Jogjakarta: Cultural Tourism in Indonesia

If you choose Indonesia for your holiday, do not miss Java Island. Java is very popular island because the capital of Indonesia “Jakarta” is located here. Jogjakarta, Central Java, is the center of original Javanese culture. So, for you who are interested at culture tourism, make Jogjakarta as your holiday destinatiom. Images coming across in our mind when hearing word “Jogjakarta” are its traditional music instrument “Gamelan” and traditional dances. Many foreigners come to Jogjakarta to learn gamelan. When visiting UGM (Gajah Mada University) I found a class for foreigner who wants to learn about gamelan. For us, listening to gamelan gives the effect “peaceful feeling”. This music brings us to concept of simple life. We feel like enough and don’t need anything else in this life. Gamelan and traditional dances with slow motion are really reflection of Javanese people. Here are some descriptions about Javanese people especially Jogjakarta

• Jogjakarta people have simple life. It can be said that wild ambition never exists (not for young people). Being with family and getting healthy are the concept of perfect life. They can be happy, satisfied and grateful with their life in any condition.
• People there are well known to have soft feeling and higher standard of politeness than other Javanese. They use the most polite Javanese language (there are 3 kinds of Javanese languages based on the level of politeness). Their gesture when communicating really indicates “much respect”, even to younger people. As young Javanese who come from Surabaya (Metro City) I felt coward and embarrassed when much older man talked to me. Young people mostly forget how to communicate with older people.
• Jogjakarta people almost can’t speak frankly and honestly about something which can make other people feel bad. They can’t give you negative judgment. They are good in pretending and hiding their feeling to create the good environment in getting along with their friends or neighbours. They will not express something that can make someone upset or annoyed.
• Probably, they are the most patient people in Indonesia. They give high tolerance and acceptance.

Start Your Travel From Malioboro Street

Want to understand Javanese culture? Just spend your holiday in Jogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. It’s the center of Javanese culture where people still hold the original Javanese culture strongly in all their life aspects. Malioboro Street is the famous place to start the holiday in Jogjakarta. Here is where the most foreign tourists stay. I have been there for a week. Besides providing a lot of cheap hotels, Malioboro Street is near Jogyakarta Palace. You just need to walk to go there. Moreover, this street provides a lot of the art works in sidewalk. My favorite view is the crossroad of Malioboro Street, in front of the post office and Bank Indonesia. This building was built by Netherlands colony. The crossroad has wide sidewalk. This view also becomes the popular target for foreign photographer.

Malioboro Street is identical with “Lesehan”, a sort of food court in sidewalk along Malioboro. They are called Lesehan because these places don’t provide chairs. When having meals, people sit on the carpet around the short table. Lesehan open only at the evening. After the sun goes down, the food sellers run the tents. They generally provide local food “Gudeg”.

Ijen Crater: The Real Adventure in Indonesia

If you have not visited Kawah Ijen “The green sulphur crater” in East Java ,Indonesia, then you are not the real adventurer yet . The crater lake is famous for its green and blue appearance. This volcano is located in the border between Bondowoso and Banyuwangi, East Java. Banyuwangi itself is the first district you will reach when you come to Java through Bali. When my friends invited me to join their wild trip, I never thought how amazing the crater is.
The air is very cold. If all Indonesian people can come up to Bromo Mountain, only few can stand with the coldness of Ijen volcano area. It really makes Indonesian adventurer frozen. I cooked instant noodle on the top of Ijen and its become cold in a second.

The crater shows the best view in the morning, therefore, we started walking up the path much early. It is about 3 kilometers before we reached the top. The path to the crater is hard to get through. That is why mostly the visitors are man. But the sulfur miners can climb up easily. They didn’t let me give up when I started felling so powerless.
When you reach the top of the volcano, you will forget about how hard the trip is and how tired you feel. The landscape of the crater is so amazing. The green crater deposits sulphur. The volcanic gases keep coming out. If you go down the crater you can see the sulphur production and many sulphur miner carry the sulphur stone in baskets which can weigh up to 100 kg each out of the crater. However they have no difficulty when walking up the narrow path to the crater rim and continue walking down for 3 km before they reach the truck around conservation office.

How You can reach Ijen crater

Through Bondowoso district

We took this route last time because our university is around Bondowoso. Foreign tourists usually take this way too after visiting Bromo mountain. If you don’t take your own car, you can start the trip from Bondowoso terminal. The terminal provides minibus with the special route Terminal - Kawah Ijen. But the minibus operates only twice a day. After leaving the last village in Sempol sub-district, the view along the road is very beautiful and natural. From the village, it takes you about 12 kilometers going up before you arrived at conservation office of Ijen volcano. I felt so small when going through the forest. It is full of huge green trees and coffee plantation. Although the road here is well developed, it is steadily going up forward

Through Banyuwangi district
From Banyuwangi you go to Licin. The road Banyuwangi – Licin is well developed. This route is for foreign route is for foreign tourists who continue their trip from Bali. After leaving Licin, It is the wild route. The forest in Banyuwangi is totally wild. You almost can’t see the sky because the trees cover it and make the forest dark. The road about 6 kilometers before conservation office is stony. Even, I and friends had to move a tree lying down before our car. You must prepare your car well and do not use old car unless you will get stuck in the forest.

How People in Kuta Get Along With Tourist

Bali is the most favorite tourist destination. That is what a travel magazine of America said. It makes me wondering what make foreign tourists love Bali and always want to visit again and again. Of course, the beauty of nature and culture become answers. But many other places as beautiful as Bali are not as popular as Bali. Every time I say that I am from Indonesia, the people I am chatting with in internet then ask me if I am from Bali and if I say “no” they usually ask how far my hometown from that island of God. Bali seems more popular than Jakarta. So, when I got a chance to stay (thought only short time) in Kuta, I tried to find the answer.

This time I decide to stay around the Kuta beach. I rent a room in Poppies Street. Poppies Street or Poppies Lane is well known as “Tourist Village”. Some resources told me that foreign tourists who plan to stay for couple months will choose Poppies area to stay. They can get easily the inn, hotel, place to eat, bar, café and other facility with the low cost. Those tourism facilities are located among the local people house. So, foreign tourist and Balinese live in the same neighborhood. Because I am from outside Bali, it is very interesting to know how they can interact well each other. Many tourists feel Kuta as home and want to come back next holiday.

I have found that language has significant contribution. Foreign tourists feel comfortable when communicating with local people there. People who come to Kuta for first time probably get surprised about the ability of speaking foreign language of the vendor on Kuta beach especially speaking English. During my visit to Kuta, I have not found local people who could not speak English. Foreign tourist can interact with local people without barrier. Even, some vendors are able to speak Japanese well. One day, I came to a friend’s place on beach to have breakfast. She and her mother sell food and drinks. When I came, a tourist from Japan got coffee while teaching my friend some Japanese words. There is no doubt that language is kind of “password” if we want to be accepted by a different culture. Communicating in same language will not make people from different culture feel like “stranger”. They can know better each other because of the less distance.

In many occasion especially on Saturday night, when I walked along Poppies Lane, about 200 meters from the monument of Bali bomb tragedy, I often found some white young guys having fun together with local guys. They sit around café, surfing shop, internet café while playing guitar, singing, drinking and laughing. Good interaction also can be found on beach. They play volleyball, football, surfing and singing together. on the street I often found the foreign tourist and local people greet each other when they meet in passing. Even, in August, the foreign tourists take a part in Indonesian Independence Day celebration by joining the traditional game competition. As Indonesian people, personally I really appreciate it.

What I am trying to say here is local people in Kuta ( and I am sure other area too) do not think the foreign tourists as “tourist” or “ guest” but local people consider them as “ old friend”. The fact that their inn or hotels are side by side with local house has aroused more intensity of interaction between them and they become as if “real neighbor”. They become real friend. It is very often that those tourists will make farewell party when the holiday ends. I was bit surprised when I saw some tourists said goodbye to the vendors and some of them gave some stuff to the vendors or surfing board guy. Though the holiday ends, they will keep in touch. Usually people on beach will know who is coming this month.

The feeling to be welcomed and the adaptation ability of local people truly become aspect that make tourists always miss Bali and want to visit again.

POPPIES LANE: Perfect Place For Backpacker in Kuta

There is “Kampung Bule “ or “Tourist Village” near Hard Rock, Kuta Bali. That was my friend told me when we visited Kuta beach some years ago. I was so curious that time but we had strict schedule so I could not explore the area. Since then, I promised to come again.

I can make it this year. Taxi driver took me from the airport to Poppies Lane.. Indonesian people call Poppies “kampung bule” because mostly people you meet here are foreign tourist and Indonesian call them “Bule”. Honestly, I felt that I was stranger and that alley belongs to bule. We went around the whole area before finding a cheap room in Poppies Lane 2. Poppies area is divided into two: Poppies Lane 1 and Poppies Lane 2. You can reach Poppies Lane from Legian Street or Kuta beach. This alley is located between Kuta beach and Legian Street. After putting down my bag in hotel room, the exploration began. I walked down along Poppies Lane 2 to the north and at the end of the alley, I arrived at the monument of Bali Bomb Tragedy in Legian Street.

I start thinking that Poppies Street is really perfect for backpacker with the following reason:
The are a lot of hotels, inn, internet cafe, souvenir shops, surfing board shops, places to eat, bars, night clubs along the street. Those facilities are much cheaper than other resort in Bali. You can get a room with the price about US $ 7. If you run out of money , you can get food only with US$ 0.50 on beach.

You can walk to the Kuta beach. It takes only 5 or 10 minutes to reach the beach. Poppies Lane is near the airport, only about 15 minutes driving.

Poppies Lane is perfect place for people who come to Bali for the first time and do not know much about destination in Bali because there are many travel information along Poppies Street and they provide some tour packets. They also provide daily tour. Along the Poppies alley I saw the board telling us about the daily tour: price, destination, time to pick up and how many seat left (tour in group). This is what make Bali is different from other areas in Indonesia.

For you who prefer going anywhere and anytime, Poppies Lane provides a lot of motorbike rental. The good thing is you can take surfing board on it.Surfing and hanging out with friends are everything for young people and Poppies lane has got that.

In short I can tell you that with low cost, you can get amazing and unforgettable memories in Kuta . At least, that what I have got.