My personal travel stories for Indonesia Part 1: Java

Why Indonesia captured my heart and soul and I keep on traveling there to discover its beauty – Part 1: Traveling through Java.

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Back in 2014 I decided to go for a backpack trip through Indonesia. I started my trip on the island of Java. In Bandung the absolute highlight was picking some strawberries from hand up in the highlands, watching how hand made tofu was produced in a cellar and eating best spicy crispy chicken legs in the streets of Yogyakarta packed in a piece of newspaper.

While walking alone through the colorful streets of Yogyakarta I bumped into a little market. A beautiful ancient lady laughed at me and spoke through her soul, she did not understand English but her eyes told me to taste her food. They prepare the most simple street food you can ever imagine and they invite you to try everything. After my market tour a bike Rikscha driver invited me to a city ride. I spent 4 hours of historical, cultural and culinary experiences I will never forget. No lonely planet can list, what beauty this city has to offer. I recommend spending 10-15 days in Java, 2 days in Yogyakarta at least.

Borobudur Temple – One of the world’s seven wonder

The absolute cultural highlight in Java is the visit of the Borobudur Temples. Borobudur temple is the world’s biggest Buddhist monument, an ancient site widely considered to be one of the world’s seven wonder. The ambience up here is magical, calming and inspiring. The temple consists of a pyramidal base with five concentric square terraces, the trunk of a cone with three circular platforms. At the top is a monumental stupa. Around the circular platforms are 72 openwork stupas, each containing a statue of the Buddha. The monument was restored with the help of UNESCO in the 1970s.

After your Yogyakarta visit plan enough time for some volcano hiking! I recommend 3-5 days.

Where to go after Yogyakarta – Mount Bromo and Ijen Crater

My travel continued by minibus to mount Bromo and the Ijen Crater that is south of Java very close to the Island of Bali. I knew before my travels, that Indonesia has to offer a complete program when it comes to nature and culture.

Mount Bromo was a smooth start. It stands tall at 2329 m and is one of the most iconic and most hiked mountain in Indonesia. The volcano is still active. You have group tours organizing your trip. I did it by myself. The must do there is the sunrise hike. It takes about 1-2 hours hike to the first vantage point. Sun rises at 5.30am, so plan your time best to get there.

Where to sleep – Tour Organisator for your trip

You may find various guesthouses and basic hotels located around Mount Bromo. I found plenty of my accommodation through airbnb or through the local operator that organized our trekking trips. Most of them organize different tours through Java.

Contact: Mobile : +62 85231865900
What’s App : +62 81939793336
Email: bromoindonesiatravel@gmail.com

Ijen Crater – magical blue waters: the world’s largest highly acidic crater lake

Distance: 14km round trip hike. Duration: 3 to 5 hours depending on your fitness level.

After the first smooth hike to Mount Bromo a more challenging one going up to Ijen Crater was program of Day 3. The hike up here is tuff but if you start around 4 am in the morning you have good time to get there to admire the sunrise. The highlight up at the crater is to admire the ‘blue fire’ in the dark. To see that the midnight tour is recommended.

The landscape up here is out of this world. The flames appear at the base of Ijen Crater and are caused by sulphuric gas catching fire.

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