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Indonesia 1989 |
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(booked by
Proto Reisen) |
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| The first visit in Indonesia
was in November, December 1989 (18th until the 6th), the end of the main part of the rainy
season. We had two nice weeks, only in the last one, there was a lot of heavy rain. |
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God, was it complicated to
travel from Zurich to Denpasar. With Garuda Indonesia, a first stop in Abu Dhabi (to take
some fuel), second stop in Singapore and after 22 hours we arrived in Jakarta for
immigration. Yes, Denpasar was no international airport at this time! A lot of questions
from the officer, but no baggage check. Then waiting, waiting and waiting again for the
connecting flight. 4 hours in this hot, wet and sticky buildings.
Again a 747 from Garuda, but Asian style. Nearly no place on the seats for European
people, but no problem for all this Japanese passenger. Total travel time: 30 hours. |
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When we arrived
at the hotel it was already dark.Checkin in an open lobby, it needs some time, but fresh
and "cool" air, not like the airport buildings of Jakarta and Denpasar and they
serve some refreshing drinks, including a very tasty welcome drink. The next days we
discovered the complete hotel area, better a wonderful tropical garden, resting at the
pool or the beach. But most of the time in the shadow of a tree, because it was to hot out
in the sun and using tons of high protecting sun cream. And yes we do some money change.
In the first days we got 1050 Rupiah for one Swiss Franc, or about 2000 Rupiah for one US
Dollar. For the last change we got 1400 Rupiah for one Franc. Not the strongest money this
Indonesian Rupiah.
Some prices:
| 1 Coke |
200 Rp |
| 1 large Beer (7dl) |
350 Rp |
| 1 kg Rice |
350 Rp |
| 1 Egg |
1000 Rp |
| 1 Water (5dl) |
100 Rp |
| Av. income on Bali |
500000 Rp |
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We stayed at the Putri Bali
(Women from Bali) in the Nusa Dua area. At this time a **** hotel, nearly the only one at
the beach. Ok, the Sheraton, Hilton or whatever were under construction. |
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Eating ? The first days we
had our meals at the hotel, good but international food. We saw outside the hotel a few
small restaurants and half a dozen shops. But everybody told us, don't go eating outside,
you will get Montezuma's revenge, with guaranty. |
An older Swiss couple told
us, they go for diner always to the restaurant Ming Garden, it's a few steps more, but
clean and good. And they have a good "show" three times a week. Traditional
Balinese Dances, without additional entrance fee.
We tried it, and we're surprised. A small restaurant, about 30 seats, good, tasteful,
spicy food from Bali or the Indonesian archipelago. With one exception, piccata Milanese
with tomato spaghetti. But who will order this? We tried the first evening an
"Indonesian Riz Tafel" for 15000 Rupiah for four people, the most expensive on
the menu card. All included from appetizers, to different main courses, dessert, mineral
water, tea, coffee, except alcoholic drinks. And you get enough for six or eight people.
After a few evenings we always had a lot of fun there, specially with Nengah, the
"chief waiter". |
| A first tour was a 2 day
trip to east Java, better for the sunrise on Mount Bromo. A flight with a Merpati Fokker
27 to Surabaya. At the airport of Surabaya we meet a young German couple, who does the
same tour, the tour guide, a lady from Jakarta and our driver. With a minibus we had a
short city tour, then a drive in higher regions, passing Sidoarjo and Pandaan to the
village of Tretes. It was much cooler up in the mountains, but already rain forest around
the village. After lunch, we had some "free" time for resting, visiting the
village or a short walk though the rain forest to the waterfall Kakek Bodo. The first time
we get some experiences with the monkeys. Always near you, always waiting to pick up
something and climbing up on a tree. Diner was served very early and we are advised to go
early to bed, because wakeup was short after midnight. Breakfast, a lunchbox for enroute
and then a drive through the darkness of the night, first down to Sea level, passing
Pandaan, Bangil, Pasuruan and Tongas, then again up in the "hills", passing
Sukapura to Ngadisari. For the last kilometers we're lucky to have a four wheel Jeep to
reach Cemoro Lawang. |
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In Tretes we stayed at the "Bath Hotel Tretes". The pool was without water! But
a nice garden with a lot of different orchids.In this hotel a lot of the
"better" people from Surabaya, Jolo and Jakarta spend their weekends or holidays
here.
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The stop, darkness already,
but a lot of people, most of them mummified in many layers of thick clothes. Then the
surprise. For the rest of the way we must change to horses. For me, a small pony, but not
for the local people. How the hell.... far away from home the first time on such a
thing. Hoping, praying. Then sitting in the saddle, feets already on ground. When I used
the stirrups, there was a feeling like a jockey at the start for the next race, but the
worst thing, nothing where I could hold me, or fix me on this shaking thing. And the first
part of the way was only a steep down, down. When we reached the flat inside the old
crater, everything got better. I could see now, that the owner is leading his horse only
by a very small rope and gives me know the rains and said try it. Wow, all from theory
works, left, right, slower, stop, faster .... The owner starts to jogging and said in his
Indonesian English mix, come, fast. First at the end of the trail arrived we as the second
team at the stairs up to the new crater. Only Christof was faster. 240 steps in 2400m
about Sea level. No problem, a race between Christof and me. He was leading, when this f*
sulfide cloud "hit" us. I got a little bit lesser in my lungs and stand as first
on the rim of the "young" Mount Bromo. |
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Now waiting, because there
was only a slight grey in the East. And it's going cool up here, how lucky the ones who
had a pullover or a jacket with them. Yellow, then bright orange slowly changing in a
bright red until the first rays of the sun hit us directly and everything was over.
Not the same feelings like later on Kelimutu. To young? or to many people? To noisy? |
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Horror the way back on the
horse. No chance to control the stupid animal with the rains. A homesick horse? Or hungry?
Faster and faster, up to gallop. The owner saw my troubles and was in hurry to reach me.
As he took the small rope again, everything was over, I had again a nice and brave horse. |
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| Back at the car, first a
rest. Time for a second breakfast from the lunchbox, time for a view over the landscape of
Mount Bromo, or time to see the neighbor, smoking with a large, white cloud. Something
unreal the landscape and the drive down by daylight now. Tuff, volcanic ashes up to more
then 10 meters left and right of the street. Back in Surabaya we had lunch in the best sea
food restaurant of the town. In the afternoon, first a short visit of the "old"
harbor, with his Arabic "dauhs", already used for local transport at the coast
of Java. Later a visit of the Surabaya zoo. Ok, we saw our first Komodo warans there, but
the rest of the zoo, small cages and more. Only one example, more than 30 pelican in a
cage of 5m length, 3m wide and 4m high. But we don't loose the feeling to be one of the
attractions itself. "Long noses" in their zoo! Free and not locked into a cage!
Ending up, when to families with their children asked us, if they can take pictures of the
children and us. |
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An adventure? Playing with
the passengers? A huge, large white and grey tower was moving towards the airport of
Surabaya. And Merpatis Fokker 27 had problems with one of the engines. The crew tried to
start, once up, once down the rollaway. No engine. Another try of the pilot. Hurrah, we
had a second engine and you could hear the stones falling down, out of the stomachs of the
passengers. |
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A second tour was a half day
ricepaddy trekking somewhere north of Ubud, with lunch enroute. But after the rest is was
going hot, even in the shadow of the trees.
We learned and saw a lot around the rice fields, "standard" rice plants, black
rice, red rice, from seeding to earning, about the "rice" ducks, the water
wholes and the fishes. But too about the castor oil plant for baby guling, the different
kind of bananas, vanilla, the ten rules of the national government and/or the village
(chiefs), the letter welcome, swastika in Hindi, and more. |
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| A third tour was a four day
trip to Sulawesi, or Celebes, to visit Tana Toraja. Again early in the morning a Merpati
Fokker 27 flight to Ujung Pandang or Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi. At the
airport we met our driver, but not the tour guide. He was on the way back with a large
group, which was due to some problems delayed. Two flight attendants from Swissair joined
us too. The ride on the bumpy "highway" went strait north, following the west
coast. Enroute a rest, where we saw, how today already ships are built without any nails
or screws. On a second stop, the group bought some fresh mangos for the dessert after
lunch. Near Parepare in a restaurant at the coast we had lunch. Simple, but good and
spicy. Christof's (kitchen chief) job after lunch was the peeling of the mangos. Fresh,
ripe and juicy. And slippery, more then a wet soap. After lunch and behind Rapang the road
climbed up in the northern hills of South Sulawesi, through forest of teak and ebony
trees. |
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Very interesting the stops
in the "highlands". After a shy question "May I do some English
conversation with you?", we had long and deep discussions with the children from the
nearby village. We heard from "first hand" about the school system, about the
life, the greatest wishes, the problems. All from children's view and not from the
official side, from the tour guide (sorry first, Mohamed, but later we knew us better and
the discussion were better, deeper and free'er). And never a question for sugar, pens or
money. OK, we had some pencils, but after the second village we're sold out. |
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| Finally, after a hard and
long day we reached Rantepao and our hotel, long after sunset. Check-in, some refreshing
and directly to diner. But after a few minutes, power down. The hotel crew was quick and
prepared, so we changed to a candle light diner. Shock later, when we're back in our
rooms, already without electricity. One of the flight attendants was crying with
"horror". What happened ? People rushing. Discussions. Somebody had a pocket
lamp. There it was. A spider. One of the bigger ones. But not a "bird spider".
Brown and not so hairy. Mohamed said later a "tank spider" and absolute not
dangerous. |
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Early next morning a day
tour through Tana Toraja. First the local market, tupper ware, water buffaloes, pigs,
chicken, vegetables and, and, and more. Visiting Lomo with it stone tombs, the royal
palace, Londa with it natural stone tomb and Palawa a very old traditional village. Again
a very long day and in the evening, the same procedure as every ..., we had a candle light
diner, but this time without spiders afterwards. |
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The third day arrives to
fast, with it ride back to Ujung Pandang. Lunch again in Pare Pare at the same restaurant,
this time with some ice cream as dessert. The last stop, shortly for Ujung, was a visit at
the Bantimurung water fall, or how Mohamed told, the butterfly park. |
| The last night we stayed at
the Marannu City hotel in Ujung Pandang. Diner and breakfast was ok, but not the same
quality like in Rantepao. The last morning the official city tour, the harbor, a weaving
company, the Hindi temple and more. At the market Christof bought at a shop saffron. Pure
saffron flowers. The lady at the shop couldn't believe it, that somebody could by so much
saffron in one transaction. At the main post office we bought some stamps for our
collections. We were invited directly into the holy grail of the office, the safe room!
After lunch we tried our own city tours, this time with "kulis". But it needs a
lot of hard discussions to get a fare price. Even if the first price was very cheap for
us, we had to show the drivers, that we're not their milk cows. A price more then 100
times higher Mohamed told is should be a fare price. No thanks. |
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Before farewell we gave our
driver the regular tip, some money and a lot of Marlboros, the only foreign cigarettes we
could found in Ujung. He often talked of dreaming to smoke something else, than his clove
cigarettes. First he was a little bit disappointed, because all his guest are non smoker.
For Mohamed we had no money. He often told us, he had some much, that is doesn't know what
to do with it. And often he talked about is coming baby in one month, his third daughter.
We found in Ujung Pandang a shop only with baby goods and we leave with all hands full. As
a special thank for the interesting tour for himself and the baby goods, he spent every of
us a copy of his official wedding photo. |
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An other adventure the
flight back to Bali. Two flights, one plane. both nearly sold out. When you had not seat,
sit in the aisle for takeoff and landing. |
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The last few day in
Bali we stayed at the hotel, because the Rainy Season had a comeback. Every two to three
hours a short, but very heavy tropical rain. The it was time to leave Bali in the
direction to Singapore, with Garuda Indonesia. And again, no direct flight, we must fly to
Jakarta to leave the country. This time the connections flight was much better and in
time. |
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| Now we're in a
shopping paradise or heaven and don't known how to start, what to buy, or what looking
for. The Pronto representative does a quick tour at the arrival evening through two
shopping centers and gave some hints, where and what to buy, clothes, glasses, photo
equipment, electronics, jewels, etc. After this, we choose Max Mohan at the Far East
Plaza as a tailor for some custom made silk shirts. Again it was difficult for as to
bargain for what we thought was a fare price. But the S$40, less then 40 Swiss Franc. It
was it worth. Both of my shirts look more then 10 years later like new. We ordered it and
got it 24 hours later. |
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In Singapore we stayed for
two nights at the Dynasty hotel, today the Marriott, at the Orchard road, directly over
the MRT station Orchard. |
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Next day after breakfast we
had a half day city tour, Chinese market and "shopping" center, Arab street and
the mosque, little India with the Hindi temple, the Raffles Hotel and a ride with the MRT.
More shopping in the afternoon, glasses, pearls, or just strolling through the centers. |
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To fast rushes this two days
in Singapore over. It was time to leave with Garuda Indonesia back home, again with a fuel
stop in Abu Dhabi or to buy some last souvenirs, special made in gold. |
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