Java

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Java

Java is the political, geographic and economic centre of the Indonesia's 13,000 islands.  Its major cities include Jakarta in the west and Yogyakarta in the east.

Jakarta

Jakarta is a sprawling place with very little character. At its centre is the huge Merdeka Square with its tall Monas monument as a celebration to independence.

Most backpackers make for Jalan Jaksa - a ten minute walk from the train station which is likely to be your arrival point having come from the airport. Jaksa is a pleasant enough little street with a varied collection of average guesthouses. You won't be staying in Jakarta long - it isn't that great. Other attractions include some very dubious nightclubs (Tanamur, for example) and a reasonable amount of cheap shopping. 

Go somewhere else.

 

 

 

Prambanan is equally impressive - a collection of Hindu temples, intricately carved and much bigger than you would have thought possible.

Two must-see wonders of the world.

Yogykarta (Joja) itself is a friendly place, decent guesthouses (5 minutes from the train station), good market, and an excellent base for further exploration; if you're feeling particularly adventurous you can check out the highly dangerous Merapi volcano.

Yogyakarta

To the south of the volcanic backbone is the homeland of the ethnic Javanese and the centre of their arts, culture and language. Yogykarta (joja) is an excellent base from which to explore the giant ninth-century Buddhist temple Borobudur, and the equally incredible Prambanan complex, a contemporary Hindu site. 

Borobudur lay buried under volcanic ash and jungle for hundreds of years before being rediscovered by Stamford Raffles (of Singapore fame) in the 19th Century.  A massive restoration project has returned it to its rightful state - glorious and evocative.

 

Bromo

A long, long journey to Bromo - leave Yogya in the morning and you'll get to the edge of the Tengger caldera well after sunset.  Then you'll be up at around 3am for the journey into the caldera (huge crater), across it and then up the other side to see the incredible sunrise - worth it, and the sight of Bromo and the other volcanoes beneath you in the cloud is simply unbelievable in the truest sense of the word.

 

Gunung Bromo isn't the most impressive volcano in the world but its setting is amazing and it helpfully smokes away making it look exactly what a volcano should look like.  The journey to its base offers tremendous primeval views and you then get the honour of climbing to its rim and suffering the appalling stench of the sulphur smoke coming from within its open grey stomach.  Stay in this area for a few days - it's wonderful.

 

Looking over Bromo to Semeru - click on the picture to find out about volcanoes.  (One picture was taken 15 minutes after the other.)

 

And when it's time to move on you can get a through bus which will take you to the ferry terminal at Banyuwangi and then on to Bali - north to the beaches, to Ubud in the centre or to the party capital of Kuta.  It doesn't look that far on the map but you're looking at around 12 hours ....

 

Let me read excerpts on Java from 'Playing with Fire' by Nick Langston-Able