Finally made it to Indonesia!

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One benefit of living and working in the Netherlands, especially working in academia, is that you get plenty of holiday and it is perfectly normal to take four or five weeks off in one go. So that’s what we did.

I’d always always always wanted to travel around Indonesia and had planned multiple trips that never took place. The first time was supposed to be during my year-long round-the-world trip when I was 22, but the Bali bomb went off while we were in Malaysia, a few days before our arrival in Bali. Therefore, the Indonesia part was skipped and we went to Australia a month sooner. Planning this most recent trip, therefore, was more a process of exclusion because I probably know the Lonely Planet Indonesia section off-by-heart and it was tough to decide what to miss out on.

Magdalena and I would be joined by her sister for the first week so it had to be somewhere including diving (the Maldives trip earlier in the year had got them hooked). Therefore, we went for the northern end of Sulawesi (direct flights to Manado from Singapore where our trip would begin – see previous blog). Komodo was also a definite because we wanted to go now before the national park entrance fee increased from around US$5 to US$250, despite the protests that had succeeded in bringing the price back down only temporarily. Given that those two destinations would be predominantly diving we thought East Java in between to give us some hiking, volcanos, temples and cities. This route also meant we would tick off a lot of the “main” destinations, meaning a subsequent trip, which there most definitely will be, could explore some less-travelled parts





Sulawesi

I’ve always been fascinated by Sulawesi, mostly because it is such a weird shape, something in between a stickman, a skinny aardvark, a swastika and the symbol for pi. If you dive, you’ll know that there are a couple of world famous spots on the northern tip. Bunaken National Marine Park is a set of three islands off Manado, one of which is a classical conical volcano that provides stunning sunset views across the sea from where we stayed on Bunaken. The islands rise up from deep water meaning there is a vertical coral wall a hundred or so metres offshore that drops into nothingness. This being within the “Coral Triangle”, the corals and associated marine life are extremely rich in biodiversity. For example, the coral triangle contains 76% of the world’s coral species – the Caribbean in comparison has 8%. On the opposite side of the northern tip of Sulawesi is Lembeh Strait, where muck diving was invented, so they claim. Rather than drifting around beautiful corals, muck diving involves zig-zagging along the black sand and gravel seabed, poking around in sunken logs and even rubbish washed off the mainland, to spot weird and wonderful creatures. It would be our first muck diving experience.

Bunaken reminded me of other dive islands such as Koh Tao in Thailand and Utila in Honduras. When you are not diving, there isn’t a lot to do. Magdalena and Agnieszka were completing their PADI Advanced dive courses whereas I was just doing some dives. I tried to go exploring and while the main village was interesting and the people very friendly, I don’t know what I would have done on another free day. The excitement came when I realised that I could no longer shelter from a torrential storm in the village’s church as it would soon be getting dark so I had to make a run for it. I was occasionally knee deep in water in the jungle paths which became hard to follow as the water got deeper and it got darker. Without a light it was a 50:50 decision at one jungle junction that fortunately I guessed right and ended up stumbling blindly right to the guesthouse.

The diving (and the snorkelling once you pass the very shallow sea grass and are out over the wall) really lived up to the reputation. I have never seen so many turtles, like 20+ on every dive, and they were huge. Mostly resting on ledges in the wall eyeballing us as we drifted past. There were huge shoals of triggerfish, pyramid butterflyfish, damsels, surgeonfish, unicornfish, parrotfish, fusiliers, sergeants, etc, etc. It was also nice to do loooong dives as we were never that deep (usually 15-25 metres). My logbook tells me the five dives ranged from 66 to 86 minutes. The highlight was the night dive. During the briefing the divemasters spoke of nudibranchs 30 cm long, sponge crabs that carry a big block of sponge rock on their backs for protection, and PreCambrian looking huge slipper lobsters and horseshoe crabs. We didn’t expect to see all of these things in addition to yellow coral flowers that only come out at night and just loads of weird fascinating stuff in all directions.

Whereas Bunaken had quite a backpacker feel, albeit with some pricier resorts, Lembeh Strait had been a challenge to find reasonably priced accommodation. The trick with both locations was not to use Booking or other such websites but contact resorts directly as they aren’t on those websites (search around Google Maps to find them). We still ended up in a pricey place but it was idyllic. The handful of cottages were right on the sand a few metres from the sea under the palm trees and the onsite restaurant (needed because the resort was inaccessible except by boat) was delicious. The other guests were hardcore divers with all their own gear (we rented equipment and it wasn’t very good – clearly few people do that) who were only at that resort for a week or more diving three or four times per day. They were surprised we were only there three days.

Our first experience of muck diving was mixed. We have GoPros rather than fancy underwater cameras with lights. We can video sharks and rays and shoals of fish but not close up shots of tiny critters. And that’s why everyone else was there. It was great to see flamboyant cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus (small but with enough venom to kill 26 people), myriad nudibranchs, seahorses, mantis shrimp (most powerful punch in the animal kingdom that can knock the limbs off crabs and is so fast it makes the water boil), frogfish, crocodile fish, cow fish and the deadly spiny devilfish that looks like it has passed through a paper shredder, but much of the dives was spent in a huddle around those creatures while trying to get the perfect picture. Still glad I tried it; and I would do it again.

One of the highlights of the whole Indonesia trip was what we did while travelling between Bunaken and Lembeh. Tangkoko National Park encloses a large area of the tip of the northern peninsular, including a few large volcanos. We stayed at a guesthouse right by the national park entrance gate, the owner was a park ranger, and we did both a sunset then a dawn jungle walk. The national park is famous for tarsiers (the world’s second smallest primate), cuscus (a marsupial bear) and black macaques. We saw them all. Our hikes took us along the paths then offroad to areas where the ranger knew the animals often hang out. At sunset we watched a family of three tarsiers (dad, mum and baby clinging to her) peering out at us with their huge eyes from a hole in a tree trunk. When it was dark enough for their nocturnal wanderings, they all leapt off into the trees. The cuscus were very shy but we saw quite a few in the tree tops. In addition, there were owls, kingfishers, tarantulas, and, best of all, flying lizards (though they got their frilly wings out, I couldn’t encourage them to take flight)!



Java

We were picked up from the airport and whisked away straight up Mt Bromo. Our hotel was on the crater rim right at the top. It was chilly at over 2000 m and it was early to bed as the following day we were collected at 3am. While it was still dark, a jeep took us down into the crater then wound up the switchbacks on the other side, eventually parking in a very long line of identical jeeps, close to the top of Penanjakan Mountain, home of the best sunrise view. It was cold, but not freezing as we had heard it might be, I’d guess a bit under 10C; hats and gloves were not necessary. However, we still had an hour till sunrise so waited in one of the multitude of little “cafes” drinking hot tea. I would have preferred an extra hour in bed but I suppose it provides extra business for the locals. It was a bit of a scramble to the viewpoint, then we waited. The changing colours as the sun rises and begins to illuminate the active volcanoes down below within the crater are beautiful. With more light, more features can be picked out and the low clouds burn away. It is spectacular, but I know people who claim this as one of the best views in the world, or at least the highlight of their Indonesia trip; I wouldn’t go that far. Definitely do it if you are on Java, but don’t go to Java just to do it. Following a jeep ride down, there is a little hike across the ash field in the crater and up lots of steps to the rim of the active volcanic cone, where you can peer through the gases into Hades.

The journey down from Mt Bromo included calling at Madakaripura Waterfall on the way to Malang. The road is blocked off around 5 or 6 km from the waterfall, meaning you have to hire a kid on a motorbike to take you the rest of the way. Again this just seems to be a way of getting some more money for the locals as you could just drive all the way. Then you continue up the ever deepening and narrowing gorge with a guide. The guide doesn’t really seem necessary either but he was a nice old chap and insisted on constantly taking our phones to take photos of us. From travelling around Java, where most of the tourists are Indonesian, this appears to be what most tourists actually want! Closer to the falls you must don waterproofs because you will get wet passing under a curtain of water. There is a chap here selling plastic ponchos should you need one. Then you emerge in a deep eroded cauldron into which pour several thin and high waterfalls surrounded by jungle. It’s lovely.

Malang was ok, nothing much to report. It was frustrating having to commonly walk on busy roads without pavements. Here we organised a trip to more waterfalls: Tumpak Sewu. It’s a fairly long drive of 2 or 3 hours, mostly because there is always so much traffic on Java. Again we had a guide, which was again probably unnecessary but again he insisted on taking lots of photos and did show us the way to go, which would have been tricky in areas with few people around. The trip starts with a great viewpoint at the level of the top of the waterfalls, and we expected more such views. However, it was a much more active trip than we expected, basically like spending the morning in a natural water park. We loved it! It’s a steep and sketchy descent, often holding onto a rope and down steep rocky gullies. Cross a fast flowing stream, again holding a rope for safety, then scramble up and over more rocks to stand in the spray. Don’t bring your good camera, do bring a drybag, wear swimming gear, and avoid flip-flops or you’ll end up going barefoot like me to avoid losing them in the torrents (as many did). More waterfall bathing and rock climbing brings you up into some nice caves looking out through the rushing screen of water. A steep ascent takes you out of the gorge and ultimately through snakefruit orchards (delicious little chestnut-like fruits).

Because of the traffic, we really recommend taking the train to Yogyakarta. As you leave Malang, you pass over the Rainbow and Blue Villages (brightly painted slums) then pass a few hours riding through paddy fields and small towns – it’s lovely.

Yogyakarta is a good base for visiting the UNESCO recognised Prambanan and Borobudur Temples, as well as having quite a bit to do in the town itself. We ended up going to the 9th century Hindu Prambanan Temple twice, first in the evening to watch the Ramayana Ballet. This was a real rush not long after we arrived in Yogyakarta when we discovered it was only on twice a week and thus we had to set off immediately. The ancient Hindu epic is performed by loads of dancers with the temple as the backdrop; it was a great birthday present (thanks mum and dad). We went back the next day to explore in and around the temples, staying until the sunset. The temples are a lot like Angkor Wat, though not on the same scale. The temples are dedicated to the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, with lots of carved gods around the many temples. The complex was abandoned for about 800 years till the Dutch started renovating the place in colonial times and that work is ongoing, especially as occasional earthquakes set the work back again.

Within the city, the main attraction is the Sultan’s Palace. The palace, still home to Indonesian royalty, is worth a wander around but I found the Water Castle to be more intriguing. This complex was built as a royal garden and is dotted in and amongst and below houses and other buildings. Parts of it are derelict while others are very well preserved, the ornate pools providing a pleasant escape from the heat and bustle of the city.

Not far from Yogyakarta is Borobudur, the largest Buddhist temple in the world and also from the 9^th century. This is the big stepped pyramid with the bell-like structures on the top containing a buddha that most people are familiar with when they think of Java temples. Unfortunately, and maddeningly for both tourists and people who work in tourism, authorities closed the top of the temple when covid was bad and have not reopened it. Consequently, you pay the same high entrance fee as ever of US$25 but can only walk up to the roped-off base. So we didn’t bother. Instead, we went to the sunrise viewpoint (Setumbu Hill) to watch it slowly appear through the morning mist. We then kept going northwest and wound up a small road through cute villages in order to hike to Selogriyo Temple. We’d gotten a lift off of our guesthouse owner and he hadn’t heard of it. He dropped us off at the end of the road and we hiked along a very obvious, well-made and pretty level path for about 5 kilometres. It took a while because the views were beautiful. The hillsides are covered in rice terraces, in various states of production, from vivid green nurseries to pools of water with bent double locals poking in the plants to bare mud being turned over by ox drawn ploughs. The temple itself is small and right at the back of the valley; but even without the temple it was great just to spend time in such a peaceful and beautiful location.

We expected to stay a while in Yogyakarta, using it as a base to explore the area. However, we again got fed up with the busy roads and, albeit minor compared to somewhere like India, hassle and attempted scams. Just watch out for being led to “batik and art exhibitions, today only, free entry” and a crap carriage museum adjacent to and instead of the actual Sultan’s Palace. Therefore, we got on another excellent train and went to Jakarta a day early.

Knowing that Jakarta was a busy, sticky, polluted megacity meant that I went with low expectations; consequently, I quite liked it. None of the sights are amazing – we ended up ticking them all off in a single day, i.e. the old Dutch part of Kota Tua with its Fatahillah Square, Café Batavia, the Maritime Museum, the Istiqlal Mosque (capacity of 200,000!), the cathedral and the National Monument. The other day and a half we ambled between excellent street food stalls – highlights being martabak and various soups and seafoods (just don’t pay too much attention to what is scurrying around beneath the stalls) – escaped the heat and humidity in the odd megamall, browsed the Surabaya Street flea market, had potentially the greatest coffee I’ve sipped at Giyanti Coffee Roastery, and splashed out on a spa (I should have gone Javanese rather than Shiatsu – I didn’t know that meant they’d walk up and down my back!).





Flores and Komodo Islands

The two principal reasons for visiting this corner of Indonesia were for the mighty Komodo dragons and for the mighty manta rays and sharks that inhabit the waters around the islands. We chose to go now as the government massively increased the cost of access to Komodo and Rinca Islands (from a few US dollars to a few US hundred dollars), then reduced it again following protests, but with plans to increase it again at the end of 2022 (so you might be too late for a cheap ticket). We fancied a diving liveaboard lasting a few days in order to reach the dive spots in the national park that are too far for day trips out of Labuan Bajo. Unfortunately, the story was more like Bunaken since a lot of operators had gone bust during covid times and tourism was yet to pick up again. In contrast, locals on Java told us that sights there were busier than ever, and apparently, Bali is heaving. We eventually found a 3-day liveaboard that fit with our dates, giving us the first day and a half on Flores free.

We had read of organised trips to caves and indigenous villages but thought these seemed too much like selfie trips; “Instagram tours” are a thing in Indonesia. Therefore, despite Flores being the hottest place we found ourselves on the who trip (temperatures in the mid-30s), we decided to hire bikes and go exploring. The bikes were electric, so offered some assistance on the hills, but the hills were long, numerous and steep as we ventured north of Labuan Bajo as far as the road would go. We passed a lot of large posh-looking hotels under construction, apparently related to the newly designated “International” Komodo Airport (this is another reason why the national park ticket price increased so much). As they thinned out, the views down and over the island-studded Flores Sea were wonderful. There is a perfectly positioned roadside café where I could have stayed gazing out over the sea for ages – in fact, we did do that.

Finding an alternative route back, my bike suddenly made an unholy clunk. Closer inspection revealed the whole back cassette had fallen apart. I managed to drain the battery by skate boarding it with some electrical assistance up the next hill and freewheeling down the other side. After that I had to walk up all the hills. And it was boiling hot. A little roadside shop with a few-weeks-old puppy came to our rescue as we called the bike rental owners from there. They soon showed up on a motorbike with a toolbox and together we fixed it so I could carry on my way – actually straight back to the shop because I didn’t trust it to go any further.

The liveaboard was a lovely traditional wooden ship. Far from it being crowded, there was only one other guest! Then, we had two divemasters in training and the dive shop owner in addition to lots of local crew. The food was fantastic and plentiful, especially given the tiny galley to cook in. I think this was only my second liveaboard, and it was pleasantly relaxing. A fairly early morning start, dive before breakfast, then feast before chilling. Another dive before lunch, one in the afternoon, then a night dive before dinner. There was usually a chance to get off and have a stroll on the stunning white sand beach of a deserted island, or to hike to the top for cracking views across the myriad islands. Other than that, we just chugged along, laid in the sun for 5 seconds before seeking shade, read a lot, and shared travel and diving stories to increase that never-ending and ever-growing list of where to visit next.

We had one proper stop at the recently opened visitor centre on Rinca Island. Rather than walking through the bush to find the dragons, they can now be found utilising the shade of the raised walkway. The dragons were amazing to see – they are huge and frightful – but it had a feel of a zoo given the raised fenced path and the fact that the mighty lizards were just hanging out near the visitor centre. Try and find a way of doing a proper trek over the island.

Controversial point now, I didn’t think the diving was that spectacular. Perhaps because I expected it to be truly spectacular. Perhaps because Bunaken and Lembeh were so recent and so good. Perhaps because diving earlier in the year in the Maldives really was spectacular. Most people go to Komodo National Park for Komodo dragons, but divers go there for manta rays. We saw one during our nine dives. We did see a lot of cool stuff, very big schools of all kinds of fish, a few sharks, beautiful and healthy corals, and the currents could be thrilling, therefore, we seem to have become spoilt. Still, I could have had another day or two drifting around on the boat and diving amongst the islands.





Overall

It took me ages to finally get to Indonesia, after planning it so many times. It didn’t disappoint and I would go back tomorrow. There are so many islands with such varied stuff to do, the food is great and the people are lovely. Next time Sumatra, and/or Raja Ampat, and/or the rest of Sulawesi, Maluku Islands, Sumba, Kalimantan, etc!

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Photos

Bunaken Island, Sulawesi
The volcano in the background is Manadotua Island.

Jodipan Rainbow Village, Java
Photo taken from the train as we left Malang.