Yogyakarta, Indonesia - Out and About in Jogja

Yogyakarta, or as the locals say, Jog-ja, is a fantastic small Indonesian city. Known as the cultural heart of Indonesia, Jogja is a place thats easy to like. Friendly people, great food, and history, Jogja takes care of the old and embraces the new. "We call them murals" a local said to me as I admired a graffiti wall. " So do we!". Never have I seen a city with more graffiti, harmoniously blending in with the equally prolific number of Batik galleries and traditional Javanese leather puppet makers. Having spent almost a week in Jogja, leaving, I had a feeling we should have stayed longer. Much longer. Jogja is also a great base for the many temples surrounding the city, some of which date back more than a thousand years. More on that, later. For now, I thought I would just treat this post as a bit of a photo essay. Enjoy.

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Mount Bromo, Java, Indonesia - Smoke em if ya got em.

Mount Bromo, East Java, Indonesia. Another day, another active volcano. Rising pre-dawn, we journeyed up Mount Penanjakan (2700 metres) in an old-school Toyota Landcrusier, for the views over the other-worldly Bromo-Tengger-Semuru Nataional park. Yada yada, incredible sunrise, ancient temple rising from the thick fog on the spectacular Sea of Sand lava plain, multiple smoking volcano craters, guy on a horse, back in time for breakfast. Indonesia is freakin awesome.

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Sulphur Miners of Mount Ijen Volcano Crater, Indonesia. The Job From Hell.

Could this be the job from hell? Breathing stinking toxic fumes. Hour after choking hour. Walking for miles, weighed down like pack mules carrying loads of up to one hundred kilograms, in temperatures few could bare. All, for as little as a few dollars a day. How long would you last, working in a live volcano?

In Eastern Java, Indonesia, Mount Ijen looms above the landscape. A 2800 meter volcano, Ijen is a mystical and frightening place for the local people. But the volcano is also a source of income, for those men hardy enough, and desperate enough, to enter its active crater to work as sulfur miners.  At four in the morning, the miners begin their grueling day. A four kilometer walk into the crater mine is just the beginning. These men extract sulfur with little more than their bare hands, a primitive method long since abandoned in the western world. Carrying the back-breaking load using bamboo baskets, back up to the top of the crater, and then down the mountain, is a job that some men have performed for decades.

When I arrived at the bottom of the crater, my eyes welled with tears. The extreme natural beauty of the turquoise coloured crater lake, and the surrealistic mine-site, were almost too much to bare. The miners were very considerate to me. There was a clear sense that I was a welcome guest in their work place. I stayed in the crater for an hour or two, as various miners safely toured me around. On the way up and down the dangerous, steep, rocky path, the foul smelling toxic plumes were choking me. My eyes were weeping, my nose and throat burning. Breathing was difficult, my chest felt tight, like asthma. More than once I thought, this is not a good idea.

Back at the top of the crater, I returned to a waiting Phillipa (who, by this time, was clearly worried for my safety). Not knowing how to begin to explain what I had seen, I attempted to describe a most bizarre combination of incredible beauty, and outright hell that these workers endure. I simply could not hold back the tears any longer.

I will never forget this day. Click Read more, to see the spectacular Ijen active volcano and its workers.

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Banyuwangi - The Far East of Java, Indonesia, and Ijen Crater, Part 1

So, you find yourself in a crowded swimming pool at an East Javanese Hotel. Java. The most populous Muslim island on earth. Alah akbah, it is so hot here. I decided to jump in the hotel pool, with my tshirt on. What a nice polite whitey. That's what I want them to think. I'm not big on offending people, and religion and politics aside, I'm more than happy to do what it takes to fit in. Its not my country, I'm a guest here. I did get a few curious stares, a few hello's, and even a "where are you from". Surrounded by nothing but smiles, ladies in full length swimming attire, and men smoking by the pool, I got my daily respite from the stifling heat. Phillipa looked particularly risque, in an outfit that (gasp) almost came up to her knees. It was packed, there were a lot of people checking us out. Whiteys here = 2, Indonesian Muslims = everyone else.

Thanks to Leo, a government official who greeted us at the Ketapang ferry terminal, we find ourselves at the Berlian Abadi Hotel, in Banyuwangi, East Java "It is my job to ask a few questions, and have all whiteys register their arrival here". We obliged. My sense told me, I can trust this guy. Maybe it was his glasses. Leo hooked up a room for us, for 132,000 rupiah a night (about $16.50 AUD). Huge pool with water slides, air-con (hell yes), a TV, and a private Mandi and squat toilet. This will be first Mandi experience, an Indonesian bathroom where instead of a shower or bath, you just wash yourself with a plastic cup. Why didn't I think of that? Leo also hooked up a Bemo for us, from the ferry terminal to the hotel. Bemo is Indonesian for "shitty old van used for public tranport". He also pre-negotiated the price, at $1.25 AUD for both of us. This price didn't include a seat for our two backpacks, they got thrown on the roof, no roof rack, not tied down. "No problem! no problem!" the driver repeated, and sure enough we, and our luggage, made it safely down the bumpy road. Leo also mentioned that we were the 3rd and 4th whitey tourists to register in Banyuwangi today. Howdy, number 1 and 2, from Belgium.

Coincidentally, on an island of about a hundred million strangers, we bumped into a familiar face at the local seafood restaurant we chose for dinner (the food here is amazing). "LEO! My man! Grab yourself a grilled prawn or some Ikan Bakar!". Leo was now hooking up another deal for us, a tour to several volcanoes and a coffee plantation. We told him the Abadi Hotel was great, but we would like to stay in the middle of town tomorrow night "to just hang with the locals and eat local food". Leo said he would sort something out, and that we wouldn't need to pay. This guy just might be, a bloody legend.

The photos below (click Read more >> to view) show the Abadi Muslim Hotel, street life in the wonderfully friendly town of Banyuwangi, East Java (HELLO MISTER!), and the stunning scenery leading up to the Ijen volcano crater. Ijen is possibly the most amazing sight I have ever witnessed. After we climbed to the top of the volcano, with some hesitation I started to make the dangerous descent into the bottom of the active crater. The experience moved me to tears. Next post, you will see why. At the bottom of the crater is seriously one of the most bizarre, moving, and surreal experiences anyone could ever have. Check back soon for more details.

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Balangan Beach, Bali, Indonesia, Flowerbud Bungalows - Paradise

Balangan Beach, on the Bukit Peninsula in Southern Bali, is my kind of paradise. The long stretch of white sand, flanked by interesting rocky cliffs, is almost empty. There are more surfers in the water than people on the beach. A string of warungs serves up cheap and tasty Indonesian meals, with your choice of fresh fruit juice, or a Bintang beer. Flowerbud Bungalows, perched on the bluff above the beach, is a small group of Gilligans-island-esque huts offering amazing value. Jump out of the newly installed inifinity pool (two weeks old), take a quick walk through cliff-top green paddocks, past the cows and chickens, to see an amazing view looking down on Balangan Beach. Its all about the beach, there is nothing else out here. Spend a few nights, spend an eternity. Either way, it seems kind of crazy to leave this spot.

It is hot. Really, hot. The tropical heat and humidity is intense. So hot I can feel my skull burning when I try to think. For three days, we have done nothing but swim, laze under some rocks on a desolate part of Balangan, and sleep. Our bungalow has no hot water, no lighting, no aircon, no phone, not a single lux-ur-y...like Robinson Carusoe, its primitive as can be. It does have a great elevated, shaded, porch, with daybeds to laze on, and private outdoor bathroom, complete with bamboo shower. No showerhead, just a stream of gloriously cold water. The cook will take care of you at anytime, meal prices at Flowerbud are the same as the warungs down on the beach.

We paid 300,000 rupiah a night, including breakfast for two of toast, fresh fruit, and coffee. By Bali standards, its a bit out of the way, if we were staying here longer, I'd probably rent a car or a couple of scooters. Read more, to see the photos of Balangan Beach, Bali, Indonesia.

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I'm not sure I can see the upside of being in Bali for "Nyepi Day, the Balinese Day of Silence"

Shutting up. There isn't much of a chance of doing that for 24 hours straight. Once a year, that's exactly what the Indonesian island of Bali is all about. "Religious cops" (hello, irony) patrol the streets, asking locals and foreigners alike to "please return to your home or hotel", or "please refrain from enjoying any personal amusements or indulgences". Nobody is allowed outside. Nobody. Even the Denpasar international airport shuts down for 24 hours. Now, apart from being perhaps the ideal 24 hour period to nurse a banging hangover, I'm not sure I can see the upside of being in Bali for "Nyepi Day, the Balinese Day of Silence". Fortunately, our one-way tickets departing Perth, Australia are now finally booked, we will be arriving at Denpasar in about 48 hours, four days prior to "Nyepi-Oh-Ten" (sounds a lot slicker than  "Nyepi 2010", I mean come on, "Nyepi-Oh-Ten"? Theres' a Bintang co-lab in that for sure, thank me later).

I estimate we can be off the island of Bali within about 48 hours. Nyepi, a local tradition dating back eons, will sensibly be avoided, the impossible day of excruciating tasks that torments so many locals and foreigners alike will certainly not be our downfall. No, it will be onwards, to the island of Java. "Java - The Most Populous of ALL Muslim Islands" (tm). The next post is tentatively entitled  "So, now we're in Java, do ya think a little fucking research might have helped?".

Before we leave, a photo from our home town of Perth. Photo number one, of many to come on noplanes.com. 140 William Street, Perth, Western Australia. My favourite "under construction" tower in the City of Perth.