So what to do? Kick the single-use plastic habit. Straws are for suckers. Don't use them, and pre-emptively refuse them in bars and restaurants. Avoid plastic bags. Better to bring your own reusable one and pay attention to what you buy. If it comes wrapped in single-use plastic, do without. Most of all, carry a stainless steel water bottle with you when you travel, in Indonesia or anywhere else. You don't want to drink water that has been sitting in warm plastic for days or weeks. Plus you'll find that every restaurant, warung, hotel and guesthouse will fill it up for free from their larger, reusable mineral water bottle. Because many Indonesians understand the problem very well. They live with it, and will be pleased that you are choosing to be part of the solution.
4Sleeping & Eating
The main village of Karimunjawa has a handful of simple homestays. There's very little difference among them, and most share set prices at 100,000 to 150,000Rp per person per night for a fan-cooled room and shared bathroom.
Book all accommodation well in advance, particularly if you're staying over on a Saturday night or during peak holiday times. Many hotels offer package deals that include transport from Jepara or Semarang.
The best choice for dinner is the night market (meals 50,000Rp; h6-9pm) on the alun alun in the centre of town. You'll find over a dozen stalls offering tasty ikan bakar (grilled fish), grilled corn, fried bananas, fresh juice and more. Place your order, then sit lesahan style on a mat on the grass field to tuck in.
Coconut HouseGUESTHOUSE$
(%0813 9267 8888, 0297-414431; satu-dunia.com; Jl Sutomo; r 140,000-170,000Rp)
The backpacker crash pad of choice when we visited, it's a village homestay with personality. Doors are made of reclaimed wood, there's a funky Ganesha mural, and rooms are clean and tiled with canopied beds, pastel paintjobs and wood furnishings. They all share bathrooms, as well as bean bags and a hammock swing on the common porch.
There's an attached dive shop.
Puri KarimunHOMESTAY$
(%0813 2645 9910; www.purikarimun.wordpress.com; r with fan/aircon 200,000/250,000Rp)
A village homestay with modern, well-presented rooms with en-suite bathrooms. The red and lime paintjob stands out against the green mountain backdrop, and there's plenty of wood tables in the garden courtyard where you can chat with other guests and help yourself to complimentary tea and coffee.
Hotel EscapeHOTEL$$
(%0813 2574 8481; www.escapekarimun.com; Jl Danang Joyo; r from 300,000Rp; aW)
Rooms are clean, tiled numbers set in a roomy two-storey brick lodge close to town. There's no sandy beach here, rather the water washes up to a concrete ledge abutting a wide lawn shaded by coconut palms. Good Indonesian and Western food is available in the restaurant. It's a five-minute walk to the right of the main dock.
KarimunjannahGUESTHOUSE$$
(%0877 1796 3238, 0822 2758 8961; karimunjannah.com; r 350,000Rp; W)
A terrific choice for spacious, tiled rooms with mosaic bathrooms, high ceilings, flat-screens and wood furnishings. It has a small restaurant and plans for a beach bar too. It's simple but very sweet.
Ayu HotelBUNGALOW$$
(www.ayuhotel.com; r 444,000Rp; W)
A nice German-Indo spot on the beach side of the main island road. Rooms are set in lovely hexagonal wooden cottages and a cozy stone lodge (the price is the same either way). Once a week it does a massive Javanese feast (per person 75,000Rp to 100,000Rp) with curries, seafood, chicken and noodle dishes; seats are available for non-guests too.
It also has basic rooms on offer at its village homestay (222,000Rp). Check in for both is located at its main property. No matter which class you choose, book well ahead via the website.
Coco HutsBUNGALOW$$
(%0823 3719 7736; www.cocohuts-karimunjawa.com; r with fan 250,000Rp, bungalows 500,000-550,000Rp)
Stilted up on a ridge and blessed with commanding views, these well-done rooms are more cottages than huts. It's owned by a well-known German footballer-turned-commentator who was born to missionary parents in Indonesia; profits from the inn fund his family's missionary activity.
oBreve AzurineBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$$
(%0821 7881 5657; www.breveazurine.com; r incl breakfast US$125-290; hclosed Jan-Mar)
If you want to be reminded of Karimunjawa's considerable majesty every morning, afternoon and night, this is the spot for you. Set on the lip of a turquoise lagoon sheltered by a reef and blessed with a private beach and two more virgin beaches beyond, this boutique resort offers a choice of lodging, all of it tasteful.
You can grab a rustic cottage, outfitted with wonderfully weathered ceramic tile floors and wood furnishings, stone walls, and canopied beds. Or enjoy a split-level family cottage designed in much the same way. All offer panoramic views of mountain and sea that will chill you out quickly and keep you calm long after you leave.
Or you can book into the main lodge: a dark-wood jaw-dropper with an open common living room and pool table downstairs, and a wrap-around deck leading to a jetty that extends over the shallows. The massive suite upstairs overlooks 180 degrees of lagoon and open sea. The bar is kitschy-cute, and while the kitchen isn't fabulous, it's still good, the beer is cold and the cocktails are terrific. Management organises island-hopping, hiking and diving excursions and will gladly book all your transport too. There are free kayaks on offer, and the snorkelling out front is shallow yet sublime.
Kura Kura ResortRESORT$$$
(%Semarang 024-7663 2510; www.kurakuraresort.com; Pulau Menyawakan; cottage/pool villa incl 2 meals US$210-510; hclosed Nov-Mar; aWs)
A luxury tropical island escape situated on its own private island, with gorgeous seaview cottages and wonderful villas with private pools. There's about 800m of fine white sand, a restaurant (the menu includes lots of Italian dishes) and water-sports facilities. Most guests arrive by the resort's plane (US$150 each way from Semarang); supplements may be charged if planes are not full.
Cafe AmoreINTERNATIONAL$
(just outside village on road to main dock; meals 18,000-50,000Rp; iW)
A lovely spot set among reconstructed wooden joglo fronting the marina. Mains wander from pasta, chicken breast and steak dinners to Indo classics and seafood. It even grills lobster upon request. More importantly, it serves good coffee and cold beer.
8Information
The small tourist information booth (%085 325 0673, 0297-312253; by the dock) at the harbour is usually open to greet boats. The Semarang tourist office can also help out with practicalities.
Karimunjawa has a post office, and there's wi-fi at Cafe Amore. There's a BRI ATM in the village that takes MasterCard, but it can run out of money, so bring ample cash. Electricity is spotty; many places use generators at night.
8Getting There & Away
It is now possible to reach Karimunjawa by air from both Semarang (310,000Rp, 45 minutes) and Surabaya (420,000Rp, one hour) every Thursday and Friday with Susi Air (%0800 122 7874; fly.susiair.com). Planes are tiny and seat just 12, so book ahead. The flight itself can be an adventure. But if winds are calm, it's a magical ride.
Karimunjawa's boat connections are improving every year, and there are links from both Semarang and Jepara. Check all schedules with the Semarang tourist office, which can also book tickets and make reservations.
At research time, from Jepara's Kartini harbour, the Express Bahari boat (executive class/VIP 150,000/175,000Rp, two hours) sailed to Karimunjawa on Mondays at 7am, Tuesdays and Fridays at 9am, and Saturdays at 10am, returning on Mondays at 1pm, Tuesdays at 10.30am, Saturdays at 8am and Sundays at 2pm. The Siginjai (economy/VIP 70,000/100,000Rp) sails from Jepara on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 7am, but takes four to six hours.
The Kartini I sails direct from Semarang at 9am on Mondays and Saturdays, returning on Wednesdays and Sundays at 1pm (business/executive class 140,000/160,000Rp, four hours). It also has departures on Thursdays and Fridays, when it sails via Jepara, which adds considerable time to the journey. From Jepara business/executive class
is 70,000/85,000Rp.
Be warned, economy tickets will put you below deck in often choppy seas, where sea sickness is more common than not, which is never pleasant.
As with lodging, it's vital to book transport well ahead of your trip, especially on weekends and during high season.
8Getting Around
From Pulau Karimunjawa it costs 400,000Rp to 500,000Rp to charter a wooden boat for a day trip to the outer islands or 100,000Rp for the short hop to Pulau Menjangan Besar and Kecil. There are very infrequent angkot operating on the islands and ojek will do short trips for 20,000Rp. Hiring a moped (60,000Rp per day) is a superb way to get around the main island’s 22km of rutted roads.
East Java
The least densely populated of Java’s provinces, East Java (Jawa Timur) is a wild, rolling region with dizzying peaks, smoking volcanoes and unspoilt panoramas. While the regional capital, Surabaya, has all the accoutrements of a booming Indonesian city, including freeways, multiplexes and a trademark traffic problem, there are far more attractive bases. Malang is a civilised city with a temperate climate ringed by some fascinating Hindu temples. Blitar has more temples and a historic site or two to explore, and Banyuwangi, linked to Bali by a 24-hour ferry service, makes a decent launch pad to two exquisite national parks and one spectacular volcanic plateau.
For most visitors, East Java is all about the raw, rugged appeal of its volcano-studded scenery and awesome landscapes. Nowhere is more synonymous with this than the sublime Bromo-Tengger Massif region, incorporating the volcanic peaks of Gunung Bromo (2392m) and Gunung Semeru (3676m) – Java’s highest mountain. The Bromo area and its puffing giants is an undisputed highlight, but the Ijen Plateau ranks very close, with a stunning crater lake, evocative coffee plantation econcomy, good hiking and fewer travellers.
Baluran National Park is the most accessible of Java’s wildlife reserves, but the southern route through East Java is the most scenic and has two great national parks: Meru Betiri, which protects a virgin beach where turtles nest; and Alas Purwo, which is hallowed among surfers for its gigantic reef breaks at G-Land. Just off the coast near Surabaya is the island of Madura, a place where traditions are particularly strong and famous bull races, known as kerapan sapi, are staged between August and October.
Surabaya
%031 / Pop 2.8 million
Your initial impressions are not going to be great. A polluted, congested, business-driven city, Surabaya is not ideal for visitors. Just crossing the eight-lane highways that rampage through the centre is a challenge in itself. Attractions are slim on the ground, and against the calm of rural East Java, it is pandemonium writ large.
And yet if you've the patience to explore, Surabaya has quixotic little corners of interest. Its historic Arab quarter is fascinating: a labyrinthine warren of lanes leading to a historic mosque that’s a place of pilgrimage. Surabaya also has one of Indonesia’s biggest Chinatowns and a roster of impressive, though disintegrating, Dutch buildings.
For most foreign visitors, the city is merely a place to change planes, trains or buses. For locals, however, Surabaya is closely linked to the birth of the Indonesian nation, as it was here that the battle for independence began. To them, Surabaya is Kota Pahlawan (City of Heroes), and statues commemorating independence are scattered all over the city.
Surabaya
1Top Sights
1House of SampoernaA1
1Sights
2ChinatownB1
3Gedung PTP XXIIA2
4Governor's ResidenceC6
5Jembatan MerahB2
6Kong Co Kong Tik Cun Ong TempleC2
7Mesjid AmpelC1
8Monumen Kapal SelamD6
9Pasar PabeanB1
4Sleeping
10CitihubB6
11Hotel 88C6
12Hotel Majapahit SurabayaB5
13Hotel PaviljoenB5
14Ibis RajawaliB2
15Sparkling Backpacker HotelD6
5Eating
16Ahimsa Vegan LoungeD5
17Food StallsC6
18House of Sampoerna CaféA1
19Kya KyaB2
20Pasar GentengB5
21Soto Ambengan Pak Sadi AsliC5
22Tunjungan PlazaB6
23WarungsC7
6Drinking & Nightlife
24ColorsC7
3Entertainment
Tunjungan 21B6
7Shopping
25Plaza SurabayaC6
1Sights
Old City
Even though much of Surabaya’s historic centre is literally falling to pieces, the old city easily wins the Most Attractive Neighbourhood prize. With crumbling Dutch architecture – including the stunning old governor's residence ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ), which was getting a major makeover when we came through – a souk-like Arab quarter and strong Chinese influences, it’s by far the most atmospheric part of Surabaya to explore.
From the old city you can head north to the Kalimas harbour, where brightly painted pinisi (Makassar or Bugis schooners) from Sulawesi and Kalimantan unload their wares.
Arab QuarterAREA
(Ampel)
Surabaya’s Arab Quarter – usually called Ampel or Kampung Arab – has the atmosphere and appearance of a North African medina. It is a warren of narrow lanes, marked by arched gateways crowned with Arabic script, and crowded with stalls selling prayer beads, peci (black Muslim felt hats) and other religious paraphernalia, alongside perfumes, dates and a plastic camel or two. Nasi goreng kembing (goat fried rice), is the top seller at local warungs, and all alleys lead to the Mesjid Ampel ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Ampel Suci).
The most sacred mosque in Surabaya, it was here that Sunan Ampel (one of the wali songo who brought Islam to Java) was buried in 1481. The mosque itself is a huge space, the vast expanse of its marble floor divided by dozens of wood-wrapped concrete columns, but there’s very little in the way of ornamentation. Behind the mosque pilgrims chant and present rose-petal offerings at Sunan Ampel’s grave.
You have to access the mosque on foot. The most direct route is to take the lane that leads west from Jl Ampel Suci. A crowd of becak marks the entrance.
oHouse of SampoernaMUSEUM
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %031-353 9000; www.houseofsampoerna.com; Jl Taman Sampoerna; h9am-10pm)F
Undoubtedly the city’s best-presented attraction, the House of Sampoerna is the home of one of Indonesia’s most famous kretek cigarette manufacturers (now owned by US-giant Altria, formerly Philip Morris). Whatever you think about the tobacco industry, this factory and museum make a fascinating place to visit. The building itself is a wonderful 19th-century Dutch structure, originally an orphanage but later converted into a theatre (indeed, Charlie Chaplin once dropped by).
The former lobby is now the museum and is something of a shrine to the Sampoerna empire. It has exhibits on the use of cloves and the history of kretek in Indonesia, alongside uniforms and drums of the Sampoerna marching band and other quirky company curios. There's also an incredible collection of cigarette lighters, holders and cases, mainly from Europe, as well as some Ming dynasty china and a vintage Heidelberg printing press.
Upstairs there’s a bird’s-eye perspective of the factory’s shop floor, where hundreds of women hand roll, trim and pack the Dji Sam Soe brand (banned from most countries as the tar content is so strong). The fastest rollers here churn out 4000 cigarettes a day, their fingers a blur of motion. Because air-conditioning can affect the tobacco (and fans would blow it around) it's a steamy, humid workplace.
You’ll be accompanied by a highly informative, English-speaking guide; the complete tour lasts between 30 minutes and an hour depending on your interest. Note that the museum is open late, but the factory section closes around 3pm.
After your visit, be sure to have a drink in the excellent neighbouring cafe-restaurant and consider a trip on the company's intriguing sightseeing bus tour, the Surabaya Heritage Track.
ChinatownAREA
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; E of Jl Panggung)
&nb
sp; Directly south of the Arab Quarter is Surabaya’s Chinatown, with hundreds of small businesses and shophouses. Its historic buildings are crumbling and the streets are crowded and none-too-clean, but it's still worthy of some good photo ops. Becak and hand-pulled carts are still the best way to transport goods through the narrow streets. Pasar Pabean ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ) is a sprawling, darkly-lit market, which links the Chinese and Arab quarters, where you can buy everything from Madurese chickens to Chinese crockery.
Each afternoon and evening a fish market breaks out on the streets leading to and from the market, with species from tiny fingernail-sized baitfish, to shellfish, to massive specimens of shark. Indonesia is among the worst offenders when it comes to shark fishing and shark finning, but it is a classic Indonesian fish market scene, nonetheless. Further east near the canal, the highly evocative Kong Co Kong Tik Cun Ong ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Dukuh) delivers a blast of unflitered culture. The primarily Buddhist complex (with dashes of Confucian and Taoist influences) spans two sides of a small gang, arched with temple gateways. Expect the usual flickering candles, wafting incense and praying pilgrims, concrete columns wrapped with dragons and latticed teak altars.
Lonely Planet Indonesia Page 29
