Dubai

When I got to Dubai, I may not have been full of plans but I was full of preconceptions. I had been before - in the spring of 1999 and positive impressions had not been left. That may have been the fact it was basically a day trip but I was even less well travelled at that point so it should have left some memories. I mean, other than Ikea. I probably should have noted my thoughts down...
I knew it'd be pretty different this time - as much me and my circumstances as the city^[1].

Once I got to the airport, I was expecting rz4 and 5 to be there but I could not see them^[2] - and as I'd lost my phone a week earlier [link] I could not call. I got online and sent a message but I just waited. Not for too long but, as with my first impressions in transit, the space seemed vast for the use it had. Once I saw rz4, I sidled over and we greeted each other in that nonchalant way that can happen with people you feel close to. I'd said I'd meet them somewhere closer to town but they persuaded me that if they came, we could "start" quicker so we went to their car... I say car but it was massive - bigger than I had imagined a couple would have. My bag went in the back and rattled around like a thought in my empty head. It only had two doors even though it was massive.
I said I had no plans and we made some there and then. By "made", of course I mean we started on the road and decided on the road that food would be nice - off to that bastion of modern culture - the mall, and being Dubai, it was definitely going to be the (something, something) biggest in the world [link].

It is rare for me to be in a car at all, but also to spend so much time looking forward is something I only usually experience if I'm lucky on the 263^[3]. The road we were on was very wide and very straight. From what I saw of Dubai, this trunk road linked the whole emirate up and it was essentially a rectangular city with this road going through it. On one side was the (unseen) coast and the other had the vaguely famous Dubai metro snaking through roads vertically. This was to be a common thread.
I wasn't particularly hungry so I had a coffee whilst rz4+5 had some actual lunch. It was nice catching up though one nice thing on the trip as a whole was how familiar it felt with all the rzs. This is not always the case but I find it happens on holiday for me.

Dubai Mall
The mall was, indeed, vast and inside there was a shark pool (aquarium does not sound as good) of sorts with people swimming inside. There were also other bits of "art" to break up the shops a bit.
We were quite near the Burj Khalifa (which is the tallest building in the world - by quite some margin) and so we made our way there and waited for the water display which is spectacular in its own way. There are actually a number of different displays that it cycles through at regular intervals so we ended up seeing quite a few of them and the mixture of water, music and lights was quite the attraction. Although we had a café seat, many many people were standing around to see it all ⁴.

In the evening, after a stopoff "home", we made our way to rz5's friend's restaurant which was by the marina. Of course, we drove there as did everyone else and there was quite the selection of expensive and shiny cars being valet parked in nearby hotels with plenty of the beautiful⁵ people on nights out. In many ways, it was nice that so many made so much effort and with the heat as it was, there was a lot of flesh on display in this conservative country to go and have some drinks.
We parked (after getting a little stuck in a sand pit with steep entrances) and were seated next to the water where we could appreciate the flipside of the constant air-conditioning - all the heat that is taken out of the environment is then, essentially pumped out again to the exterior so we were in a very warm, and noisy space. We moved. It is only now that I notice the prevalence of these vents around London now, but they are a lot warmer.
The food was great, and satisfying, as was the conversation and environment. Strangely, for such a car-centric place, you don't actually see cars a lot of the time as the massive buildings have massive car parks too so often hidden away. I was struck by the number of young children out and playing as it was past midnight by this point but it was a very relaxing kind of atmosphere and family-friendly by the water. Lights reflecting on water is always calming.

Dubai Creek
The next morning, we made our way to the "older" part of town with older boats and a more traditional (though it had that heritage feel actually, of refurbished tradition) feel (near the Dubai Creek). I also wanted to see a souk of some kind (though it was basically a market) which looked suitably dark and dusty.

The water was so clear and the sun so bright that it felt very clean and stylised. I actually really enjoyed the little boat ride (the boats are called "abra")which is very cheap (1 dirham I think) and feels quite cool due to being close to the water. It is not really suitable for genuine mass transport so it is a bit of a leisure trip but it may be suitable for commuting. The souk was near one of the ports and so we had a little wander (and classically misunderstood shop signs are a staple of any enjoyable holiday) before heading back for another bit of mall-based dinner where I met a friend of rz4+5 (it would be rz6) as it was quick, easy and had a lot of variety in a food court. This was so that we had time to be back home for the dune bashing pickup which I'd be going to with rz5 (rz4 was busy, and had been before).

Dune Bashing
For the "dune bashing" someone came to collect us (myself and rz5) and we were driven to the desert. It felt kind of isolated and there were only the four of us in the 4WD (A Toyota Landcruiser) with the driver so it was pretty comfortable. Seeing the desert stretch out was actually pretty eerie and the dunes were strangely calming. I think, due to the shifting sands, the dunes seem untouched quite soon after they had been driven over so it is a constantly evolving view. It wasn't peaceful for long - unbeknownst to me, this was to be a quite a convoy of cars. And we would see quite a lot of other convoys too.
Driving along (belted in of course, the cars have been known to flip quite regularly), the dunes were quite slippy in places and steep too so as we drove along the top, you could see almost vertically down. It was a lot of fun, like a roller-coaster but slow and jerky - maybe like a "Mouse".

The dune bashing was not the only part of the "dune bashing" and we were later taken to a little fort (not sure exactly) for further entertainment. We got taken to a camel pen for some petting and photos⁶ and were then left to our own devices until dinner. Inside the dinner bit, where tables and stools had been set up outside, under the darkening blue skies, with areas for fancy dress, falconry, drinks and snack. It was pretty nice in there, relaxed and "old-fashioned" with little artificial light and no real mod-cons. There was also an area to take a camel ride - an opportunity I didn't want to miss. After waiting for a bit, waiting mainly while people jumped queues, we were allowed to "board" and then walked along for a short while. I enjoyed it and I was told by rz5 that this was the most civilised of the dune bashing he'd done.
The food was fairly standard Arabic fare of kebabs, bread and dips but it was good and we also got table service. That was followed, and it was after sundown now by some further dancing entertainment. Some of the women from the crowd were invited onto the stage to join the dancer and so learnt a little - there was also one dancer who _just_ basically span around for minutes. It looked good in photos at least (if held steadily).
We were driven back home too which was a good tourist service actually - makes it accessible for those without cars too.

Friends and chat
I then went to meet another friend, well an old friend that I'd not seen for a while. It was already quite late (about midnight) but I was glad to see her and her husband - though her daughter was understandably sleeping. She lived "downtown" near the Burj but her husband had bought the flat off-plan and had seen the area grow from a dusty bowl to what it was now. The view was pretty impressive though I took no photos, rather stupidly.
The next morning, rz5 had to go off to work but rz4 didn't, and so I had a pleasant breakfast with her which was probably the only time we spent together. My only regret was missing out on meeting with one other person^[7]. Always fun and pretty tasty food too. 

I was going to go to the airport by metro but both rz4+5 thought it was risky and that I needed to check the times, the frequency, the cost, if I could actually just buy a ticket etc. As it happens, you can just buy a ticket and the metro station is brilliantly located within the airport so is supremely easy to use for the airport^[8].

And with that, it was over. The plane was similar to all others, I had problems getting from Heathrow back home due to engineering works so I felt very much back into the swing of things as soon as I landed...
London, I missed you but I'll forget why within the week, I'm sure.

Dubai 2013 - click for photo album

<sup>1. I was much younger, travelling with my father and also visiting my uncle in Abu Dhabi so we spent a short time in Dubai which was not really within my control. I remember little of the city but I do remember seeing a goat's throat being slit on a TV screen at some meat stall and feeling a little sick.↩
2. Although I had no phone, I did contact them via PS Vita, but they did not receive the message until after they saw me anyway.↩
3. London bus route: Barnet - Holloway↩
4. I can sometimes be a little sniffy about modern, urban tourist delights but this would be, for a lot of people from smaller towns and villages, a very impressive sight.↩
5. I don't use the adjective beautiful very often and I use it here, very much within the phrase "beautiful people" rather than people that are beautiful. I actually really hate the cheapening of the word - especially when used to describe mobile phone applications or design. For me, beauty is beyond the aesthetic and needs to have an emotional and moving element. In this case, it refers, specifically to a particular look of being carefully dressed in expensive looking clothes and designer attire.↩
6. As many people know, I am not a huge fan of animals and so approached the camels with some trepidation. Our driver may have sensed this and made me jump, entertaining carloads of people, by making a camel like sound. For some reason in groups, I always seem to make myself known.↩
7. A When I was passing through Dubai on my way to Singapore, other than being charmed by the floor tiling, I also sent a message on social media to mention I was in DXB and received a message back from a cousin whom it would have been great to meet up with... but they were away and although I left a message, they received it 12 hours later and so our chance had gone. I was a bit sad about that as she was very helpful in pointing things out and I felt really rather welcomed.↩
8. The metro stations in town are less well crafted and require long walks as they are running next to the road and have clearly been designed as something to see from outside rather than be used.↩</sup>

KL - on the way to Singapore?

Getting In
The coach to Kuala Lumpur (or KL as it is known by most here) was not as exciting as that to Melaka. As I said, Melaka coach station is a little further out of the city than it should be, and so a separate bus journey is needed (and Melaka is small) to a charmless shopping mall style station.
Once I got to KL, I got the train from the integrated (at last!) bus/train station but it was very unclear which way to go and you could not just buy a ticket and board. Anyway, got to the monorail^[1] from KL Sentral to the station for my hotel. In all honesty, I got a little lost and had a break to get some lunch. A good lunch of curry in what appeared to be another type of Little India.

Once I dropped my bags off, I had only one place that I knew - the Petronas Twin Towers. It was hot, it was humid but luckily there was a covered walkway with air conditioning pretty much all the way there. It felt a little insulated but it did the job. And there was at least quite a lot of humanity joining me.
It was too late to go up the tower but at least I knew what to do the next day - come back here pretty early to get tickets. rz2^[2] had told me a bit about KL and mentioned a great bookshop - which I assumed was Kinokuniya [link] (from business trips, though I'd imagine she is a heavier reader than me, definitely seemed that way). I was right and so I checked it out - it was quite nice to see such a large bookshop and on top of that, it reminded me of large Japanese bookshops. There was not a great deal for me to do so, after a quick walk around the area of the hotel and a bite to eat, I returned to my hotel knowing that I would need to get out fairly early the next morning to get the Petronas Tower booked.



The second day with sightseeing included
The next morning, I was out fairly early to get a ticket for a 6pm ish viewing so that I could get the sunset. Now I had to decide where to go before that...
Batu Caves was a little out of town and, in its feel for the journey only, reminded me of Ueltiberg [link]. It should give better views than that though purely because of the weather. Batu Caves is a limestone hill that contains series of caves and Hindu temples within the complex. The most obvious feature is the huge gold statue next to the long flight of stairs. As you approach from the train station, it towers above you (side-on) but my eyes caught the monkeys, monkeying around, more than anything else.

The temples are within the limestone caves and so it is fairly dark and damp in there. As a result, the caves are quite cool inside and not that busy (though this may have been timing). There were more monkeys inside and it was pretty spectacular in the caves, though a fair bit of rubbish left around on the ground did take away from it a bit. I didn't stick around for ages and got the train back. Interestingly, my fare back was twice the price as it is subsidised on the way to the caves (it was still cheap either way).
Once back into the centre, I had some time to kill before my plans with the tower so I wondered what to do as I wandered. I found myself at KL tower - the not quite as impressive as it once was old centre point. I went and had a look around but not up.
Rather fortuitously, I went into the shopping centre near my hotel and found a mini model mecha exhibition. That was a nice surprise. I think some elements of Japanese culture have travelled successfully in Asia and anime exports fairly easily. I hear it is even popular in the west in certain circles.

I made my way to the twin towers along the same walkway as before (third time now) and decided to have a look around in the daytime and the night time after.
The weather wasn't great but the view was still exceptional. I'd timed it pretty well so saw the sun setting and the city lighting up. That was always one of my (rare) pleasures in Tokyo from TMGB.
After that, I was ready to return so I did to go out for some dinner with TC^[3] who had now arrived from Melaka. As she had been to, and through, KL a few times before, we went somewhere she had been before for a spot of dinner and some "atmosphere". A good dinner and a fitting end.

The next day, I was out pretty early to get the KLIA Ekspres train from Sentral again. It was a good service as there was a city air terminal so I could check in and not worry about my bags from the city centre onwards.
The airport, near Sepang, is much like any other modern city airport and shows the direction that Malaysia has set itself. Modern, developed and a bit like the other modern, vertical cities. And that is a debating point in itself...

The last leg was in Dubai - was it a holiday destination or just a resting point on the way home? 

Kuala Lumpur - click for photo album

<sup>1. The monorail, interestingly, was heavily sponsored and branded. The line map showed each station with the sponsor's name first and in the graphic part of the map (in my case "Sharp") and when you saw each station, the advertising was massive and quite intrusive. One of the stations was KFC branded and the whole station had KFC adverts inside it - not sure I'd want that in the morning.↩
2. rendezvous 2, met in Singapore↩
3. Travelling Companion↩</sup>

Straight to Melaka/Malacca

Another day almost entirely on transport, but this was much more enjoyable on a coach with some pleasant conversation with a stranger, very nice scenery and comfortable seating. The romance of bus travel, in fact.

On the Buses
Having got picked up, we snaked our way through Penang's main island to make our way to Butterworth and that in itself took one hour. After that, we were on the road with a single stop for a "comfort break". The gentleman sitting next to me on the coach (although he was almost lying with the level of recline, and not that close as the seats were pretty wide) did actually strike up conversation with me. He was travelling with his family (young son and wife were seated in front) on his way to Melaka having visited his daughter and we chatted about stuff I can barely remember. He did tell me that the hotel I was going to stay in was rubbish though and recommended a friend's hotel... Again, I was dubious.

The other thing I remember was that when he asked where I was from, he was taken aback when I responded with "London". He said

"but you don't have brown hair."

Which is the first time I have a had a hair based response to my answer. He didn't even ask where I was really from, just why I didn't have brown hair.

Once I got to Melaka bus station, I needed to get a cab to get to the town proper after a recent move to take the bus station outside of the city (this is a silly concept and is a real problem with public transport provision in certain countries - see the "parkway" concept for train stations in the UK) which was fairly harmless.

Once I reached the hotel, I was informed by the hotel manager that my travelling companion (TC) had arrived and was waiting somewhere nearby with a friend of hers (rz3¹) so I joined them. They were very close after all. As was everything else. We were having a drink by the river and then, after that, I said I would like to see around - maybe go into the centre. This was met with the answer that we were in the centre right now.

Melaka was pretty small and the next morning, I went and had a quick look around before breakfast (with TC and rz3) and then we went to Little India. It was little. I let TC and rz3 do what they wanted there and I went back to have a look around. This was a common theme and so when we met again for lunch, we split up again after going to some kind of Portuguese village (which, even the taxi driver said was not worth it). At this point it felt that Melaka was not really the place for me so I decided that I would go to KL a day earlier and so organised that but there was still some time to go to the pedestrianised zone (in torrential rain) for some food and chat.

After that, we all returned and went to karaoke - that is a good way of enjoying yourself wherever you are! The song selection was a little ropey but fun nonetheless.

To be fair to Melaka, I had a good time while I was there (thanks to TC and rz3) but it is not the kind of place I would normally want to spend multiple days - I think it would be ideal for a day trip (although the hotel was also very nice).

I was off to Kuala Lumpur the next morning, but karaoke can always keep you awake.

Melaka 2013 - click for photo album

^{1. rz3 is "rendezvous 3" and continues my numbering from Singapore.↩}

Pining for Penang?

The previous day had not gone to plan, but not a reason to stop plans....
When you have a loose itinerary, I think it makes sense to apply some structure to it as you go along, and then work within those constraints. I had to be in Melaka for Monday evening and so I had two days, and so, decisively, I knew there was to be no day trip style travel, and I would spend my time in Georgetown. Not sure this was necessarily the right thing with there being a lot on Penang but I'm not a huge fan of beaches and lazing around them.

The hostel was pleased to inform me that I was able to retain my room into the next day (and I then stayed an extra night on top of that too). I was pleased too. It was a nice hostel and, as long as you have reasonable expectations, I have no problem recommending it [link].

Penang Hill

I got the bus out to Penang Hill from near KOMTAR which is the central bus station and so must be some form of centre (though clearly not the tourist centre!). Penang reminded me rather a lot of Hong Kong in many ways and so Penang Hill seemed similar to The Peak. Situated a little out of Georgetown (the main city in Penang), it rises 800m above sea level and so, on a clear day, to a good view. It was a fairly clear day.

While I was up there initially, a chain of events started that ended up being annoying and where a cheetah was defeated by gravity^[1]... The hill funicular tram was very busy and it was a hot day but I eventually got on the car and took it up to the top. The view from the top is pretty special and it was a pleasant day so I was taking advantage of the view and dropped my lens cap - that'd need replacing later. I spent the rest of the time up there protecting my lens whilst walking around and taking photos. There were a few things up there including a temple, mosque, bizarre snake "zoo" and a cracking owl sanctuary (museum). I had some food up there, had a little wander and then queued to get down - it was a long queue.

Once down at the bottom, a looked around for the bus stop (construction at the bottom of the hill meant things were in different places and eventually walked back to where the bus was waiting. Almost empty, air conditioned and almost quiet - except for some Bengalis. My Bengali is not good enough to entirely tune out when I hear it so I was quite glad when a few stops on, it got a little busier to drown it out. As I got near the central bus stop, I suddenly remembered that I needed to get a lens cap and jumped off. As I later found out, I had left my mobile on the bus² but I was successful in purchasing a lens cap, and it even had a little bit of string to tie to the lens. Considering the loss, I'd say it was not a successful shopping trip...

I got back to the hostel, asked them what I should do about the phone and then went out to continue looking around the city. I walked along the coast a little where the buildings were beautiful and the traffic was too much to cross. It wasn't a big city but it was pleasantly diverting and fairly walkable although there were buses through the city centre. Most of the city centre of Georgetown is a world heritage zone and so is protected from development that would be out of character. There were a lot of people out and I found a nice outdoor food court near the esplanade but, as I was not hungry so I did not get food from there.

Near my hostel, there was a "nightspot" which was a large food court called Red Garden. There was a massive choice of food and drinks were served by waitresses (may have been waiters too, but probably not). It was quite a lot of fun and I did not feel out of place on my own so that was a bonus.



Kek Lok Si

The next day, the weather was significantly less pleasant. Luckily, the hostel was happy to lend me an umbrella for the day. I also wanted to organise my trip to Melaka which they also helped me a with a little - I had wanted to take the train but the train was slower than the bus and significantly less convenient seeing as I would have to get to Butterworth from Georgetown. I booked the coach for the next morning at the ever-present KOMTAR, inclusive of a pickup from the hotel, and then made my way to the Kek Lok Si temple [link] (also known as the Temple of Supreme Bliss).

By the time I got there, the weather had taken a turn for the worse and it was tipping it down - I was pretty glad to have an umbrella. It was still busy there though and so I had a wander around. To get to the temple, you had to make your way through an apparent warren of stalls although there was actually only one path. It did look mysterious shrouded in mist though, and I was glad for the variety to some degree. Though dry clothes would have been nice too.

Coming into the temple through the ramshackle entrance, there are hundreds of turtles inside a small pond which is both cruel (to the turtles) and interesting (to me) as there is a small covered bridge with seats over the pond. The temple itself is fantastically located and so has great views across the city as well as some interesting architecture itself. I was wet, but it was still fun.
I made my way back on the bus, a little more carefully than the day before, (although I now had a lot less to lose) but I did not really know where to take the bus to. As Penang reminded me so much of Hong Kong, as a homage, I decided to replicate the Star Ferry crossing by taking the ferry across the Straits of Malacca. The weather didn't really improve but it did mean some rather dramatic cloud formations which I hope I did justice to. The ferry is not as popular as it once was as there is now a massive Penang Bridge (though not that close) across of which you get a nice view on the crossing.
Butterworth had a train station and bus station and appeared to be not much else for the tourist so I returned to Georgetown almost straight away.

Once back, the weather improved a little so that I could have a spot of lunch in Little India (one of many Little Indias through the trip); see a pretty nice sunset near the water and enjoy a coffee from a roaster. And that also allowed me to see that most modern of sights - friends ignoring each other whilst being in close proximity of each other.
Just after getting my coffee, a man spoke to me in  a language I didn't understand, I explained I was not from India as he thought. He walked off, and then a few moments later he returned amd asked me for some money for his son's medicine. I was dubious.
He explained what he needed and that his son needed something for his asthma - an inhaler. An inhaler I happened to have on me... I explained that I had the inhaler but he was unsure of the difference between Ventolin and Salbutamol and would not believe it was the same thing. I offered to go to see his son but eventually just gave him the money. It may have been a scam but, frankly, it had been quite a lot of effort for what was a relatively small amount so I gave it. I'd have preferred to have helped. Maybe I did.

Off to Melaka.

Penang 2013 - click for photo album

<sup>1. A few years ago, I was in Tanzania (I don't regularly partake in exotic travel so indulge me here) on a safari. On the final day, we managed to track down and follow a cheetah which was obviously an amazing and exciting experience. Exciting enough for me to drop my lens cap. Just the lens cap, mind. I wanted it back, so I got it back but this was supposedly not what you are meant to do when a cheetah is on the prowl a few metres away. It was amazing though to see one close up on the prowl (link). The lens cap spring arm was actually broken so it doesn't stay on properly and can be knocked off fairly easily↩
2. I was not that bothered by the loss of the phone, it was irritating as it was convenient for checking email and as an alarm clock but it wasn't super expensive. It was not until later that it really annoyed me when I attempted to replace it - I had a small android phone with a keyboard and that is a style that basically no longer exists. It was not a great phone but, and I have tried writing some of these blogposts on my present phone, I really miss having a keyboard to flip out. The cult of touchscreen I guess is just another sign of me feeling a little marooned in the sea of modernity.↩</sup>

The romance of air travel

A genuinely rubbish day.

My travelling companion and I both went to Yogyakarta Airport (which is apparently the only Indonesian airport with a train connection - is this relevant?) - I was off to Penang and TC was off to Bali and our flights were scheduled at similar times.

Mine was delayed by about 90mins so I got to Jakarta airport a little later. My next flight was from a different terminal (AirAsia seem to have their own budget terminal) so I made my way on the lovely shuttle bus. I checked in for my next flight and then came outside the airport buildings to find transport. It was not clear at all and there was no apparent method other than a cab. I'm not a fan of cabs but it is fine for Jakarta...
Except, when I explained that I had a flight in 5/6 hours and wanted to go into town and back out again, they just laughed at me. An actual laughter. The thought of getting into town and back out again would take 5 hours, apparently, even if I did not get out.
The day was wasted. I took the shuttle bus around the terminals to have a look and get some food. I took the shuttle bus around to fill some time. I got into the departures area early and then waited. And waited. The announcement system was not clear at all and people were getting up and getting around but there was no display to say which flights were leaving. I went and asked repeatedly, but asking does not make things quicker. The flight to Penang was also delayed, of course.

A bit of music (my addiction at the time was for "Entertainment" by SEKAI NO OWARI) and reading (recentish issues of PRIVATE EYE and New Statesman did at least pass the time).
I got to Penang a little late and without funds, I had to find a cash machine... And then a cab. To be fair, they had a centralised booking system for taxis so I was being officially ripped off rather than scammed and got to my hostel (or Guest Inn) at about 2345. Joy.
Getting there a bit later than expected, what did the receptionist say?
He said that I had not checked in by the 6pm cutoff and so my room had been taken.


Actually, not taken that night (fortunately) but the next night...
And with that news, I went to bed.

The next day was Penang...

Solo Travel

This is a follow up from the journey to Surakarta [link]

A lot of my trips are about how to fit elements together and at this point, I knew I wanted to be in Jakarta (airport) on Friday evening for a flight to Penang. I did not think this would be a particularly tricky transition but due to some circumstances to do with traffic and that getting across Jakarta is apparently very time-consuming - a flight to Jakarta from Yogyakarta was decided upon. As it was taking off fairly early, we needed to return to Yogyakarta that night, so it was a short time in Surakarta before the train back to Yogyakarta. To be honest, Solo is not massive so it was alright.
I wanted to visit the Surakarta Kraton and an antique market [a misleading link imo].
The kraton was pretty interesting although smaller than the Yogyakarta equivalent - it had some nice "residential" elements to it with the pool and tour guide.
The antique market was nothing special with it being dark and rickety and not exactly busy. I'm also not sure there were any antiques there - just a load of old stuff like a car boot sale.
Getting back to Yogyakarta, a trip to the main eating area (on JL Malioboro) was less successful this time. I had some crab, which was provided as a crab - and nothing to get to the crab meat. It wasn't that nice, to be honest, and not worth the considerable effort. I did have some Chicken Satay afterwards though (from somewhere else). There was also a brilliant band playing in the street which I really enjoyed with their percussion - it reminded me a little of an analogue Squarepusher.

And with that, Indonesia had been visited. It wasn't meant to end this way, but it did...

NOTE: The photo album is for more than this day - for further posts related to the album, please click through

Yogyakarta mixed

Surakarta - click for photo album

On to Surakarta

This is a follow up from the temples near Yogyakarta [link]

Surakarta (or Solo) is almost like a sister city to Yogyakarta and not too far away - about an hour by train. The trains are not too frequent and so we planned carefully to make the one at about 2pm in order to have a little time in the morning to investigate the Kraton [link].
The palace is still "active" and the royal family do still live there, protected by a fairly aged army of waiting men.
The palace itself is quite impressive in its own way with a lot of character and shows taking place. There is an area where a traditional puppet show takes place as well as music and some form of chanting. We were provided with an English speaking guide and so were able to get an understanding of some of the workings.... and be guided to the shops that were apparently unique and especially selected by the Sultan. I was dubious.
After leaving, we were taken by another person on a "tour" of a batik workshop and an area where they make many puppets. They were undeniably very impressive although it was clearly a live catalogue for us to buy from rather than a "tour". To be fair, I did buy a little but it was pretty obvious.
A rush to the station via the hotel and one of the longest one way detours I have ever seen meant we just about scraped onto the train (I think the next one was about 3/4 hours later).

After checking in at the hotel, there was not a lot of time left so a quick trip out for some food was all. The food was very nice actually and was also accompanied by some live music. The area we ate in had a statue of Slamet Riyadi (who re-took the city from the Dutch) which, in all honesty, reminded me of the Michael Jackson statue at Craven Cottage although it looks nothing like it.
There was to be more Solo time the next day.



NOTE: The photo album is for more than this day - for further posts related to the album, please click through

Yogyakarta mixed

Surakarta - click for photo album

Temples of Yogyakarta

This is a follow up from a day in Yogyakarta [link]

The easiest, and most sensible way to try to fit in two world famous temple complexes was to hire a car (and driver) to take us to the two places, Borobudur first.
There is not a lot to add, as it is a sensational place but there is not much I can add from a personal point of view that has not been said before.

The temple is a massive step pyramid structure made from giant stone blocks, built on a hill, surrounded by valleys and hills. The levels rise up representing the stages of enlightenment. [link]

One thing I did notice was that it was a very popular location and with many domestic tourists. It was also the first time for a very long time indeed that I was approached by young children wanting to interview a foreigner in English. This used to happen quite regularly when I used to travel about in Japan but it has not happened for a while - though this may be because of my solo nature. It was fun, actually, to talk to the kids and they were quite excitable with their questions. I'm not one to answer simply all the time though - hope it did not cause too many problems.

Borobudur is not super close to the Prambanan complex so we had some lunch along the way - while there was a torrential downpour.
Again, it was a phenomenal place which felt a little more spaced out but the detail and thoughts were stunning. 

Situated in a picturesque plain dotted with archaeological monuments amongst rice paddies and villages, you will probably be impressed by the Hindu Prambanan temple complex before you even pull in to the park, the height and pointed architecture of the temples gives an impressive welcome. [link]

The rain continued here and some entrepreneurial souls decided it would be clever to sell umbrellas to the tourists that were not equipped. I thought it was a great idea - until it stopped raining and the umbrella would not close. I couldn't discard it as the rain was intermittent but it was pretty inconvenient when holding a camera too. Not a patch on the Singaporean umbrella traditions.

It was a pretty full day and so all i did in the evening was get an incredibly painful massage. I could barely walk afterwards - and I needed to walk on the next day on the way to Surakarta.

Yogyakarta, Temples of - click for photo album

Indonesia - into Jogja

On first glance, Indonesia is fairly different to Singapore and, I'll be honest, it doesn't get more similar with subsequent glances.

Initially, Yogyakarta was the destination, also confusingly known as Jogjakarta. Yogyakarta is equidistant^[1] between the famous Borobudur and Prambanan temple complexes which is the beauty of its location. Well, that explains a lot of the tourist attraction though.
I didn't know a great deal about Indonesia generally, or the city specifically. The larger, and better known, cities of Indonesia sit on the island of Java which is big and I hear most commonly associated with coffee^[2]. 

Landing
Upon landing at the airport, a taxi was the best way out of the airport and to the accommodation. Indonesia does not seem to have embraced the idea of mass transportation so it can be a little tricky to get around. Actually, it is not that tricky as you can use taxis to get around so it is, in many ways, easier than pubic transport. 

In general, the problem I have with taxi travel is the feeling of being removed from the environment. It feels a little like being in a hermetically sealed bubble and I felt very insulated as we moved.
It was a short flight, but still strangely tiring and so food was required for a little perkiness. As seems to be the way with travel in South East Asia, I was told that Indonesia was "all about the food" by a fellow traveller - a gentleman from Singapore on the flight. 

After food, the first destination from a short shortlist was the Affandi gallery [link]. I'd never heard of Affandi [link] but I found the gallery and art there to be very much to my tastes. Not being an expert, I can't say much about the technique but I liked the fact that it was expressionist and non-realist. I don't think the website does justice, at all, to the paintings as they were vibrant and striking but they look a little washed out online [link] but they were beautifully moving.

Jogjakarta is not that large and, at night, the central street becomes very busy as people go out to shop and eat - which are classic tourist activities. There was a particular dish that had been recommended and so a search was started. A short search. 

Nasi gudeg ("this sweet flavored dish Nasi Gudeg is made of young jack-fruit cooked with coconut milk and also Javanese palm sugar")was served in most places so we picked one and sat. A "place" was a mixture between a tent, a stall and a restaurant. Seating was on the floor with long tables and pretty casual. Or relaxed, whichever you prefer. I'm generally a fan of these types of places.

Apart from being tasty, food in Indonesia is pretty cheap and this filling meal was the equivalent of £2.

After eating, the area was still pretty bustling and there seemed to be plenty of people out. Plenty of other people.

I was fairly busy the next day so....

NOTE: The photo album is for more than this day - for further posts related to the album, please click through

Yogyakarta mixed - click for photo album

<sup>1. not really, but they are close.↩
2. While in Indonesia, I asked at each hotel reception where I could buy coffee beans from and they each looked at me like I was mental. They seemed genuinely confused at the concept and so I can only assume that it is all for export. The coffee I actually had in Indonesia was of the instant and not so good variety - though I have no doubt I could have searched some out. I was presented with some ground coffee though, but I did not find it.↩</sup>