officially switched to a Dutch trading outpost in 1705. Semarang is a large producer of herbal medicine, as well as general agriculture. Unfortunately, we will not be seeing much of the city as we are booked to take an 8-½ hour tour to the mountain village of Borobudur to experience the Borobudur ... read more
September 27th 2009
On Wednesday 16th of September when I paid my house maid her monthly wage I also gave her the THR (Tunjangan Hari Raya) as well. This is a one month bonus which is commonly paid to household staff and employees in factories and offices at the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan. When I paid her the bonus I also told her that she didn't need to come again till the 28th of September because I wouldn't be at home in Cirebon. Lebaran or Idul Fitri is a very important festival and holiday in Indonesia. My language school closed on Friday the 18th of September and didn't open again till Monday the 28th. It's an exciting time of year when Muslims travel around the country to visit their families. It is particularly exciting for children ... read more
