In November 2015 last year, I embarked on a 2 weeks
journey to backpack in Indonesia. Indonesia, a Southeast Asian nation well known for
its volcanoes has always been on my bucket list. Aside from the already famous
tourist spot - Bali, I presumed the other parts of this country would be
equally as amazing - and I was right.
Precis of
my journey:
Jogjakarta
> Mount Bromo > Mount Ijen > Bali
Coming across a Youtube video on Jogja was pure
happenstance. I honestly did not know what this place had to offer. I did my
research for a couple of days to see if it was really worth going; places to
visit apart from Mount Merapi. I was sold the moment I stumbled upon an
activity where it allows you to abseil down into a cave. I really can't think
of a better answer than " omfg YES!?".
If you know me, I have always loved trekking,
climbing mountains, enjoying fantastic views up in the clouds, exploring new
places and gaining the experience. I kid you not, this country has it all -
which also means my entire adventure has left me spent BUT with no
regrets.
JOGJAKARTA
HOUSE OF NASI BUNGKUS
I arrived first in Jogjakarta in
the afternoon with ample rest time to unpack my belongings and have a decent
conversation with my Airbnb owner - Anez, who turned out to be one of the
coolest Indonesian friend I made, whom by the way owns the coolest apartment.
He houses all kinds of tourist from different countries - thus having lots of
stories to share! Also, there was this really huge wooden wall at the chilling
area that you can leave a little memo for others to read using the permanent
marker they provided. Cool!!
One of the reasons why I wanted
this place was because Anez stated clearly in his Airbnb profile that he has a
friendly cat roaming around the house - lest there might be tourists who are
afraid of pets. I grab every opportunity I get to be close to animals,
therefore I chose his place. His pet cat named Shadow is very
affectionate and would sit near you as if to show that he is welcoming
your stay too.
Asep, the helper who comes by
everyday to maintain the house and assist you if there is a need, runs the
house most times when Anez is away during the day. Sometimes he offers to buy
you their local breakfast from the streets too!
MOUNT MERAPI
Mount Merapi, is an active
stratovolcano located on the border between Central Java and Jogjakarta,
Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly
since 1548.
Elevation: 2,930m – above sea level
Last eruption: 10th March, 2014
Cost: 450,000 Rupiah ($47.80SGD)
Time taken: 12 hours
What you need: Water bottles, snacks,
extra jacket, and personal medication
Gillian
and I booked the tour for Mount Merapi via @discoveryourindonesia@gmail.com – a
tour company that hosts many other activities which you can enquire within. The
cost for the tour includes
- ·
Transportion with aircon (pick up and drop off at apartment)
- ·
Guide (one guide can accommodate up to 4 people)
- ·
Coffee/tea before the climb (to be served at the guide’s house)
- ·
600ml mineral water
- ·
Breakfast (to be served after the climb)
I would
advise you to wear layers of jackets if you can’t stand the cold weather well.
It was 3 degrees during my climb and I very much suffered despite wearing 4
layers. You get my drift.
The lava
tour would take you to see the sides of Merapi that others would rarely get to
experience – in the comfort of a jeep. I guess it would not require much of
walking except when taking photographs at the places you visit. The trekking
(which I did) is tougher – physically and mentally. If you would like a little
challenge, I strongly urge you to opt for this.
I climbed Mount Merapi on my first night in Jogja.
I laughed, I cried, I got breathless, I got hungry halfway but I am glad I did
it because hey!
Mount Merapi - CHECKED!
I started the climb along with three other tourists
of which two of them were from Europe and one Malaysian dude. We got two guides
to come along with us and to lead the way. We were first picked up at our own
individual apartments and sent to the guide's house to sip on hot tea served by
them. He distributed headlights and gave us safety instructions.
Trust me when I say this: your thighs would ache
like never before. Mine was crying out loud as I climbed higher. I don't remember any flat terrain. It was all steep rocks. The cold
weather was not helping and my only motivation to climb higher was to know that
I would be closer to every pit stop and the summit too, of course. Along the
way, I told myself ‘maybe this was a wrong idea. I am so unfit. Perhaps I
should come again when I am fit enough’, but a part of me wanted to complete it
so bad because I was there already so I jolly well do this. Hello Ezza???What were u thinking?
We got separated from the boys at the half mark of the climb because I am guessing we slowed them (heh). We were left behind with our guide who kept motivating us to believe in ourselves. He told us he climbs Mount Merapi at least 5 times a week for the past 23 years. Wait, what?? Which truly explains why the climb was like a piece of cake for him. He could smoke while climbing - and there we were panting and trying so hard to catch our breath.
ANYWAY, after the climb, Gillian and I hibernated
for the rest of the day.
JOMBLANG CAVE
Cost:
450,000 Rupiah ($47.70SGD)
Time
taken: 4-5 hours
Jomblang Cave! Or better known as ‘Goa Jomblang’ among the locals, was by far the craziest adventure I have done in my entire 23 years of living you guys. Ok, maybe it was not THAT crazy but it was scary and beautiful at the same time and I am grateful to be able to experience it altogether.
Goa Jomblang is located at Semanu, Jogjakarta. The journey takes about 1.5-2 hours from the main city. The only way to travel here is to have a transport because the cave is located all the way inside – which requires you to experience a bumpy road ride for 20 minutes before you reach. Goa Jomblang opens from 10:00am-2:00pm and they only allow 25 people to visit each day which I learnt later that Goa Jomblang is very precious to the locals thus maintaining the ecosystem stability and cave condition is utmost priority to them.
Goa Jomblang has 3
separate parts to it. The large sinkhole, long tunnel and then Goa Grubog where
the “heaven lights” would shine through at certain timings. The guide told us
that the best time to experience the light would be anytime between 10:30am-12:30pm.
After we paid for
entrance, we had to gear up with the equipment provided: a safety helmet,
harness and safety boots. Once you are ready, they will lower you into the cave
two by two. The locals believed that the large sinkhole was formed when the
roof collapsed thousands of years ago. The descent into the bottom of the
sinkhole is roughly 50m deep. After which, you would have to wait for the whole
group to be done before proceeding to the long tunnel with the guide of the
personnel. The long tunnel leads to Goa Grubog and takes about 10 minutes. As
you walk through, the surrounding would get pitch dark – therefore you can
bring an extra torchlight if you feel the headlight provided is not sufficient.
Also, the rocky steps could get very slippery, so be careful!
Before anything else,
I’ll state the obvious: Goa Grubog was insanely beautiful. I now understand why
every local and tourist described the light shining through as “heavens light”.
The atmosphere inside the cave was extremely humid – which I believe is not
like heaven but it somehow makes you feel like you’re dead and everyone around
is waiting to be sucked by the light…
I digress. Anyway, we
took turns taking beautiful shots of each other. Little did I know my guide had
excellent photography skill. He proudly took the photograph of Gillian and me,
which you can see here.
KALIBIRU NATIONAL PARK
Cost:
5,000 Rupiah ($0.53SGD) – only entrance fee
Time
taken: Varies
I got to know of this gorgeous treetop spot from an article that I chanced upon as I was doing my research. According to my driver, it would only take 45 minutes of travelling time to reach. Which I figured would be worth a visit.
Upon reaching the place, I was told that different
photo spots would cost you different prices. It varies anywhere between 10,000
– 15,000 Rupiah ($1.10 - $1.60SGD). The timing we went was in the afternoon and
the best spot already had a queue. We waited for about 30 minutes before we
could get our turn.
The view from the treetop was stunning. It
overlooks a huge lake and you are allowed to have 5-10 minutes to take whatever
shots you want before your time is up. It felt pretty rushing and short but I
guess that few minutes of experience, which can be elicidated, as ‘top of the
world’ cannot be traded for anything else. Hands down.
SAE SAE
During the research meet-up for our Indonesia trip,
Gillian came across another cool Airbnb apartment called Sae Sae. Owned by a
lovely couple, Michelle and Boy, costing us each less than $20SGD per person.
So we decided to have 2 stays in Jogja. We moved to Sae Sae on our 4th
day.
The house is situated about 10 minutes ride from
Nasi Bungkus. The neighborhood has more access to the local restaurants/bars/cafes
within walking distance. We decided to rent a bike from Sae Sae so that we
could explore further around Yogyajarta. Sae Sae houses other tourists too and
it was definitely the best way to make friends! We met Rosmi and Gina who were
backpacking in Asia on their own and has been travelling for the past few
months. How amazing! We instantly
became friends for the next few days and brought them along for our visits.
SULTAN PALACE
Cost: Entrance
-12,500 Rupiah ($1.33SGD)
Camera device – 1,000 Rupiah
($0.11SGD)
Time
taken: Varies
Built in year 1755, the palace is still an active
cultural centre for the Javanese - housing the current Sultan and his family.
The palace is the main place where tourist could learn and understand the
Sultan’s artifacts. A tour guide would be attached to you to explain in detail
about the history of Jogjakarta.
Did you know Sir Stamford Raffles once attacked the
palace in 1812 with 1,200 British soldiers? Although despite the numbers of
Javanese outnumbering the British, they still lost the attack because they were
not prepared. A total of $869,691SGD was lost in a day, and the Sultan at the
point of time was sacked.
Later, the palace had an earthquake in 1876 and the
most recent one in 2006. Therefore, what we saw was the rebuilt after the
devastation took place. I would say the palace was worth the money to visit (if
you are interested in history) although I was hoping to be able to bump into
the current Sultan.
BUMI LANGIT
Cost: 1,000 Rupiah (entrance is free,
but we contributed to the society)
Time
taken: Varies
Boy, our Airbnb owner at Sae Sae, recommended this
place. He was telling us how healthy and organic the place is and would be a
good experience to see how the locals grow and nourish their own products.
Bumi Langit is owned by a Muslim family who has a
strong passion in anything natural.
Everything you can find here are freshly grown – which
also means you are free to pluck any and pop it into your mouth. Our vegetarian
friend, Gina, had the time of her life tasting every vegetable and fruits we
came across. Not only that, Bumi Langit holds classes for outsiders to learn
the importance of the relationship of humans and the environment.
Our guide gave us a tour of their farm that took us
an hour or so before we decided to try their organic cooked food from the menu
before heading back.
Oh yes! If you do visit Bumi Langit, do stay around
for the sunset. You will not regret it.
BOROBUDUR
Cost:
280,000 Rupiah ($29.90SGD
- Non-Indonesian Adult)
110,000 Rupiah ($11.70SGD - Non-Indonesian Student)
30,000 Rupiah ($3.20SGD - Indonesian Citizens)
Time taken:
Varies
Borobudur is known as the largest Buddhist temple
in the world. It may look like some weird built-up of rocks that has pointy
stuffs on it but as you take a look closer, you will notice that every stone
has its own intricate cravings with its own meaning. No wonder it took 75 years
to build!
Gillian and I spent hours here as we explored all
levels and corners of the temple. Every spot was suitable for a photo
opportunity, and we only wished there were lesser people during our visit. Coincidentally, the Army of Indonesia had a
marathon organized by the temple, thus a free visit for them to Borobudur. The
locals even said the crowd was exceptionally big that day. Interestingly, we
were stopped by the locals every 5-10 minutes to have a picture taken with
them. It was pretty awkward at first – but we soon figured that probably we
both just look touristy than others.
For me, I like to read up on the history of the
place of interest before I visit them so as to add in more excitement and of
course increase my knowledge. Did you know, for some unknown reason, Borobudur
temple was once abandoned for 500 years or so until it became hidden amongst
the forestation? It was not until 1814 when Jogja was under the British
control, Sir Stamford Raffles, the then English governor who sent his men to
find out about the abandoned structure. It did not take long before he ordered
them to cut down the forest, after which it revealed the temple.
Also! Did you know Borobudur was closed for close
to a week after being greatly affected during the Mount Merapi eruption in
2010? The ashes from the eruption had evidently travelled miles and created a
2cm thick ash at the temple. The highest level of the temple was closed until
the following year. Borobudur Conservation Agency (BCA) then decided to keep
the visitors level to a maximum of 82 daily. The whole restoration was
completed and opened as usual to the public in November 2011.
I like to think of this temple as something so
strong with so much perseverance. It has gone through so much but yet remains
its beauty and attracts many tourists up till today. I definitely learnt a lot
from my visit and would encourage you guys to do it too.
Borobudur temple is located 1.5 hours north of Jogjakarta
by car. It opens from 6am-5pm for public. I heard it is also a perfect place to
catch the sunrise at about 4:30am, which is earlier than the opened timing –
therefore I believe you would need to have a special arrangement under a tour
agency to have this experience.
-
Who knew? My Bahasa improved tremendously after days of conversing in their language. It is always wonderful to travel and explore parts of the world I never thought I would. Undoubtedly no regrets in taking the time to venture here before I travel down East Java. Jogjakarta has been a wondrous place that took my breath away on my first day already.....because I climbed Mount Merapi and got breathless geddit? Ha ha.
Well ok, in all seriousness - you've been an extraordinary city, Jogjakarta. Till next time! x
Next destinations: Probolinggo, Banyuwangi & Bali.
Love,
EzzaJay
