Map of Indonesia (Java & Bali)
.jpg)
Click here for a calendar view of my trip itinerary.
Click here for a calendar view of my trip itinerary.
2025 Oct 19 (2):
An interesting artifact of flying from East Asia back to Vancouver
is the time machine effect. For this trip, I boarded the plane in Hong Kong
at 12:45 AM on October 20, but I arrive in Vancouver at 9 PM on October 19,
going back in time over 3 hours. Fascinating.
I noted that the plane's ground speed was 1,209 km/hr (750 miles/hr).
That is getting close to the speed of sound (1,235 km/hr at sea level at 20C);
am I on the Concorde?
Typically, the plane's ground speed is 800-900 km/hr.
Anyways, I've arrived in Vancouver (greeted by the carving "Spindle Whorl",
located near the Canada Customs Hall and Immigration), thus signifying the end of
my 2025 trip to Indonesia.
It was a good trip. The food was good and cheap. The weather was really warm.
The people seemed friendly. However, I'm glad to be back in Vancouver,
and as they say, there's no place like home.
2025 Oct 19:
It's time to go home! I took a city bus to the Denpasar Airport (DPS) and
got this picture of me in front of the Bali Sign
before leaving Bali.
The 2.25 hour flight from DPS to Jakarta Airport (CGK) was delayed 1 hour.
I had planned a 2.5 hour layover at CGK, but now with only 1.5 hours
between flights and having to change terminal buildings and clear
immigration and security, I was cutting it close.
It ended up working out OK, as there were short lineups for checkin and immigration and security.
The 4.25 hour flight from CGK to Hong Kong (HKG) was uneventful.
I'm now at HKG with on a 4 hour layover.
I got a beef ball noodle soup; the reality of food prices returned,
as the days of cheap food in Indonesia is over.
Next flight is home to YVR.
2025 Oct 18:
The sidewalks of Indonesia are not what I call "pedestrian friendly".
You'll find motorbikes, trees, cars, street vendors, and inventory
on the sidewalks; much of the time, one will be walking on the road.
As well, as shown, there are big holes in the sidewalk.
If one is not aware, one could fall into these holes.
There should be some sort of safety measures for these situations.
This is a typical sidewalk.
They have these "pertamini" (mini petrol station) around town,
so motorbikes can fill up here instead of at a full size gas station.
Note that it is on wheels.
I visited Upside Down World Bali,
a world that allowed me to fulfill my dream of being upside down and defy gravity!
It is my last full day in Indonesia, so I went for another Balinese massage session,
as I needed to relax for the long flight home.
2025 Oct 17:
Today I was to visit sites in Denpasar (my lodgings are in Kuta),
so this was going to involve taking the public city buses to get around.
The bus system in Denpasar is pretty straightforward.
I first visited Pasar Badung (Badung Market),
which consists of stalls spread over 5 floors.
Produce, clothes, houseware, and food was sold here.
I then visited the Bali Museum.
The Museum showcases Balinese art, culture, and history through traditional artifacts,
textiles, and ceremonial objects, reflecting the island's rich Hindu heritage.
The museum consists of 4 buildings built between 1910 and 1925.
There were some interesting artifacts to be found.
I'm pictured with some Cili ornaments;
In Balinese Hindu culture, Cili typically takes the form of a stylized female figure,
representing fertility, prosperity, and agricultural abundance.
I then headed over to Sindhu Beach, where I visited
Sindu Dwarawati Turtle Conservation Center.
They had big turtles and small turtles in separate pools.
Some turtles seemed aware of my presence and came over to explore.
I went for a soak in the pool after dinner.
It is such a nice way to cool off.
2025 Oct 16:
I visited the Museum Becak Indonesia (Pedicab Museum),
a small museum located in the lobby of the Losari Hotel,
that has a collection of 8 pedicabs from around Indonesia.
The pedicab first appeared in Indonesia in the 1930's
as the creation of a Japanese bicycle shop owner.
Becaks are still in operation to this day in Makassar,
Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surabaya,
Medan, and Ambon.
It is Day 23 of my trip, so I was due for a spa day.
I went for a one hour Balinese Body Massage session.
"Balinese massage blends acupressure, stretching,
and aromatherapy oils to relax muscles, improve circulation,
and promote energy flow, rooted in traditional Balinese healing
for holistic wellness and stress relief".
It was relaxing; I'll probably go for another session before
departing for home.
2025 Oct 15:
I noticed on the ground all around Kuta a small square basket with flowers, food, and incense.
They were placed in front of entrances to homes and businesses.
These are called Canang Sari,
and are a Balinese Hinduism offering "of the essense of one's heart and the Earth to God".
It is a daily act of gratitude, devotion, and maintaining balance with the universe.
As well, sometimes there is a bottle with a red liquid;
this is Arak Berum, and is a symbolic offering of pure energy and power,
given to maintain the harmony of the universe.
One had to be aware so not to kick or step on the offerings.
On October 12, 2002, there was a bombing in Kuta, Bali, that killed 202 people.
the Monumen Tragedi Kemanusiaan (Bali Bombing Memorial)
was built on the site of the bombings, in memory of the victims.
Today I changed lodgings, seeking one with air conditioning in the sleeping quarters.
It was a 2.8 km walk in the midday sun between accomodations.
The new abode does have air conditioning (albeit not super cold), has a pool,
and it also includes dinner! This seems so much better.
However, it is 2 km from the beach and is outside the "touristy" area of Kuta
(which may be a good thing).
The important thing is, it won't be a sweaty warm sleep tonight.
2025 Oct 14:
It was a very warm sleep, not having air conditioning in the room.
It seemed cooler outside than in the room.
I've booked myself into another hostel for tomorrow;
it is farther from the beach, but also has a pool and hopefully good air conditioning.
I took it easy today. I walked over to Kuta Beach.
This is a surfer beach, with surfboard rentals and lessons being touted everywhere.
It is very "touristy" here.
I spent the afternoon just chilling out by soaking in the swimming pool.
It was a good way to cool off.
2025 Oct 13:
Today is a travel day where I take a ferry over to Gilimanuk, Bali,
then take the intercity bus from Gilimanuk to Denpasar,
and then take a city bus that gets me near my accomodations in Kuta, Bali.
It sounds simple enough, but one never knows and things can go wrong.
I made it to my accomodations with no real issues.
The intercity bus looks good from the outside,
but was old inside and did not have enough legroom for me;
it was an uncomfortable ride.
Hmmm, it seems the room air conditioning in the room doesn't work, and it'll be fans
used to cool the room. Unfortunately, it feels like it's over 30C in here.
My plan was to stay 5 nights in Kuta, Bali; I've only booked 2 nights here
just in case the place sucks. I have a feeling I'll be changing accomodations
after 2 nights here.
Anyways, I've made it to the last destination of my Indonesia trip itinerary.
I plan to really take it easy here.
2025 Oct 12:
My legs were feeling tired from the Ijen Volcano hike the previous day,
so today I just took it easy.
I visited the Ketapang Indah Hotel for a late lunch
and enjoyed the view of Bali across the strait, from the restaurant.
2025 Oct 11:
The day started shortly after midnight, as I was going to
the Kawah Ijen Volcano to observe the phenomena known as the "blue flame".
The blue flame at Ijen Crater is caused by sulfuric gases igniting upon contact
with oxygen at high temperatures, producing vibrant blue flames.
We hope to get to the location of the blue flame by 4 AM, as the flames can only be seen in the dark.
Well, it appears this is pretty popular as there were large crowds.
A line of headlamps on the trail up the volcano can be seen.
However, the rocky descent into the crater was trickier,
as there are sections where only a single person can pass,
so there was congestion going down and up the crater.
Being dark out didn't help.
Once near the blue flame, we donned our gas masks and goggles
to protect against the sulfuric gases.
The sulfur really stung the eyes, as the wind would shift and blow
the gases right at us; it was blinding.
Anyways, the blue flame was kind of neat, looking like it was flowing down the rock face.
The crowds around the blue flame were huge.
I got out of the crater as it was getting light out,
and was treated to a spectacular view of the crater and lake.
One can see the sulfuric gas released from the fumaroles,
where the blue flame was.
This was not an easy hike, and it looks like they were ready to make money
hauling people up and down the mountain using rickshaws.
I was surprised how many people used this service.
One of the guys in my tour group used this service to come down the volcano.
He said his legs were gone after climbing out of the crater!
The rickshaw price to go up was Rp 1,500,000 ,
and they have 3 people pushing and pulling someone up the volcano.
Going down required just one person (braking most of the way).
They hung around the side of the trail saying, "taxi, taxi",
or "Lamborghini, Lamborghini", touting for customers.
2025 Oct 10:
Today was a travel day, catching a train to Banyuwangi.
It was an uneventful 6 hour train ride.
Banyuwangi is definitely a more rustic town than Surabaya,
as there are no modern mega malls and mostly motorbikes on the road (very few cars).
Actually, I'm staying on the outskirts of Banyuwangi (Ketapang),
so maybe that's why it seems rustic.
There were a lot of street food vendors around my hostel,
so here I am having dinner on the side of the road:
Iced Tea, Roti Maryam, and Tahu Kocek.
The roti was sweet, and the Tahu Kocek was spicy!
Very tasty meal.
I've signed up for the Ijen Crater hike, which begins just after midnight
(so to see the "Blue Fire" while it is still dark out),
so I'm going to try to get a nap in before departing for the hike.
2025 Oct 9:
I went to check out the animals at Kebun Binatang Surabaya (Surabaya Zoo) today.
The 37-acre zoo was established in 1916 and is home to over 3,500 animals across more than 350 species,
including elephants, giraffes, tigers, lions, orangutans, birds, and reptiles.
Being a warm sunny day, it seemed like many of the animals were just sleeping in the shade.
It appears I got a little too close the the lions and was thus attacked.
One should never turn your back on a lion; face the lion and back away slowly.
I'm OK after fighting off the lion.
2025 Oct 8:
The theme for today is Surabaya History.
I started off with visiting the Museum Sepuluh Nopember Surabaya (Tenth of November Museum Surabaya),
which documents and commemorates the Indonesians that fought British & Dutch Troops on the 10th of November 1945.
There was concern that Indonesia would return to Dutch colonial rule and thus lose it's independance.
Located next to the museum is the Tugu Pahlawan (Heroes Monument),
a 41.2 meter tall obelisk shaped like an inverted nail; this monument
commemorates the Indonesians who fought the Dutch on November 10, 1945.
I then walked over to Chinatown, located in Kota Tua (Old Town) Surabaya.
I'm here by the entrance to Chinatown; the text "Kya-Kya" roughly translates
to mean "walking" or "strolling", or literally "walkabout".
To get to the sites today, I took the Commuter Train Line "Penataran" from Surabaya Gubeng Station.
That sounds simple enough, but the train in the opposite direction arrived moments before,
and blocked my view of my train arriving. Once I noticed my train was there, I had to climb through
the opposite direction train and then open the train door and jump onto my train as it was leaving (and moving).
Very exciting. K
2025 Oct 7:
It's a travel day, so I was on the 11:30 AM train from Yogyakarta to Surabaya.
It was an uneventful train ride, with many empty seats in the Economy car I was in.
The walk from the Surabaya train station to the hostel was only 300 meters,
but the route seemed to pass through a seedy neighbourhood ...
but then all the neighbourhoods seem seedy, so business as usual.
The air conditioning in the hostel sleeping pods area is pretty cold,
so I won't have to be worried about being too warm (the other hostels air conditioning
has been tepid up until now).
Nearby was an old Soviet submarine, the KRI Pasopati (410),
a Whiskey class submarine that was sold to Indonesia in 1962 and retired in 1994.
I went for a tour inside; here I am next to the periscope. Very claustrophobic.
2025 Oct 6:
I visited the Jogja National Museum;
it had a multimedia presentation of modern art that stimulates all the senses,
so they gave everyone a lollipop so to also experience the sense of taste
when viewing the art. I thought it was a bit silly.
I then visited the Vredeburg Fort Museum. It is located on the site
of a Dutch colonial fort built in 1765.
It is now a museum showcasing Yogyakarta's colonial history, independence struggle,
and cultural heritage. There were a lot of dioramas portraying historical events
leading to Indonesia's independance.
Walking around Yogyakarta, I encountered the Tugu Jogja (Yogyakarta Monument).
This obelisk was originally built in 1755 and renovated in 1889,
now stands as a central landmark and a symbol of Yogyakarta's cultural and spiritual identity,
connecting the mystical line between Mount Merapi,
the Yogyakarta Sultanate's palace, and the southern sea.
It is now a traffic circle.
2025 Oct 5:
It's going to be another warm day. The hostel breakfast was mini pancakes and fruits.
Simple, but a tasty way to start the day.
I visited the Yogyakarta Royal Palace.
The Yogyakarta Royal Palace, or Kraton, is a historic Javanese cultural center,
housing the Sultan, with traditional architecture, museums,
and symbolic silver Dwarapala statues.
I'm pictured here with one of the Dwarapala statues.
The Dwarapala here is guarding the entrance to the palace.
In the evening, I visited the Museum Sonobudoyo,
expecting to see a puppet (wayang) show, but unfortunately
it is only done on Tuesday evenings. So no puppet show for me.
It was implied that Yogyakarta may be a good city for cycling,
but the traffic looks just as nutty as other Indonesian cities
and bike lanes are used to park motorbikes and street vendors;
I don't think I'll be cycling during this trip.
2025 Oct 4 (2):
While having dinner at the hostel,
a snake decided to interrupt my meal.
It was very tasty!
2025 Oct 4:
Today I visited two UNESCO Heritage Sites: Borobudur Temple and Prambanan Temple.
I booked a ride on a mini tour bus to visit the two sights,
as it seemed too complicated and too long to take public transport.
Borobudur Temple is a 9th century Buddhist Temple,
and Prambanan Temple is a 9th century Hindu Temple.
It was a pretty warm day for the visit.
At least the mini tour bus was air conditioned.
I'm pictured here at Borobudur Temple and Prambanan Temple.
2025 Oct 3:
It's a travel day. I took the 9:30 AM train from Bandung to Yogyakarta,
a journey of 7 hours on the train.
Funny thing, as I thought the seats on the train were nice with lots of legroom,
then I discovered I was in the wrong car (somebody claimed the seat I was in);
I was in the Executive Class car, and I was supposed to be in the Economy Class car.
It was sad as I returned to the Economy Class car and the seats were not as nice
and there was less legroom and it felt crowded.
I checked into my hostel, which seems to be located in a neighbourhood
with narrow alleyways. Not many cars, but plenty of motorbikes.
I went for a walk in the evening, and found this area
where there were a lot of horse drawn carriages available for hire.
2025 Oct 2:
Today is my last day in Bandung, so I needed to book my hostel at the next destination: Yogyakarta.
My first choice for hostel was not available, so I had to go for my second choice.
Once that was done, I headed out to the train station to buy the train tickets.
I visited the Museum Konferensi Asia Afrika (Asia-Africa Conference Museum),
a small museum documenting the Asia-Africa Conference of 1955,
which brought together the non aligned nations of Asia and Africa
to oppose colonialism and promote cultural and economic cooperation.
I found the messages of the conference is very relevant to the state
of global relations today, which unfortunately seems to be moving away from the conference's message.
It was a surprisingly interesting museum about a event that us westerners never heard of.
I visited the Sudirman Street Food Market,
where I got some pork belly skewers (Sate Samcan Manis) ... delicious!
Although Indonesia is a Muslim country, there are food vendors that sell pork.
I had to hide out at the food market for a while when heavy rains moved in!
2025 Oct 1:
I started the day off by going for a guided city tour bus ride.
Unfortunately, the tour was done only in Indonesian,
so I saw the sights, but didn't know what was said about it.
I then visited the Geology Museum and the Museum Gedung Sate.
The Geology Museum has an interesting collection of rocks and minerals,
as well as fossils and dinosaur bones.
The Museum Gedung Sate provides a history of the building Gedung Sate.
I found the Geology Museum much more interesting.
I haven't figured out the public transport system here.
There seems to be a lot of use of angkots (mini buses).
I'm shown here in an angkot on my way back from the museum.
There is no headroom for a tall person like me.
The angkot reminds me of the Jeepneys of the Philippines,
with the sideways facing seats and low headroom.
2025 Sept 30:
It's the last day of September (and Day 7 of my trip), and after 5 hot and humid days in Jakarta,
it was time to move on to my next destination: Bandung.
I caught the 10:05 Jakarta to Bandung train, in Economy class.
The 3 hour 20 minute train ride was OK and uneventful, and I had plenty of legroom.
Upon arrival in Bandung, I had a 1.1 km walk to find my hostel.
Although still warm, it was definitely cooler here than in Jakarta, as Bandung is at an elevation of 800 meters.
It appears the hostel is located right in the center of town, with lots of food opportunities.
A big thunderstorm rolled through town in the afternoon,
and it knocked out power in the hostel.
Power was restored after about an hour. So exciting.
The weather forecast for my 3 days in Bandung is for rain and thundershowers.
This does not bode well for my plan to see Tangkuban Perahu Volcano.
2025 Sept 29:
I was feeling a lot better today, so I was out to visit the museums around Taman Fatahillah
(that I was supposed to visit the previous day),
but apparently museums are closed on Mondays, so no museums for me today.
I did go to the National Library of the Republic of Indonesia,
where they have a public balcony on the 24th floor which provides great views of Jakarta.
I also visited Taman Lapangan Banteng, a park near the National Monument that has an ampitheatre
and the West Irian Liberation Monument (that I'm pictured with here).
The statue is that of a man breaking free of his chains;
this is a symbol of the end of colonialism and national unity.
I've been taking buses to get around town. The nice thing about taking buses is the air conditioning,
as it allows you to cool off while riding it.
2025 Sept 28:
I was feeling really crappy (sore throat and headache) today,
so it being a Sunday, I made it a day of rest.
I basically slept the day away in the hostel.
I felt better in the evening, so I went for a walk around the neighbourhood.
Pictured here is Taman Fatahillah
Taman Fatahillah reflects Jakarta's Dutch colonial past,
as it is surrounded by Dutch heritage buildings.
It is now a gathering point, with bands playing and people just chilling out.
2025 Sept 27:
Today was museum day; I visited the Museum Nasional Indonesia (National Museum of Indonesia),
and the Galeri Nasional Indonesia (National Gallery of Indonesia).
The nice thing about visiting the museums was the air conditioning (it was a very warm day).
I seem to have picked up a sore throat and dry cough; I'll probably take it easy the next day.
2025 Sept 26:
The plan this day was to do a guided walking tour of Jakarta.
We visited the Indonesian National Library, Old Chinatown,
Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church,
viewed the National Monument, and visited Old Town.
The surprise of the walking tour was a short boat tour of old Jakarta Harbour.
The boat looked pretty rickety, so that made the boat ride more exciting.
My trip seems to be going well. No food poisoning so far!
I just have to get acclimatized to the heat and humidity.
2025 Sept 25:
I'm in Jakarta!
It was hot and humid once I stepped out of the Jakarta Airport (CGK) terminal.
Other than the delayed flights due to Typhoon Ragasa, it went pretty smooth.
I found my way to my hostel in Old Town (Kota Tua) Jakarta using the local metro system.
The metro system is pretty straightforward and got me within 350 meters of my hostel.
The Jakarta sign here is front of train station "Stasiun Jakarta Kota", located in Kota Tua.
Dinner was Rendang Sapi (Beef Rendang), "a slow-cooked Indonesian and Malaysian "dry curry" dish
where tender beef is simmered in a rich mixture of coconut milk and aromatic spices
until the liquid evaporates and the meat becomes incredibly soft and flavorful,
coated in a dense, caramelized glaze", according to the AI. It was very hot & spicy!
2025 Sept 24:
Here I'm on the plane, Cathay Pacific flight 865. Due to Typhoon Ragasa, my flight departure was delayed 30 minutes.
Being a 14 hour flight, I was lucky enough to get a whole row of 3 seats all to myself (including 3 pillows)!
Needless to say, I got a pretty good sleep on this long flight.
2025 Sept 23:
The trip has begun! I've arrived at YVR and have checked in and got through security with no real issues.
I'm flying Cathay Pacific to Jakarta, connecting through Hong Kong.
Packing for the trip was a bit problematic, as I was limited to 7 kg of carry-on luggage for the flight
from Bali to Jakarta on AirAsia.
I was over the limit, so I had to remove some items such as a beach towel, sleep sheet, some underwear, and some shirts.
I'm still slightly over, so when I check in for the AirAsia, I'll be wearing extra clothes, including my rain coat,
so to get under 7 kg. I'll also be stuffing heavy stuff, such as my power bank and digital camera, in my pockets.
My laptop computer is 1.8 kg; I need to get a lighter computer!
| << 2024 Camino de Santiago | 2026 ??? >> |
Home
|
 Contact Chany
|