Jumping around Java


Advertisement
Indonesia's flag
Asia » Indonesia » Java
January 2nd 2010
Published: January 2nd 2010
Edit Blog Post

After Bali, I came to the neighboring island of Java, to see how most Indonesians live. Indonesia is a vast country made up of over 17,000 islands. One of these, Java, makes up only 6% of the country’s land mass, but has 60% of the population. With 140 million people, it is also the most populous island in the world. I landed in the capital, Jakarta, a huge city of over 15 million people.

Nobody had anything good to say about Jakarta, so I didn’t expect to like it. But I actually kind of did.

I began by visiting the upscale neighborhood of Menteng. Here I visited the school Barack Obama attended when he lived here as a child for four years (his mother married an Indonesian). There is a plaque for him, and also a small statue in the park of him as a boy (see photos). Unlike the right wing rumors, this school is not an Islamic madrassa, but a public Indonesian school for students from various faiths and well-to-do families. What is probably true are the reports that Barack’s ID card listed his nationality as Indonesian and religion as Muslim, fueling more right wing theories. Then I went to see the old Dutch area near the harbor. Indonesia was a Dutch colony until shortly after the end of World War 2. The Dutch East India Company, set up to colonize Indonesia, was actually the world’s first multinational corporation, and the first company to issue stock. Anyway, many Dutch buildings remain in the downtown harbor area of Jakarta (known as Batavia in colonial times). Some have been painted, renovated, and are now museums or restaurants. Others are quite dilapidated, and are pool halls or warehouses. I also visited the fish market, and the puppet and maritime museums near the harbor. The fish market was so stinky, I couldn’t wait to leave. The puppets were very impressive, all painstakingly made and painted by hand over a period of months. The maritime museum was a former Dutch warehouse for spices, which Indonesia was renowned for back in the day (the famous “Spice Islands” are located in Eastern Indonesia). Like with oil today, in the past wars were fought and fortunes made over spices, which were used to preserve meat and for medicinal purposes. This former warehouse now contains photos and models of various ships.



If I was going to write just about Jakarta, I think I would title it “A tale of two cities”. Not very original, I know. But Jakarta really is a contradiction. The modern shopping malls and glittering skyscrapers would put many of those in the West to shame. Walking or driving around the business district feels like you are in Singapore or Hong Kong. It’s all shiny and clean. I read later that all of this impressive building - a First World downtown in a Third World capital - was financed by massive government and corporate debt, much of which was later defaulted on. So, much of this “wealth” is really a mirage. Then you go a mile outside this area, and the illusion continues to crumble, as you see people living in metal shacks under the bridge, by a garbage dump and a very polluted river. Too bad none of the borrowed billions were invested to give them clean water or better housing. I guess many Third World cities are this way, ostentatious wealth and desperate poverty side by side; but in Africa, I didn’t see any shopping malls like I saw here. Not in India either. There wasn’t even a single movie theater in the whole city of Accra, Ghana when I stayed there a few years ago. In downtown Jakarta, there were several on every block. To understand what’s really going on, you need to look under the surface. Talk to the guy who is desperate to be your guide for the day, for a few dollars, because despite his fluent English, education and knowledge, he can’t get a job. Notice the dozens of taxi drivers standing around, waiting for business. They constantly call out to you, because they are desperate for a customer so they can make $2 or $3. As you eat your frozen yogurt at the ultra modern shopping mall, think about the fact that the $3 you paid for it, is the daily salary of the clerk who sold it to you. And they are the lucky ones who have a job. Notice the slums on your way to and from the airport. Look at all the people going through the garbage. But, if you’re a businessman passing through Jakarta, you could stay in a 5 star hotel in the business district, eat in some of the finest restaurants, go to meetings in modern office buildings, shop in the glitzy malls, and never feel like you’re in a developing country. In India, for example, this was just not possible, because the poverty was a lot more ubiquitous, and no part of it felt this modern.



Indonesia has about 240 million people, and with approximately 85% of them being Muslim, that makes it the world’s largest Muslim country. For the most part, it is a moderate country with religious diversity and tolerance. Young women in headscarves walk along other young women wearing shorts. Christmas is a national holiday. I often forgot I was in a Muslim country. But like in many Muslim countries, there are extremist groups and terrorist organizations, and there have been bombings in Bali and Jakarta aimed at foreigners. Aceh Province, on the island of Sumatra, has begun practicing Sharia law, and Muslims who engage in gambling, drinking or pre-marital sex there are subject to caning. Less than 5% of Indonesians are ethnic Chinese, yet controls 75% of the wealth. This has caused resentment, and there has been rioting and violence against them multiple times, and a lot of ethnic tension remains. There has also been fighting between Christians and Muslims, and different ethnic groups in the past decade. There are a couple provinces that want independence (East Timor, one of the world’s newest countries, was an Indonesian province until 1999). So things are not all honky dory. In addition, Indonesia has only been a democracy for about a decade. Whether it continues down the road to a pluralistic, democratic, and tolerant society, or the extremists gain the upper hand remains to be seen. For now, it felt like a very moderate country, at least where I traveled.



After Jakarta, I went to Yogyakarta, also called Jogjakarta or “Jogja” for short. This is the cultural center of Java, and the former capital. There was a sultan who ruled here, and his palace is in the center of the city. Like in Bali, the royal family commands a great deal of wealth and respect. But Jogja is unique in that it is the only place in Indonesia where the sultan does have official (though not absolute) power. He is also the governor of the province. The current sultan has 5 daughters (all educated abroad, in Australia, Singapore, and the U.S.), and no sons, so none of his children or grandchildren can be sultans. The palace complex is quite large, with many guards and workers. Some of the buildings and art are traditional Javanese, and others were imported from Europe. After the palace, I visited the nearby bird market. Someone recommended it, but it was actually a sad place to see all kinds of animals, including kittens, puppies and monkeys, locked up in small cages. Like in Jakarta, downtown Jogja has some nice Dutch buildings. Two of these have been converted into the central bank and main post office. Bicycle rickshaws, called becak locally, are often used in Jogja as a form of transportation. I took these as well as a horse carriage to get around. In the evening, I saw a shadow puppet performance. It was all in Indonesian, so I got bored and left after 20 minutes, but for $2, it was worth seeing.



I spent New Year's Eve talking to some drunk Spanish guy who wouldn't stop talking about pot, even though I was clearly not interested. Besides, who comes to smoke pot in a country where they stamp into your passport that the death penalty applies to drug offenses??? The only reason I talked to him, was I was sitting alone in a bar, everyone else was in a big group, and I kept hearing him say "Barcelona". So I told him my brother lives in Barcelona, and I was there a couple times. He was from Valencia, but said he hated it, and loves Barcelona. I tried to talk to him about traveling, but all he wanted to talk about was pot. It got so bad that at one point I just started laughing, I couldn't help myself. I had to pretend I was laughing about something else. He was still talking to me about pot when 2010 arrived, everyone else was cheering, shooting fireworks and blowing horns. Geez. I finally had to practically run away.



Despite this, 2010 got off to a good start, as New Year’s Day will certainly be one of the highlights of this trip. I got up at 5 AM to go see the sunrise over Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument in the world, a short drive outside Jogja. Built in the 9th century, Borobudur is a huge stupa, consisting of many smaller (but still large) stupas. From the air, it forms what Buddhists call a mandala, a geometric aid for meditation. It is one of the most impressive ancient monuments I have ever seen in all my travels (which include Macchu Picchu, Angkor Wat, Roman coliseums, the Mayan pyramids, and much more). But I am not sure it was the most impressive place I saw that day! That’s because another of the most impressive monuments I have ever seen, I saw about an hour later, when we got to Prambanan. Prambanan is a Hindu temple complex, also built in the 9th century. Approaching through a field, you suddenly come upon 8 tall, magnificent buildings, each dedicated to a different Hindu god. It was an incredible sight to come upon these, and I couldn’t stop taking photos. The carvings on each temple are very detailed, different animals mostly. Unfortunately, a big earthquake a few years ago caused some damage, and visitors cannot enter most of the temples. Please look at my photos, because words can’t do these places justice.



Despite the differences in ethnicity, religion, language, and culture, as a traveler I found Indonesia not so different from traveling in Sri Lanka. Both are island nations, the tropical landscape and climate are very similar (hot and humid!), so no wonder that many of the same crops are grown. In fact, Indonesia's Spice Islands lost their importance in the 19th century, when the British learned that they could grow many of the valuable spices in Sri Lanka. There are also similar experiences and frustrations. Indonesia has a much more developed infrastructure, and Bali alone gets many times more tourists than Sri Lanka. One irritation is that even those who work in the tourist industry, such as guides, rarely speak good English. I don’t expect fluency, but it’s nice to understand and be understood. I paid a lot of money to have a guide and driver in Sri Lanka for a few days, and we could barely communicate. At one point, a guide told me we will meet “at one thirty”. Later I learned that he meant after an hour and thirty minutes. Another frustration is that shopkeepers in both countries expect you to have exact change whenever you buy something. Now, I understand that $10 is a lot of money for them, so I am not talking about buying a 5 cent item with the equivalent of a $10 bill. But even when I bought something for 25,000 rupiah ($2.50) with a 50,000 rupiah ($5) note, I was asked if I had exact change, and got a dirty look when I said no. And this was in a place catering to foreigners. But my main frustration was that in practically every interaction in both countries, people were only after my money. Maybe it’s natural, given the income disparity, but I know this alone doesn’t explain it, because it is not the case everywhere. Thailand wasn’t like this, and even India wasn’t this bad (Cambodia was). Then there are countries I have been to, like Ghana, where people want your friendship as well as your money. But in both Sri Lanka and Indonesia, in addition to constantly being hassled just walking down the street, when I had a longer interaction with someone, they were always trying to sell me something, or get more money out of me. It never felt like they were genuinely interested in anything else. Also, in Indonesia, if you’re a man traveling alone, every taxi driver is also a pimp. I can understand the aggressive taxi/pedicab/tuk tuk drivers, and souvenir sellers. In these cases, there is so much more supply than demand, and they are struggling to make a living. This is even true in tourist-infested Bali during the high season, let alone everywhere else. It’s very competitive, which is why I didn’t bargain very hard to save 50 cents, and I often paid extra, by rounding up or tipping. Since they are so desperate for business, I know I could have saved a few bucks, but I felt bad for them. What bothered me was people who I had longer interactions with, that I felt took advantage of me, or tried to. This happened constantly. For example, in Sri Lanka, a surfing instructor I befriended by the beach took me out with him and his friend to a local nightclub. This guy spoke good English, and had worked in various countries. His friend was well off enough that he or his family had a car. But afterwards, in addition to being asked to pay for most of the drinks at the club, my new “friend” insisted I pay $20 for gas money, even though it was a 15 minute trip. A taxi would have cost much less. In Jakarta, a “guide” attached himself to me for a few hours. When I left and gave him $10, he said “That’s all? Give me more”. Keep in mind, I never asked for a guide and for the first 10 minutes he walked with me, I totally ignored him; and the average daily wage here is about $3. By the way, this guide spoke good English, and after I gave up on ignoring him, I bought us drinks, and asked him about his life, his family, and his interests. He didn’t do the same. In Sri Lanka, numerous people tried to trick me, by telling me about a non-existant “elephant festival”, just as the guidebook warned (they then try to sell you a ticket for an inflated price; really it’s just one elephant at a temple who is always there). Even a local travel agent in Colombo, told me not to ask people on the street for directions, because they will try to cheat me. I’m sorry, but what does that say about your people? I previously mentioned the Sri Lankan who I was supposed to volunteer with, who enriches himself by running a lucrative business disguised as a charity. In Indonesia, when I walked down the street, if I was looking around at all, someone would yell out “Hello, boss! What are you looking?”. They were trying to sell something, not be helpful.



I enjoyed traveling in both Sri Lanka and Indonesia, and saw so many amazing things. But this did take a little away from the experience, not being able to genuinely connect with locals, and often feeling like I am viewed as a walking wallet. Again, I understand people are struggling to make a living, but they can still show some personal interest in you. I brought many postcards and photo books of San Francisco, planning to give them to local friends I made who showed any interest in me or where I was from. I hope I will have an opportunity to share these, as I haven’t yet. Hopefully, in some of the other countries I am going to visit, my interactions with the locals will be of a less commercial nature. On a positive note, I did have a lot of fun with the locals in Sri Lanka and here, acting like a fool, which comes very naturally to me. Singing, doing silly dances, playing practical jokes, doing Mentos and Coke geysers, spraying my candy spray in people’s mouths (with their consent, of course), throwing small banknotes from a tuk tuk, waving and pointing to people as if I know them, bumping fists, etc. People enjoyed this, and always waved back and smiled or laughed.



I think Indonesia is a fascinating country, more so than Sri Lanka I would say, and has so much to offer culturally and artistically. Those who appreciate architecture, music, dance, or art will especially enjoy its rich culture. That’s why if you go into any store that sells exotic imports, you will notice many wonderful items from Indonesia. With 17,000+ islands, and the world’s fourth largest population, there is so much here I haven’t seen, that I would like to return someday, and see more of the islands and cultures making up this vast country.



Tomorrow, I leave for Nepal, via Bangkok. I am also in the process of arranging my visa and tour of Bhutan. I’m excited. I’ve been looking forward to visiting these two Himalayan countries for a long time. Two things that will certainly be very different are the weather and landscape, going from southern island countries to northern mountain ones. While for the past month I’ve been hot and sweaty every day, my Bhutanese guide said it’s been snowing. Guess I’ll finally get to wear the winter clothes I’ve been schlepping around.

Hope you are all well, and that 2010 (or MMX as I like to call it, by its Roman numerals) is off to a good start for you.

From Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia.



Check out the complete photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/pfnjobs/Java


If you've had the time and patience to read this far, you might be interested in these articles on the history of the Chinese in Indonesia and the Dutch East India Company. Really interesting stuff, even if you just skim it like I did. Love the Wiki:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Indonesian


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_East_India_Company





Additional photos below
Photos: 29, Displayed: 29


Advertisement



5th January 2010

Wonderful report. I'm planning to visit these two countries in a month so I'll be ready. By the way I'm spanish from Barcelona, I love my city... if you had found me, we would have had a nice conversation (definitely not about pot) :) Regards!
10th January 2010

very well written, my son is currently doing what you are doing and he is also on travel blog, he is currently in thiland, he was in jakarta last week and I can't say he enjoyed it enjoy your trip, I'm planning to go to india happy new year
12th January 2010

nice story.. it just gave me some different perspectives i'm actually indonesian and grew up in jakarta myself, but i hate it :p i always try to avoid jakarta every time i visit indonesia... enjoy your next trip! i'm bookmarking this page :)
24th May 2010

Nice. Well written and very informative. I'm planning on going to Indonesia for a month in January myself. What is the weather like? I have read that it's the rainy season. Does it rain constantly? Thanks and good stuff with the blog, fascinating.
25th May 2010

Indonesia
Thank you. I was there in January, and it hardly rained at all. Not sure if that is typical. I think it's generally dry in S.E. Asia that time of year.

Tot: 1.288s; Tpl: 0.027s; cc: 7; qc: 49; dbt: 0.0175s; 1; m:saturn w:www (104.131.125.221); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.4mb