Indonesia: From Jakarta through Yogyakarta to Bali

Day 1 – Jakarta

I’m in Indonesia, my 99th United Nations country, in the capital city of Jakarta on an 11-day Premium Java and Bali tour with Intrepid Travel. 

One of the perks of a Premium Intrepid Travel tour is the complimentary transfer service from the airport to the hotel, which needs to be arranged in advance of arrival and which I did. However, my flight from Singapore arrived much later than planned and no one for my complimentary transfer service was waiting. Usually there’s someone with an Intrepid sign with my name on it, but not today.

Instead, I hit the ATM machine to make sure I had some local currency, scoped the place to find the best way and deal to get to my hotel and used a flat rate taxi service to get me to my hotel, the Mercure Jakarta Batavia just 15 minutes from the airport. Easy.

I’ve reached the point in my travels where I don’t worry too much about things. I’ve traveled enough to know that sometimes plans don’t work out and when that’s the case, I just need to calmly and intellectually pivot.

I arrived here Sunday afternoon from my solo trip in Singapore and just in time to get checked into the Mercure Jakarta Batavia and meet my Intrepid Travel group and leader at the 6:00 p.m. ‘Welcome Meeting,’ to begin my 11-day Premium Java and Bali tour. Once we completed the meeting at our hotel, our group walked over to the House of Tugu in Old Town Jakarta for an authentic Indonesian dinner at a special restaurant that’s housed in a Dutch mansion.

Here’s just a quick recap.

Day 2 – Jakarta

I find Jakarta to be big, crowded and in all honesty, not my cup of tea, kind of a city. It feels like a place where the governmental officials in charge cleaned out the coffers and left the people hanging to deal with the mess. 

Although we spent most of the day seeing a few sights in Jakarta, I had a difficult time finding the city itself impressive. Albeit, my time in the city was short, but I’ve traveled enough to acquire a feel for a place and the feel of Jakarta just was not for me. 

I look for the good in every place I travel to because oftentimes there’s plenty good but the over arching feel about Jakarta…for me… is pretty uninspiring. It’s crowded, junky, dingy and decaying. It has its modern touches scattered about but it feels like a place that’s left to decay. 

In history, Jakarta was also the capital of the former Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. Although Indonesia declared its freedom from the Netherlands or Dutch control and proclaimed its independence on August 17, 1945, it still took four years of armed struggles from 1945 to 1949, the Indonesian National Revolution, to end the colonial rule and establish the Republic of Indonesia. 

With only one full day in Jakarta, the two main sites we visited today was Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia and the 9th largest mosque in the world in terms of worshipper capacity; and the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Jakarta, the main Catholic place of worship in Jakarta and the seat of the Archbishop. We also visited Chinatown and participated in a traditional Chinese tea demonstration before walking through Fatahillah Square and heading back to our hotel. 

Come join me for a quick day in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Day 3 – From Jakarta to Yogyakarta

Basically today can be broken down into two main parts, the early morning, close to a 7-hour train ride to Yogyakarta from Jakarta; and the late afternoon visit at the Prambanan, an ancient 9th-century Hindu temple on the outskirts of Yogyakarta.

spend three nights and see two UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

Yogyakarta, located southeast of Jakarta, is Indonesia’s cultural heart, a historic city on the island of Java known as the center for Javanese arts and traditions. It’s also the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage temples of Prambanan and Borobudur, my main reasons for picking this tour and for coming to Indonesia. 

After arriving in Yogyakarta, where we will spend three night, got checked into our quite modern hotel at the Royal Ambarrukmo Yogyakarta before heading out to the magnificent Prambanan Temple, the largest Hindu complex in Java. 

And, for the evening, our travel group dined, buffet-style, at the Rama Shinta Garden Resto with its stunning evening views of the illuminated Prambanan Temple before heading to an outdoor performance of the Ramayana Ballet Prambanan. 

Step into my full day on the way to Yogyakarta and while there on just my first day. 

Day 4 – Yogyakarta

It was a full morning but not a long, drawn out day, which I appreciated. Along with seeing the Prambanan Temple yesterday, seeing the Borobudur Temple today were the two temples on my list of temples I wanted to see while in Indonesia. The Borobudur is a Mahayana Buddhist temple just northwest of the city of Yogyakarta.

Constructed between about 778 and 850 CE of stone, the temple consists of nine stacked platforms and decorated with more than 2,600 relief panels through an extensive system of stairways and corridors on the walls and the balustrades. The temple was buried under volcanic ash from about 1000 CE and overgrown with vegetation until discovered by the English lieutenant governor Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1814. A team of Dutch archaeologists restored the site in 1907–11. A second restoration was completed by 1983.

Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple in the world and the monument was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1991.

After our tour through the Borobudur Temple, we took a 2-hour walking tour through the traditional Javanese village of Candirejo Village a traditional Javanese village close to the Borobudur Temple near Yogyakarta. The village is considered a cultural and eco-tourism destination, offering visitors an authentic glimpse into rural life.

Let’s experience more Javanese history and culture. 

Day 5 – Historic neighborhood of Kotagede, near Yogyakarta

We spent the early part of the day visiting the historic sites of the city district and historic neighborhood of Kotagede, near Yogyakarta. In the 16th century, Kotagede was the center of the Islamic Mataram Kingdom. Combining classical Javanese art and architecture, the city grew into a center of trade and culture. Some of the sites we visited included the historic market, the royal mosque and cemetery, walks through the traditional Javanese neighborhoods and a visit to a silver store where artists create various silver pieces. 

And, one of the best parts of the day, that I was especially looking forward to was the batik workshop.  Batik is a UNESCO-recognized art form with roots tracing back centuries in the Indonesian culture.

We ended the full day with a group dinner and an evening tuk tuk ride back to our hotel in Yogyakarta. 

Come join me for another beautiful day in Yogyakarta. 

 

Day 6 – Flight from Yogyakarta to Ubud

After breakfast at our hotel, the Royal Ambarrukmo Yogyakarta, our group took an hour and 30 minute morning flight to Bali for our 3-night stay in Ubud at the Ubud Village Hotel along the busy Monkey Forest Road in the center of Ubud. Basically Ubud is Bali’s main arts and cultural center.

The van ride from the airport to the hotel was more than a 3-hour drive through neighborhoods and village streets because there are no highways. Although this is considered as Intrepid’s Premium tour, the van rides have been packed. Our group of 11, which was supposed to have been 12 but one person backed out after our first day in Jakarta, has had to fit rather tightly and snugly into a van.

Ubud is a thriving hub of markets and shops along streets with few areas for pedestrians to walk.  With nature, like rice terraces and lush jungles said to be close by, Ubud is considered to be a wonderful place to experience what makes Bali such a popular destination. Getting here from the airport what I mainly saw was the congested, touristy packed one long main street of shops, people and traffic.

Although it took most of the day to arrive to our featured hotel stay in Ubud, at least the Ubud Village Hotel was worth the time to get to. And, hopefully the rest of our stay in Ubud will bring more pleasant. Tomorrow is another day.

Day 7 – Mount Batur; village walk, cremation ceremony & cooking class in Bali

We left the Ubud Village Hotel at 5:00 a.m. to begin our long and wonderful day starting at the Caldera Hotel and Restaurant in Bali for early morning views of Mount Batur and a delicious breakfast with views.

From the Mountain View’s, we made our way to the village of Undisan for a walk through the rice fields and forest. We also cooked our own lunch during a cooking class. Getting to see this side of Bali gave me an incredible appreciation for this less touristy, more authentic and traditional side.

And, something wholly unexpected, during our walk through the village, was a family and the community prepared for a Hindu cremation ceremony. This Balinese Hindu ritual transforms the body’s physical elements back into the cosmos, freeing the soul from its physical body and earthly bonds allowing the soul to achieve its liberation and journey to the afterlife.

Come join me for an incredible day experiencing a Balinese village life.

Day 8 – Royal dinner with Legong Dance Performance in Bali

After a late breakfast at our Ubud Village Hotel, I took it easy. I did get out for a little walk, but along with it already being hot and muggy, the traffic around the hotel was busy and I honestly don’t like walking in the narrow streets while the cars and motorbikes are driving pretty much alongside me. After checking out a couple of shops, I returned to the hotel and got some writing done.

I actually enjoyed this very casual and relaxing day before our group’s royal Balinese dinner at Ubud Palace (Puri Saren Agung) where we were dressed, over our western clothing, with a traditional sarong outfit.

The palace in its present form, was built in traditional Balinese style during the reign of Tjokorda Putu Kandel (1800–1823). After the 1917 earthquake, palace structures suffered significant damage, but since it was the residence of the royal family it was quickly restored, before being opened to foreign guests in 1928.

This was just an incredibly lovely way to spend an evening.

Day 9 – Drive from Ubud to end our tour in Sanus with stops along the way.

We left our Ubud Valley Hotel at around 10 a.m. to make our way to our next and final stay in Bali and Indonesia, the town of Sanur – a relaxing seaside town in the south of Bali.

Sometimes for me, the best part of getting from one place to another, especially on shorter drives like this, is observing how locals, and in this case, tourists too, go about their day.

On the way to Sanur, we stopped to do some local souvenir shopping and then visited the Taman Ayun Mengwi Temple. This 17th-century Balinese temple, gardens and shrine complex, of the Mengwi Empire, is a UNESCO World Heritage site that was once only accessible to the royals.

We made it to our hotel, the 101 Bali Oasis Sanur, around 5:00 p.m. and although a group purification ritual was scheduled, I chose not to participate and to rest instead.

Day 10 – A sunset dinner cruise for my last night in Bali and Indonesia.

It was another late starting day, but that was just fine with me. I enjoyed a late, not rushed breakfast, at our very comfortable 101 Bali Oasis Sanur hotel. After breakfast, I did do a little walk to some shops but once again, the crowded traffic street with the addition of construction, just made it unpleasant and uncomfortable.

Our last group event for our 11-day Premium Java and Bali tour was to board a private yacht and

take in Bali’s southern coastline around Nusa Dua and the Bukit Peninsula for a relaxing final adventure.

Here’s to ending my stay in Indonesia, my 99th U.N. country and to heading back home to prepare for my next adventure….my 100th country and 7th Continent of Australia.

Day 11 – Sleeping through an earthquake and heading back home to Dallas

Although I felt a slight shaking, I actually slept through last night’s earthquake. While the earthquake occurred over 311 miles or 500 km from where I was staying in Sanur, the strong tremor was felt in Bali. I did hear a big bang while I was sleeping, but nothing happened and thought it came from the level above me even though there is an upstairs bedroom in my hotel room.

Happy to have visited Indonesia and quite happy that I did not make plans for after the tour.