When you have 17,500++ islands, each teeming with its own culture and color, sights and flavors, all richly laid out like patterns on a batik cloth, you’re probably eager to share these with the rest of the world as well.
Just like what Indonesia is doing. The enormously successful “Wonderful Indonesia” tourism campaign presents the country to the world in ways other campaigns can only imagine. The numbers tell its success. As a traveler sector, Indonesia is currently the ninth-fastest growing in the world, the third-fastest in Asia, and first in Southeast Asia. The campaign is probably doing something right.
To be fair, Indonesia is a promoter’s paradise. You can pick a random spot on the Indonesian map, and you’ll likely find something of interest. From the temples of Java to the beaches of Lombok, from amazing Mt. Bromo to spicy Bali, there’s something for visitors of every spectrum. feeling adventurous? Immerse between world-class diving sites and beautiful mountaintops. wanting to party? There’s an entire island for that. What about the meditative pilgrims? Indonesia has enough temples to reach nirvana.
From space, one could probably hear a faint murmur above Indonesia, coming from the collective “ooohs” and “aaahs” of awestruck travelers. but once you get past your own initial gasps of wonder, you’ll see there’s a lot of work involved in promoting these destinations. “Wonderful Indonesia” didn’t occur in a vacuum. It’s a concerted effort from the government, the private sector, and individual contributors. It takes a country to promote a country.
We were invited to take part in the Airlines Influencers Trip, sponsored by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism, in partnership with AirAsia. For this trip, four essential destinations were involved: Jakarta, Yogyakarta and surrounding attractions, Surabaya and surrounding attractions, and Bali. The entire trip took 13 days. Here’s our itinerary, which you can also follow.
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DAYS 1-2: JAKARTA CITY TOURKota Tua
Ancol
Monas
DAY 3: TRANSIT TO YOGYAKARTA, RATU BOKO PALACE
DAY 4: BOROBUDUR TEMPLE
DAY 5: MERAPI LAVA TOUR
DAY 6: OMAH KECEBONG
DAY 7: TRANSIT TO SURABAYA
DAY 8: BROMO SUNRISE TOURBromo Viewpoint
Mt. Batok
Bromo Savana
DAY 9: TRANSIT TO BALI, NIGHTLIFE
Day 10: LAKA LEKE, ULUWATU TEMPLE
Day 11: RUMAH DESA
Day 12: TEGALLALANG RICE TERRACES, NIGHTLIFE
DAY 13: NUSA PENIDA
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DAYS 1-2: JAKARTA CITY TOUR
You can say Jakarta is Manila’s brother from a different mother. We have the same Malayo-Polynesian heritage, same European colonial past, same intense traffic jams. even as you step off the airport, you’ll right away notice the traits we have in common. The hustle and bustle, the frenetic energy, the noise and bright lights and hurried pedestrians, these all kept me comfortable in familiarity.
Yet Jakarta is still terra incognita, a city full of unknown quirks and surprises, just waiting for some local-looking foreigner to discover them.
Kota Tua
We got to check out Kota Tua (Old Town), Jakarta’s historical center. during the 17th to early 20th Century, Indonesia was under Dutch colonial rule. The seat of power was located here, when Jakarta was still known as Batavia.
Most of the colonial buildings in Kota Tua are still intact, especially those surrounding the storied Fatahillah Square. These buildings now serve as heritage and cultural sites, like museum Batavia (Entrance fee: IDR 5,000/PHP 19), a national history museum, and museum Wayang (Entrance fee: also IDR 5,000/PHP 19), which showcases conventional puppetry.
But the experience in Fatahillah Square was not limited to learning about states, puppets, and puppet states. We also got to delight in food served at the Café Batavia. This old-fashioned restaurant with a good ambiance lies within one of the oldest establishments in the square. A meal in Café Batavia costs between IDR 100,000-200,000, or PHP 350-700.
Ancol
We then headed to Ancol, a seaside complex and popular local attraction within the city. Ancol is developed as a one-stop leisure site for Jakartans, with a theme park, restaurants, activity centers and a beachfront. We spent the afternoon playing paintball, then dinner at the Pier, a trendy resto with a view of the waterfront. We then retired for the night.
Än så länge är allt bra. too bad we only had one full day to spend in the capital. I made a mental note to return.
Monas
Early the next morning I, along with Wira, one of our Indonesian hosts, went and tried out TransJakarta, the bus rapid transit (BRT) system operating in main Jakarta roads. instead of the typical rail system that takes up road space, the TransJakarta system uses existing roads and, with shuttles, carry commuters to stations scattered throughout the city.
It’s fairly low-cost too: just IDR 3,500 (PHP 13) for an entire ride.
Via TransJakarta, we went to Monas, the national Monument, a towering symbol of Indonesian independence. It was only two stops away, and we were back to the hotel just in time to leave for Soekarno–Hatta international Airport, bound for our next city: Yogyakarta.
DAY 3: TRANSIT TO YOGYAKARTA, RATU BOKO PALACE
Yogyakarta is royal, and I don’t just imply in a superficial sense. It is the only Indonesian city/region still ruled by monarchy; the governor is also the head of the Yogyakarta Sultanate. Jogja, as it’s colloquially called, is an essential center of Javan culture, history, and education.
We arrived at our next stop, Ratu Boko Palace, a little pressed for time. The sun is starting to set, and there was limited time to fully explore the place and take pictures, as the ruins are only open until 6 pm. Still, even with the impending darkness, one can sense the subtle grandeur these old ruins emanate.
These ruins are named after the legendary King Boko, a popular king in local folklore. However, the true origins, or even function, of the ruins remain unclear. Curiously, the site serves a different function today: as one of the best places to catch the sunset in Jogja. To get to Ratu Boko palace from Jogja’s Adisutjipto international Airport, you can choose either a get or GO-JEK ride service. The ride will take about 20-30 minutes, and will cost between IDR 15,000-20,000 (PHP 55-75) for a motorcycle, and 30,000-40,000 (PHP 110-145) for a private car.
Turns out that our brief check out to Boko temple was only a preamble to where we’ll be going next.
DAY 4: BOROBUDUR TEMPLE
We were up very early the next morning to get to Borobudur Temple, in time for sunrise. It was a couple of hours’ travel by bus from our hotel, and we’re to enter another province, Magelang.
By now, the men had a lock on their favorite spots in the bus. The loud men are at the back, the even louder Pinoys in front, while the rest are fully settled in their own personal nests. I shared a seat with Anita, another Indonesian host, to whom I learned quite a few about Indonesian pop culture.
It was still dark when we got to Borobudur temple (Entrance fee is at USD25, about PHP 1,350). There was also a light drizzle, and a few of us were a bit concerned this will somehow dampen the experience, so to speak. There’s quite a ways to get to the base of the temple, and after that, some even more nine stories to climb before reaching the top.
Once we’re at the topmost dome, some of us started to set up their cameras, a few found time to meditate, while others just tried to keep dry and awake. It was wet, slippery, and cold. We waited for the sun to rise and for rainclouds to disappear. We waited for a miracle.
And there it was. As the sun rose, the grey clouds briefly gave way for the morning sky, and light finally touched the temple stones. Borobudur, still wet from the rain, glistened in the sunlight, the sun’s rays seeping through cracks in the granite walls and limestone carvings. This once-dreary place turned into a regal tower of glimmering stone.
You can practically hear everyone’s spirits being lifted. It was the window of opportunity we hoped for. like the first hint of spring, these creatures stirred and sprung back to life, anxiously searching for the best spots, tugging along Wita or Kanty, two hosts who are also models, to pose for the cameras. now that we can see everything, we got to marvel at how substantial Borobudur really is. At 115 feet, it is the largest Buddhist temple in the world. At this height, you can see a panoramic view of Magelang, including a peek of the stately Mt. Merapi from a distance.
Buddhists regard Borobudur as a holy site, a place for deep contemplation and veneration. With what I’ve just witnessed, it really [is worthy of] pilgrimage. I silently uttered a prayer of thanks.
DAY 5: MERAPI LAVA TOUR
Day five into the tour, and our next main stop is a bit much more upbeat, the “Lava Tour” at the foot of Mt. Merapi. In this country of volcanoes, Merapi is one of the most active; its last eruption was may of 2018. Our check out to the Sisa Hartaku Museum, a memorial of the 2010 eruption, offered a clear pointer of Merapi’s destructive, volatile power.
The idea of exploring the foothills of an active volcano sounds enticing as is; pair it with a rolling landscape and rugged terrain, and you’ve got a recipe for adventure.
And the Lava trip was all about adventure. Riding on off-road jeeps, we got to explore the boondocks surrounding Mt. Merapi. It was a rough n’ difficult ride, and occasionally a pain in the… nether regions. but what’s an adventure without getting your feet wet, right?
Turned out it was much more than our feet. part of the trip was to ride through streams and rivers, splashes and all, and, with the constant rainshowers, we were pummeled with water on all fronts. The ride home was a bit uncomfortable, but was the Lava worth drenching your undies? Definitivt. It was a gritty, soaking, fun divergence from our typical stops.
DAY 6: OMAH KECEbong
Nästa dag åkte vi till Omah Kecebong, ett pensionat på landsbygden Yogyakarta, för att fördjupa sig i lokala javanska seder och livssätt. Vi fick bära konventionella javanesiska kläder, vilket fick mig att se ännu mer indonesisk ut, samt lära mig att skapa våra egna Wayang -halmdockor.
Vi såg också själva hur Batik -tyg tillverkas, helt för hand och fortsatte med att skapa prover själva. Efter en god stund med att droppa flytande vax på bomull (och bränna några tår längs vägen, inte mina tår men … ledsen wira), kan jag säkert säga att jag suger på det här.
Ändå fick det mig att uppskatta hur noggrant hårt det är att skapa till och med bara en gård av Batik, och att kunna skicka hantverket i många generationer är ett uttalande till det javanska folkets anslutning till arv och tradition.
Dag 7: Transit till Surabaya
För det andra för Jakarta i storlek är Surabaya en dynamisk metropol, ett viktigt nav i praktiskt taget alla aspekter: historia, kultur, handel, till och med underhållning. Under vår tid där kunde vi kolla in House of Sampoerna, ett museum tillägnad det ledande indonesiska tobaksföretaget. Inom staden kunde vi också äta i några av Indonesiens toppätar: den populära Pondok Tempo Doeloe-restaurangerna, Tanamera Coffee House och den ofta berömda Zangrandi-glassalen.
Dag 8: Bromo Sunrise Tour
Surabaya är också porten till min många förväntade del av turnén: vår utcheckning till Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. Vi överförde faktiskt till ett annat hotell för att komma närmare parken, på den trendiga Jiwa Jawa -resorten. Liksom den tidigare Borobudur-resan stod vi upp mycket tidigt och åkte på terrängjeepar för att komma till synvinkeln i tid för soluppgång.
Mt. Bromo är faktiskt en del av ett större komplex av berg och vulkaner i Tengger Caldera. Bromo är den mest kända av gruppen, uppkallad efter den hinduiska guden Brahma. Caldera inkluderar också den platt-toppade Mt. Batok, Mt. Kursi, Mt. Watangan och Mt. Widodaren. Du kan också se Mt. Semeru, den högsta toppen i Java, i bakgrunden.
Vi hade frukost bestående av kaffe, Gorengan (stekt skaldjursmet) och Indomie stekt nudlar (yum!). På denna höjd är denna enkla måltid en het, läcker tillflykt från frossa. Det är kanske därför jag minns det med förkärlek.
Lokalbefolkningen i Bromo erbjuder jeep -resor runt Caldera. Vårt var den så kallade Sunrise Tour. För IDR 500 000 (PHP 1800) tar Jeep dig till tre stopp. Att fånga soluppgången med utsikt över Caldera var vår första.
Bromo synvinkel
Det var fortfarande mörkt när vi anlände till vår synvinkel. Som vanligt fortsatte alla att markera sina platser. Strax efter hörde jag den distinkta brummen hos drone propeller. Enastående skott kommer att göras idag.
Soluppgången anlände som en orkesterföreställning. När solen började kika kan du praktiskt höra strängar som spelar de första anteckningarna. När de gyllene strålarna nådde topparna på bergen ökar kadensen. För varje bergsfunktion som rörde ljus, anslöt sig ett annat instrument på kören. När solen upplyste hela caldera avslöjades en hel visuell symfoni. Det är naturens konsert, värdig en stående ovation.
Mt. Batok
Vi reste sedan inom själva Caldera, nära foten av Mt. Batok. I ett hav av sand och aska kunde jag se hur bred Caldera egentligen är. Det är bara mil av platt, grå jord, omgiven av fantastiska berg och klippor på alla sidor. Och naturligtvis, batok, storslagen och fotogen, royalty bland de låga sanddynerna.
Bromo savana
Vårt sista stopp var Bromo Savana, så kallad för den till synes out-of-place grönheten i denna dal, en skarp kontrast till gråton och bruna i Caldera. En tältmarknad ligger mitt i Savanah, där Peeps kan uppdatera, köpa mat och kolla in souvenirer.
Under ett par dagar stannade vi i Surabaya. På dag nio gick vi till Juanda International Airport för den sista destinationen för turnén, Bali.
Dag 9: Transit till Bali, nattliv
Ah, Bali, vilken sista handling. Det är den söta öknen