Indonesia - The First Part

Posted by Jonny

Posted on September 4, 2008

No post for a while in these parts but then if I waited until I get home I'd probably still have posted before the Dubs Down Under or the Little Leprechauns on where they actually are now! I have skipped the stop off in Kuala Lumpur & Malaysia in this post, namely because it was a pretty tame few days where both Joe & I got some details sorted before heading for Indonesia. We did meet up with Stu from Portsmouth in KL that we'd bumped into in Auckland & Queenstown, New Zealand. We had a blast of a night but my goodness KL is expensive for the beer. More to come on KL because we have to fly to Sri Lanka from there later.

We arrived in Indonesia 4 weeks ago. We landed in Jakarta, which is on the island of Java and is the capital of Indonesia, to wait for the arrival of Paddy & Ian, but also Nal, Paddy's bother, & Ross, Paddy's friend. Indonesia is an absolute shock to the system. At first impressions Jakarta is the usual South-East Asian large city with smog, overpopulation and hustle, bustle lifestyle. The shock in Indonesia is the warmth of the people. Most places within South-East Asia travelers generally take a cautious approach, expecting most locals to exploit and hassle them but the Indo people are a class above even the nicest nations we've visited.

We stayed in the Jalan Jaksa area where most Westerns gravitate to in JKT. The lads arrived a few days later, unfortunately Ross & Nal were only staying for 2 days before heading back to Ireland. We partied for a few days to say goodbye to the boys before then heading for Batukaras for 2 weeks of surfing. We grabbed a 10 hour journey in economy class of a train to Banjar and then a 2 hour bus to Pangandaran before hitching a ride to Batukaras for another hour & a half. The train was great fun with locals flocking to our area of the the train to stare & paw four white people on a local train!

Batukaras is located on the south coast fo Java and is perfect for anyone learning to surf. The surf is a point break over a beach break which means consistent waves with none of the dangers associated with learning on reef breaks. There is little to do except surf, relax and sleep. Most days it's up at 5.30 for a sunrise surf, followed by a siesta and breakfast then more surf and some sunning ourselves. The end of the day is capped with a sunset surf until around 6 o' clock. After dinner it's hit the hay from anywhere between 8 and 10 depending on how much pain you were in after the 7 hours of surfing.

We left Batukaras 2 days ago with Ramadhan just having started. As most Indonesians are muslim they celebrate Ramadhan. This means for one month there is no eating, drinking or smoking from 3 in the morning until 6 in the evening. Most locals won't even surf because that would mean drinking. Although this sounds like it would have little impact for a few Westerns surfing away in Batukaras, it actually meant that no restaurants or shops are open anywhere all day. Pot noodles and biscuit sales spiked in Batukaras for the few days we were there during Ramadhan!

We are now back in JKT before a visa run through KL and onto Sumatra, which is an island of Indonesia close to Singapore. There they are even more muslim and remote so we fattening up in JKT before being back on the fasting. Meanwhile enjoy the pics. The pictures came at a price of lots of blood, some stitches and painful nights sleep.

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Sumatra Selamat Datang

Posted by Jonny

Posted on September 18, 2008

We left Java for a visa stop in KL on the 8th September. After being extorted for money on the way in and out of Indonesia and 8 hours in McDonalds in LCCT KL airport we got on our way back to Indonesia and Sumatra. I didn't know much about Sumatra before I got here so I'll provide some points of interest for those who also have little background knowledge of this part of Indonesia. Sumatra is the world's 6th largest island with 40 million people spread across it's rugged volcanic terrain. Medan is the capital and Aceh to the north of the island has Indonesia's highest demographic for Islam. Up until 2004 Aceh was occupied by Indonesian troops as there was unrest in the province, with Acehians wanting independence from Indonesia outright. Aceh was also the area of the country most affected by the Tsunami.

With the background provided I'll jump into our experiences in our 12 days here. Medan is the capital and is the grimy, smoggy Indo city you become accustomed to in these parts. We stayed for a night, when it down poured and literally stranded us in a restaurant. We took the opportunity to chat to some locals and practice our Indonesian. The next morning he saw the mosque, Mesjid Raya, and the Sultan's Palace. This is the only mosque in Indonesia designed by a foreigner. We jumped on a public bus and headed for Berastagi after our fill of sightseeing.

Berastagi is the base camp for climbing the volcano Sibayak. we chose the easiest route with no guide. People have died on this volcano and after our climb down, specified in last year's Lonely Planet, I can see why. The route up is fine but I'd advise to take that way back down. The "steps" are quite literally deadly, especially during wet season. Volcano conquered we hit the road again for Danau Toba. Danau is a lake, formed by a volcano, it is the biggest lake in SE Asia. What makes it interesting is the pennilsula that forms right into the centre of the lake. The weather had subsided by September but during summer months this would be a lovely place. Expect to be hassled on the ferry though, takes the gloss off a little as guys will push and force cards and decisions of accommodation down your neck for the half an hour of pleasant seafaring.

After a few nights was the long haul back to Medan and onto Bukit Lawang. Lawang is the location of the Orangutan sanctuary set in the jungle there. Unfortunately time meant we missed the feeding and Orangutan seeing as we had to head back to Medan after one night to overnight to Banda Aceh. Lawang is a charming spot with lovely peolple. We wish we had met the Orang (People)-Utans (Of The Forest) as well though. Back on a bus on the worst road known to man before the 12 hour night bus into Aceh.

Banda Aceh is a charming place. Even after 12 hours overnight and being greeted by 30 guys shouting "mister, mister" upon disembarking from the bus I had to feel empathy for the people here. Wiped out by the Tsunami, even now they struggle to make a living. Homes lost, families destroyed, food, water, supplies nonexistent, these people are a credit to the Indonesian people. The pictures of the rebuild shows that 4 years later they still struggle, with no materials or man power to even get back to where they were, let alone prevent a catastrophe like this happen again.

I am in Pualeh Weh now, really quiet with the summer gone. The morning and beach is beautiful and deserted. Just what I need before the stresses and struggles of Ireland in a few weeks. Get relaxed is the only aim of a day. Tomorrow we head back to B. Aceh to try and get a flight to meet Ian and Paddy in Bali before the end of Ramadhan which is just crazy here. This will be 5th last post, all things going well, so enjoy and I'll wrap my Indonesia adventure up in our next chapter.

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