Sign In
Blogs from Semarang, Java, Indonesia, Asia
Advertisement
January 10th 2013
Semarang January 10, 2013 My first day in Indonesia is almost over. I started the day still with fear and a sense of why the hell did I want to do this again. But by the end that feeling was gone. Yes, in stead of a shower you have to mandi, meaning, you stand in a big tub with cold water and you throw water over you with a big scoop. The house is tiny and is in the outskirts of Semarang as is the little company I work for (it is more sort of a warehouse). When I walked in this morning I was greeted by smiling Indonesian people all with bad teeth(no dentists or orthodontists here). But they are really friendly and go out of their way to make me feel welcome, taking me ... read more
July 21st 2012
Vandaag een excursie gemaakt naar de Gedung Songo tempels in de bergen buiten Salatiga. Vanmorgen had de Merapi vulkaan die hier ook ligt een kleine uitbarsting gehad. Gelukkig stond de wind de andere kant uit, dus we konden de excursie door laten gaan. Sjaak en Whistie (de eigenaren van het pension) hebben ons begeleid op deze excursie. De hindoistische tempels stammen uit de 8e eeuw en zijn op deze plek herbouwd geworden. Nog steeds zijn ze aan de renovatie bezig. Oorspronkelijk zijn het 9 tempels verspreid over diverse plekken op de bergen, maar er staan er nu nog 5. Het is een stevige klim de bergen in, die ook per paard mogelijk is. De kinderen zijn per paard gegaan. Zowel Tom als Lisa hebben los zonder begeleider met het paard gereden. De begeleider liep er achteraan. ... read more
July 20th 2012
Vandaag een rustige dag gehad in Satatiga. Vanmorgen heerlijk gegeten. Er was versgebakken bruinbrood met hagelslag, jam, eitje en vers fruit. Heerlijk om weer eens een normale boteram te eten. We zijn daarna het stadje ingegaan om bij een hotel te gaan zwemmen. Daar een paar uurtjes geweest, lekker geluncht en daarna het stadje ingelopen. Deze stad ligt in midden-Java en hier is totaal geen toerisme, dus werden we overal echt bekeken. Wat leuk is dat je hier wel het echte javaanse leven ziet. 's-Avonds heerlijk gegeten en op tijd naar bed. Morgen gaan we een excursie maken naar een tempel, koffie en rubberplantage. (De foto's van het duiken etc worden er nog opgezet, maar het internet is hier ontzettend langzaam, waardoor foto's uploaden erg lastig is)... read more
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. Its 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
Advertisement
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
