Blogs from Surabaya, Java, Indonesia, Asia

By 6:00 we were at the train station awaiting our locomotive’s departure. The station was not well marked as far as which line was going to Surabayaor when. We eventually figured out where we needed to be. The train itself was quite nice. Kristy had paid extra to be in the executive cabin. The ride to Surabaya from Jogja was about five hours. Along the way, we passed many smaller towns. We made stops in towns large enough for a train station. There were many rice paddies and a few cornfields alongside the tracks. In the distant horizon, we could see large volcanos which were largely obscured by clouds. During the journey, Kristy read about gun dog training and posted several pictures from Jogja to Facebook. Brad played on his computer and watched his kindle fire. ... read more

After spending time in Bali, it is a cultural jolt to visit Java. Even though they are in the same country it is a different world. The difference is because of the two dominant religions....Islam and Hindu. Surabaya is the second largest city in Indonesia with a very busy port and big industry more geared to business than to tourism. There is a large Arab quarter in Surabaya along with a bustling Chinatown. Since this was our first visit here, we decided to hire a local guide to show us around. There are still many traces of the former colonial powers who ruled Java for many years. Dutch style buildings dot the cityscape. The British became caretakers of the Dutch colony after the Japanese occupation ended and they left their mark as well on the city. ... read more

Giava è l'Indonesia classica e tradizionale che tutti conoscono ed il più delle volte il termine "indonesiano" può essere tranquillamente sostituito da "giavanese"; Giava però, prima di essere indonesiana è innanzitutto giavanese ed i suoi abitanti non esiteranno a ricordarvelo. Ho viaggiato per le Molucche e lungo Papua ma non posso dire di aver visto questo paese senza prima aver messo piede sulla sua isola madre ed aver vissuto una pura esperienza giavanese, cioè indonesiana. Mi rimangono solo una decina di giorni che cercherò di sfruttare al meglio attraversando l'isola da Est ad Ovest. Prima tappa Surabaya, nome che nelle lontane lande ai confini dell'impero evoca immagini di ricchezza ed abbondanza, modernità e progresso; è questo infatti l'estremo lembo di terra da cui salpano gli emigranti in cerca di fortuna nelle isole più sperdute dell'arcipelago, l'ultima ... read more

The steady stream of visitors continues! I had two dear friends from high school join me in Indonesia. They explored Thailand first for two weeks before seeing me. We had a great time catching up and seeing another part of Indonesia together. One of my Indo friends joined us on our adventure, making a group of four. Day One · Jakarta – Surabaya – Ijen Crater My friends flew in late Saturday night and this past Monday morning we caught an early flight to Surabaya, East Java . From there we were picked up by our tour group and drove 7-8 hours to our hotel. Day Two · Ijen Crater – Mt. Bromo We started our hour drive to Ijen Crater at 4:00am and once we arrived we started our trek. Ijen Crater is famous for ... read more

Whilst I came to Indonesia to teach English, my other motivation is to travel. (travelblog... duh!) I have spent the first few months of my time here ensuring that I pass my probation period (3 months) but I've still managed to get a few trips in. A few of these trips are to Surabaya, a large city further up the coast. Surabaya has plenty of shopping choice, big malls, and an international hotel with sunbeds and a swimming pool. During these trips to Surabaya, I'll generally be in the malls buying batik (a type of clothing pattern here, much like the different tartans of Scotland) or visiting Dunkin' Donuts. Another trip I went on was to Malang (30,000rp, or £1.50 on the train from Sidoarjo, return ticket!), a picturesque town about 80km from Sidoarjo. I stayed ... read more