It has been a while since I have been below the briny and I truly miss it as diving in Indonesia is an experience of a lifetime and with over 17,000 islands to choose from, there are copious amounts of dive-sites each with its own special delights and clarity of water. Interestingly, there are about four thousand species of fishes in the waters of Indonesia and that amounts to about one fourth of the total species of fish found worldwide. In fact, the wealth of marine life is amazing. The coral reefs off the islands in the archipelago are, in the norm, pristine and both patch reefs and barrier reefs can be found. I can truly state that besides the extraordinary marine life, Indonesia has the best coral reefs in the world. I have dived at a lot of locations in the archipelago but without a doubt, two of the best are Raja Ampat and Bunaken. Of course everybody has their own special place where they have enjoyed the best dive experience of their lives. As I mentioned earlier, there are literally thousands of dive sites and still a lot are yet to be discovered.
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I have to start this week of with the latest form of tourism. Mud tourism is about the only thing that is flourishing in Porong, in East Java that two years ago became a disaster zone when hot volcanic mud began spewing from the site of a gas exploration well. Today, the inland sea of mud is twice the size of Central Park in New York. Enough mud to fill 40 Olympic-sized swimming pools spews out every day and has already displaced 50,000 people, submerged homes, factories and schools. And, it is gathering popularity with the goggling tourist sector. What next you might ask! A totally different matter but one that I feel is important. Is religion more important than preserving the nation’s history? There will be a million and one debates over this but renovations to a mosque in a village in Malang regency are hindering archaeologists in their attempt to excavate and preserve the site of an historic Singosari kingdom township, believed to be under the mosque. Blasius Suprapta believes the mosque could be relocated to a nearby area, allowing the walls and township of the former kingdom to be reconstructed, a move that would enrich the country’s heritage. The outcome will be interesting, to say the least.
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The archipelago of Indonesia is an adventurers delight and also for those travellers who want to get off the beaten tourist path and immerse themselves into different cultures as well as engaging in activities beyond the normal tourist norm. Each island offers something different to the traveller whether it be hiking, climbing, white-water rafting or just photography, the list goes on. The island of Kalimantan is, without a doubt, an adventure-seekers island. This doesn’t mean you have to be young and super-fit. On the contrary, I have met many middle aged and older people on the tracks and in warungs enjoying their trip. One adventure I would recommend is a journey by boat down the Mahakam River. With a length of around 980 km, it flows from the highlands down to its mouth in Makassar Strait. Here you will find the city of Samarinda and it lies along the river 48 km from the river mouth. Being an important river in the region of East Kalimantan it is where you will find big ships using the system to navigate upstream as far as the highlands. It is at this point that the rapids begin and longboats are used to navigate the waters.
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Last night I was at a get-together of University colleagues and during a conversation about Java one man said “I’m going there next month. It will be my first time. I want to try a bisak” I mulled this over in my thought and eventually had to ask what he meant by ‘bisak’. Of course I laughed when I realised he in fact meant ‘becak’, the very popular and cheap form of transport on a lot of the islands in the archipelago. Becaks are a three-wheeled bicycle, two wheels in the front and one at the rear, and you sit quite uncomfortably on the padded wooden seats in the front. This form of transport is literally king-of-the-road and all other manner of transport is obliged to give way to them on the roads. Becak drivers are usually lean in stature with strong-muscled legs and area mine of information should you decide to use them to get around the city you are visiting, but, ensure you bargain the price for the journey well beforehand.
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Being on a quake zone is no laughing matter as many residents in West java found out early in the week. The Indonesia government issued a tsunami warning on Tuesday after the earthquake struck off West Java on Tuesday, but it was later lifted and there were no reports of damage or casualties. According to the meteorological agency, the epicentre of the undersea quake was put at 6.6 on the Richter scale and occurred north- west of Ujung Kulon National Park. And, there was another one. A tectonic earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale shook Saumlaki, Maluku Province, on Thursday. Personally, I blame all of these and other disasters on global warming. But, there is good news this week and to begin with the Indonesian man dubbed the “tree man” because of gnarled growths on his body has returned from hospital after six kilograms (13 pounds) of warts were surgically removed from his body, on Tuesday. Dede, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, first noticed the warts on his body after cutting his knee as a teenager.
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I have a penchant for traditional markets and you will find these in every village, town and many in the cities in Indonesia. The majority of traditional markets start at dawn and are usually over by midday, except of course those markets where the majority of vendors sell clothes and the ilk, and household items. Foreign travellers in Indonesia tend to visit these places around mid-morning and by doing so miss out on the magical atmosphere that surrounds these markets. Early in the morning whilst most of them are catching up on a few hours extra sleep or nursing a hangover from that bitter brew from the previous night’s activity when they really should be down at the market where one can buy fresh fruit and imbibe in the culinary delicacies of the city or town you are in. It’s fascinating to watch the locals setting out their piece of canvas on the ground and laying out their fruits, spices and vegetables for sale, and the kaki lima hustling for a good position with their carts. It is also interesting to watch the local patrons of these markets bargain for goods in an effort to get the product at the best price.
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With over 17,000 islands in the archipelago, both large and small, the tourism possibilities seem endless. Each island virtually has its own culture and traditions, some dating back centuries. The larger islands like Sumatra and Java attract their fair share of foreign visitors as does the smaller island of Bali that is totally drenched in tourists. However, there are a great proportion of smaller islands in the archipelago that are rarely visited by your normal tourist and it these islands that are the most interesting with all manner of activity available such as surfing, diving and snorkelling, relaxing on isolated beaches, and fishing. But it’s not only these activities that draw the out-of-the-norm tourist to these smaller islands it is also the culture and the people of the respective island. So, I have put together seven of the islands that I consider to be the best in the archipelago. These eight islands doesn’t mean that the other islands in the archipelago aren’t worth visiting. On the contrary, they are, and each has its own uniqueness and each one just as attractive in its own right.
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Let’s start the week with a bit of election news. Love them or hate, celebrities often get involved in campaign rallies and so it’s no surprise that some of them might fancy themselves as a politician. The rise of celebrities in the political arena has created a mixed message. While many are against it, mainly because of their lack of political experience, others are willing to give these actors an opportunity to prove themselves. Perhaps they will curry favour on the island of Bali but will have to be careful because the latest report from there has a bad STD crisis. A specialist on sexually transmitted diseases (STD) recently warned that the number of STD cases among the island’s male population had reached an alarming level. I like reading good news and this is it. In a move to help preserve the region’s coral reefs, the six member countries of the Coral Triangle Initiative have agreed on a draft protocol on protecting coral reefs from the effects of climate change. The six countries, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands.
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Yogyakarta is often referred to as the cultural heart of Indonesia, and its people, the friendliest. A beautiful city, Yogyakarta boasts such amazing attractions as the mighty Borobudur Temple, the Hindu Temple complex of Prambanan, and the Kraton to mention a few. It is a city that leads the way in Batik production, the arts and music. Besides being all the aforementioned, Yogyakarta is one of those places that seems to alluringly mystify visitors ensuring they return again and again. It is a city that is close to my heart and often, as I walk around its streets and gangs, I have always found the people to be accommodating in their hospitality and warmth.
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When you travel across Java there are many beautiful cities and large towns but none are as cool and delightful to walk around as the second largest city in East Java, Malang. Famous for its cool air and the surrounding country regions, the city was commonly referred to as ‘Paris Van East Java’ because of its quaintness and magnificent colonial buildings dating from the era of Dutch colonization and was very popular with European residents during this time. The streets are wide with an airy feeling, the people of Malang accommodating and friendly, however, it is less visited by foreign travellers there days. It is one place that, in my opinion every traveller should put on his ‘must visit’ list as the array of attractions, excellent restaurants and delicious food is quite simply, beyond reproach as far as what a Javanese city has to offer. There is so much to see and do and especially in the countryside where places like Tumpang, Turen, Batu and Singosari offer nature at its best. Then there are the beautiful beaches such as Sendang Biru Beach, Ngliyep Beach, and Balekambang Beach.
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