From Jakarta to Bandung, Indonesia

This series of ten posts comes from a three week trip to Indonesia. I traveled to the islands of Java, Bali and Lombok with G-adventures. Along the way, I saw incredible cultural sites, enjoyed delicious foods, met great people, and took in beautiful views. Here’s the story…

Arriving to Jakarta

I had smooth travels from Wisconsin to Jakarta. I caught an early morning bus to the Chicago O’hare airport. While walking in the terminal, a former student picked me out of the crowd, two states away and ten years later.

My first flight was 13 hours to Tokyo, Japan. After a quick layover, I continued to Jakarta on an eight hour flight. I arrived at almost midnight to a slow but moving immigration line at the Jakarta airport. A G-adventures driver picked me up after customs and I collapsed into the comfy bed at the hotel soon after. 

This was my first time in Jakarta, on the island of Java, or anywhere in Indonesia. I was excited to learn more and explore the city, as soon as I got a good night’s sleep. 

About Jakarta and Indonesia

Jakarta is Java’s most populated city. And Java is Indonesia’s most populated island; over half of Indonesians live on Java. The capital city of Jakarta is the hub of politics and economics. The area has long been a central port in the South Pacific and for several hundred years was colonized by the Dutch and the Dutch East Indies Company. It was briefly occupied by the Japanese toward the end of WW2 before Indonesia declared their independence in 1945.

Indonesia is comprised of over 17,000 islands made up of more than 1,000 different ethnic groups speaking more than 300 languages. The country prides itself on religious harmony. On the government census, the vast majority identity as Muslims but many have blended practices. The dominant religion varies by island; for example in Bali, almost all Indonesians practice Hindu. Interesting, the census requires that everyone chooses a religion; atheism or non-religious are currently not options.

ChinaTown Walking Tour

Taking a walking tour is one of my favorite ways to learn about a new city. More than reading a history book and looking at buildings, I love listening to the stories of how communities developed, experiences from the local cultures and getting recommendations from the residents. Our group gathered at a central landmark; some from Indonesia, others from Australia and Europe. Our guide, Canda, shared with us the history and local life around Chinatown in Jakarta. 

Let me briefly cover the Chinese history in Jakarta, to provide some background. The Chinese had long traded in the South Pacific but also were invited by the Dutch to build up Jakarta during the several hundred years of the Dutch East Indies Company which was followed by the Dutch colonization of the archipelago. Not surprisingly, they weren’t treated well; for example, in the riots in October of 1740, over 10,000 Chinese were massacred, which was most of the population at the time. 

After Indonesia proclaimed their independence in 1945, the ethnic Chinese residents still faced inequality. In the 1960s and 1970s, President Suharto established many discriminatory laws against the Chinese. Today, these laws have been repealed, however the prejudices continue. 

Jin de Yuan Temple

Our walking tour guide, Canda, first walked us to the Jin de Yuan temple, also known as the Vihara Dharma Bhakti, famous for being the oldest Chinese temple in Indonesia. It was originally built in 1650 and was destroyed several times; once by the Dutch in the horrific massacre of Chinese in the 1700s and more recently by a fire in 2015.

The temple was filled with massive red candles and several altars. Worshippers held bundles of incense over their heads and then placed them in the censers for the deities. The temple was also the center point of the community with a market on the street outside and many asking for alms on the steps.

We then entered Chinatown by walking under an archway, pausing at a statue guarding the entrance. This figure is known as the “guard of traveling,” and people stop here to pray before beginning their journeys.

Santa Maria de Fatima Catholic Church

Next we visited a Catholic church. The red roofed building with upturned edges and two lions outfront had a distinctive Chinese style. Here the traditions and stories blend as there is a gong on the altar and the stories depicted on the artwork reflected Chinese history as much as Chistian beliefs. Services here are held in Bahasa Indonesian and in Chinese. About 3% of Indonesians identify as Catholics.

Vihara Dharma Jaya Toasebio

Our last place of worship on this walking tour was the Vihara Dharma Jaya Toasebio. It is the second oldest temple in Jakarta, built in 1668. Travelers might walk right past it as it’s tucked into the alley. Once inside there were more huge candles, maybe bigger than my arm span (but I didn’t check). Several altars were piled high with offerings and memorials. Above my head there were large coils of incense filling the air with their aroma.  The temple contained touches of Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism.

Traditional Market

The last part of our walking tour snaked through the labyrinths at the market. The alleys were lined on both sides with fruits, veggies, meat and many household items. Vendors sold pia, a Chinese pancake, and mangkok, a sweet banyan leaf bowl. Of the more unusual items, for me, were the frogs, either entire or skinned, and the turtles.

I sampled the siwalan fruit, or palmyra, which tasted like a lychee with the jelly white insides. We tried rendang, which is usually made with beef, although this vegetarian version was made with mushrooms. Rendang is one of Indonesia’s five national dishes, along with soto, a soup with meat and veggies in broth; sate, skewered meat served with peanut sauce; nasi goreng, fried rice; and gado gado, a salad with cooked veggies and fried tofu or tempeh.

Around Jakarta

National Monument

I still had a few hours before my group was to gather, so I set off to visit the National Monument. First opened in 1975, this monument symbolizes the struggle of the Indonesian people. It’s centered in huge city block, in front of the Presidential Palace and is surrounded by green space. Over the weekend the plaza was filled with families picnicking and kids playing.

Old Town

On Sunday morning, our group visited Old Batavia, the old part of Jakarta where the Dutch established their township at the end of the 15th century and into the 16th century when the Dutch East Indies Company led their spice trade around the South Pacific.  

Fatahillah Square is an enormous open plaza surrounded by the Dutch buildings. Because Sunday is a public holiday, tons of families were out and about. Many people, young and old, rented brightly colored bikes that came with a matching floppy hat.

While out in Old Town, many people approached our group to request photos. This was my first experience of people wanting to take a photo of or with a foreigner and it seemed weird to me. Those in our group that had previous traveled in Sumatra knew the drill, if you’re blond, people are intrigued by the difference and want a pic. They didn’t mind but cautioned that if you say “yes” to one family in a busy place, you’ll soon have a million requests. Personally, I didn’t mind if people asked, and I thought it was fun to also grab a picture with them rather than a one-sided moment. I didn’t like those that took pictures without asking, sneakily or not.

Old Town Harbor

Before leaving town, we stopped at the historic harbor to see the Phinisi ships. The port of Sunda Kelapa has long been an influential area for trading around the archipelago and these massive boats were traditionally used for both trade and fishing. Previously they used sails but since the 1970s they’ve had motors. The ships were rickety and rusty but clearly they were seaworthy. The stop was quite exciting for those into nautical history while others found the boats slightly underwhelming, opting to take photos with the security guards instead.

Meeting the Group

I was in Jakarta for a whole day before the start up meeting with our G-adventures group. About half of the group was continuing from the last stretch of the trip through Sumatra. The other part was starting their trip on the island of Java, like me. I met Bebez, our CEO, Chief Experience Officer, as G-adventures prefers to call their guides. In his opinion, “just consider me a friend.” The other thirteen travelers came from Switzerland, Australia, England, Germany and Canada. After going over a few details, we walked a few blocks to have dinner together. I had my first plate of nasi ayam goreng, rice with fried chicken, and a Bintang beer.

Driving to Bandung

We were caught in traffic around Jakarta. The streets were filled with cars, trucks and thousands of motorbikes. Many of the motorbikes were actually ride shares or taxis. The green vests represented the online moto-taxi services called “Grab” and “Gojek” that work like Uber for a quick pick up and ride.

Traffic was unpredictable. We were told that our drive was about three hours but that if traffic hits, it could be as long as eight hours. The bus slowly crept out of the city, stretching through industrial zones and suburbs. We were stuck in a few bottle necks at the toll booths but as we progressed, the scenery improved with more rice and banana fields and fewer factories.

I thought were were almost there when we pulled over the rest stop but it was only kilometer 19. It contained a mix of Western options like Starbucks and Burger King as well as many local food stands. Top notch rest stop.

Traffic increased as we neared Bandung. Motorbikes continuously swerved around the vehicles. Old ladies and young kids confidently put out a hand to pause the traffic and then walked straight across. The cars and trucks all stopped and motorbikes maneuvered around them. Throughout the trip, I continued to be impressed by the organized chaos that defined the Indonesian traffic and didn’t see any accidents in the time I was there.

Saung Angklung Udjo Orchestra

In Bandung, we saw the Saung Angklung Udjo, a traditional orchestra that played music and demonstrated dances from around Indonesia. Students of all ages from the music school shared their culture with the visiting tourists.

The show began with a wooden puppet show, wayang golek. We only saw a small portion of what can be a seven or eight hour performance. These puppets came from the Sundanese culture. Through the artist’s careful, expressive movements, we could follow the storyline without knowing the language. His gestures and voice showed the breathing, anger, fear and humor in the character. 

We viewed several dances performed by the children from the ages of three and four years to young adults. Kids danced in a demonstration of the Helaran, or circumcision celebration, of a young boy seated on a chair carried in on two poles. Next, two young girls shared traditional masked dance. 

The main instrument used was the angklung. This instrument is constructed with bamboo tubes attached to a frame and when shaken, each angklung plays an individual note. Kids distributed one to each member of the audience and we played and had a sing-along. At the end, the kids came out and grabbed tourists to dance along as well, clearly focusing on the Western tourists. So, I followed Maricela around with the elbow spins and dancing trains.

Pria Punya Selera – Outdoor Food Court

For dinner in Bandung we went to Pria Punya Selera, a massive outdoor food court and picnic area. Dozens of stalls surrounded the middle area filled with picnic tables. We first made a lap around the outside to scope out all the options. There were lamb ribs, satay, nasi goreng (fried rice), noodles, meatballs and frog. Then, we split up to choose what to order. 

I ordered, in Indonesian, noodles, chicken and meatballs. I went to pay at the cashier and found our group’s table to wait for the food to be delivered. Delicious. For dessert we ordered an enormous pancake, big enough for five people. It was enough butter and chocolate to fill everyone!

The atmosphere at the food park was really fun. The tables were filled with families eating, friends laughing and smoking shisha. Kids danced along with the live cover band. It was a great evening out.

Last Morning in Bandung

While in Bandung, we stayed at a very nice hotel with a fancy curved staircase and a huge breakfast buffet. They served a mix of Indonesian and Western food. The Indonesian cuisine doesn’t seem to differentiate for breakfast items with trays of fried rice, fried noodles and chicken. For the Westerns, they had eggs, pancakes, breakfast sausage, cereal and toast. They also had a lovely selection of fancy little cakes. We had to sample a few but found them to have more food coloring than flavor. Good thing for a large breakfast, it’s off to the train station for an eight hour ride to Yogyakarta…