Welcome to the TravelPod forums

[dirgantara]

Hai Friends,

Have been travelling to un promoted places in Jakarta, Bandung, Jogyakarta, and Bali by Land ?

Using Cars, and ride any traditional transportation, visiting secluded places but having worthy and unforgetable experiences, save and secure journey.

There are lots of interesting places, community, traditional environment that havn't been promoted in any web sites.

This trip might not be a pleasure and cozy tour, but it seem an adventuring and interesting trip. I do believe there are lots of places to be visited. Java and Bali Islands have wide land coverage waiting to be explore.

Let's Start naming places and let us try to find out informations thru this forum.

DIRGANTARA

[starlagurl]

These bloggers went on a wild tour of Indonesia by land:

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entri...39900/tpod.html

[dirgantara]

~ We found a room that was a bit more cheerful than the one in Jakarta and set off on the search. A man asked us where we were from and what we were looking for, when we told him he took it upon himself to lead the bajigur hunt so ............................................................ .................................................2 hours we had no luck and we were also wondering what the deal was with this random man and whether we were being set up for a scam (Holly - remember the chinese silk house!) We kept expecting him to take us to a Batik shop and say, "Oh my friend in this shop likes bajigur, lets go and ask him". ~

Dear Friend,
I am sorry of what was happening. And couldn't change it back and start it over with a good story.

Remember the one's saying "don't believe in a stranger !" I myself an Indonesian, travelling is my hobby, I brought my family and been in many places, from Java and Bali, by car. (In my mind I wondering the beautiful places we'd been but only us admiring the scenery and experience it, and I ask myself why not sharing it with others they might also interested.) I never ever break that rule. I am only asking people only for a directions, and the police only for information of what we are looking for. I do talk with the stranger for a manner.

If a stranger comes and try to open a communication with me or my family, for me its a big questionmark, and I treat him as an intruder. (And politely refusing him).

The reason why I opened this tread is to introduce a friendly and trusted way of travelling (I am not a profesional tour guide). If I bring a guest (a Friend, I should say), he already know me well cyberly, we had exchange words and pictures, we know each other's background. It takes time -that's true- but we already had a good relationship before the trip, and I know exactly what he wants for the trip. Then at his arrival it seems we are just like an old long lost friend. We still maintaining contact till now, and the relationship is not stop only for travelling... other matters coming in our topic.

I have no intention of making others believe me, but at least I read one's experience that must be shared in this tread. Thank you very much.

DIRGANTARA

[starlagurl]

That's interesting. There is always a balance that you have to find when talking to strangers while you are traveling. I think it's usually pretty easy to tell when someone is trying to swindle you. They constantly ask for money, or give you something like a bracelet, and then try to make you pay for it.

Then again, I've never been to Indonesia, so maybe they are more sneaky there, I'm not sure.

In North America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe, it has always been pretty easy for me to identify the con-artists, from the friendly people.

[dirgantara]

After reviewing his travelling blog which was :

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entri...39900/tpod.html

during his visit in bandung, he had been thru a limited timeof stay, and tried to ask someone about bajigur, and unfortunately he talked with an opportunist. Sorry to hear about the bad experience he had that ruined his visit to Bandung.

Sometimes it happened to our journey right, a wrong man in the wrong place in a wrong situation. I did experience that. But don't forget I did experience a right man in the right place and in the right situation. And I reach in an amazing scenery, which was a seven steps waterfalls, the water flow so slow, clear and friendly and we go thru the water falls step by step, imagine the excitement, going in thru the big rocks, bigger than people, taking pictures and showering. Actually during that visit we were aware about if the flood or raining on moutain. But we did had an amazing experience.

I got that information only from a by passer, a school teacher, which was staring at as in a moment during our rest time beside a roadside, and we had a conversation, a usual friendly talk, he was wearing a school teacher uniform (that was my clue, about his information was right).

Who knows ? Who and What. But when it comes you must catch that information right away or lost forever.

DIRGANTARA

[starlagurl]

It's true you have to be aware of everything around all the time when you are traveling or else you will miss out!

Some people say that if you think you are lucky, it really just means you are observant.

[dirgantara]

That's it AN OBSERVANT I agreed

If you want to travel to a new place, get someone you can trust as your observant. He could be your relatives, friends, or business partner in a place you wanted to travel. They wil you give valuable information not only that....... you will find out that the cost of your travel will be cheaper than the one posted in the Professional Tour and Travel Angencies ( upss..... sorry !!!! - but I have to say it so.)

I did joining some tour agencies and turn out to be so so trip (not bad but not good). Even they had tried the best to explainned or made us happy. And right after the tour I tried to find out places sorrounding it and had visited unpromoted places which was not published in the brosure.

[starlagurl]

What are some of those places?

[dirgantara]

What are some of those places?

I'm sorry Starlagurl, it takes time for to reply on your last post, it happenned that I had to prepare to go to Aceh - northern part of Sumatra (remember tzunami ?), for a community job.

During my experience of travelling, naming places is not actually the main interest, its true the places must be cited. I am must focusing on the term of adventure travelling as we are trying to go to a new or regular places. Its a different way of looking & visiting places, or in other word "exploring travel".

The Places could be around you, or it could be the tourists spot, etc. Try to observe a community on the way to the Place. If you really wanted to find out more about the community then try to visit the market (especially the traditional market) and the shops (not only the souveneir and antique shop), try also the hawker which are selling mostly the traditional dishes. You'll find it enjoyable. I tried this whenever I came to a new place. You can do this if you are not attached to a tour package or on a free time during the tour (especially on the last day of a tour package)

[dirgantara]

I still want to add some command on my last reply was about "Traditional Market".

In Indonesia, we have several kind of Traditional Market (it also the same in other countries),
there are Fish Market which is located close to the traditional harbour, or a Flower Market which is near green houses. It means you had 2 Places or tourist spot in one visit. 1st is the community which are fisherman and or farmers. This community is more friendly and they are eager to tell stories or communicating with tourists. THeir attitude are pure and kind. I had an experiences of having friends within this community and were closed as if we were a distance relatives. I brought some of my guests and introduced them. Did you know its fascinating, they kept in contact even my guest had gone home. Sending pictures or even exchanging some handicraft work.

Its hard to find a People like this if you are in the city proper. Because their life had been distorted with financial matter.

You don't have to go abroad, to find this places. Try the one near your province or country, different province or country had their own traditional way of living, and it might interest you. The peoples living in the mountainous area and the beaches area showing a different traditional way of living.

Don't go to Indonesia if you just wanted to see Borobudur Temples, or Bali etc, which is displayed in brochures of tourism. Make it the second option in your travel, whether you like it or not the tour guide will also pass through this places.

Ofcourse it will happenned if you can trust someone to bring you around. Especially if you are abroad.

[dirgantara]

The other interesting place to visit is the Stations (whether its a Train or Bus station).

But the Stations are more complicated places to visit. Because the peoples here are coming from a distance area which might have a varieties characteristics and attitudes. You might see them in a different traditional costumes and dialects. And also their behavior such family and children.

For those who likes phography these are the places where they can capture many interesting angles.

[ppamela]

I have no idea what the original poster is talking on Indonesia. He does not offer one interesting piece of information about anywhere.
Indonesia is one unbelievably fascinating country and the best places are not where he mentioned.
The best places are 'Off the Beaten Track' and the best adventures can be had in Sumatra and Aceh, trekking in the jungles looking for orangutans, tubing down the various rivers, attending traditional weddings, riding elephants in Tangkahan in north Sumatra a 2 hr motor bike ride from the famous Bukit Lawang. Bukit Lawang was destroyed in 2003 after a massive dam up in the jungle burst its banks and took the whole village with it.
However, BL is on the way back with loads of new businesses opening and hopefully once again the village will be prosperous.

I travelled through Indonesia by myself in 2006 my 7th trip there and lived my dream every day. Visited Java for 35 days, Sumatra west and north for 3.5 mnths, Aceh for 18 days travelled by bus right up the centre and went over to Pulau Weh.
Also spent a bit of time in Bali, 5 days in Kuta Lombok what a beautiful area and 6 days in south Sulawesi and Tana Toraja where they have the most amazing funerals and slaughter many animals.
My photos are here
http://community.webshots.com/user/ppamela1
http://community.webshots.com/user/bunga2811
http://www.webshots.com/user/ppamela2006
On April 10th 2008 I will be returning to Indonesia for my 8th trip and will visit West Java, West Sumatra, North Sumatra and Ketambe in Aceh.
Pamela

[starlagurl]

Pamela, your photos are beautiful.
How is it possible to attend a wedding in Indonesia? Do you just show up? Were you invited? That's pretty neat, if you can just show up to a wedding like that.

[dirgantara]

Thank You ppamela for adding some picture. Its really a fascinating pictures. I could not even get a detailed picture like you did, because the pictures mostly showing my family.

Sorry that I didn't mention places. In this forum I just wanted to tell people the way I visiting places. Because we cannot visit places and grab a general opinion of such city or place. Try to look over it in detail. Like you did in sumatera and java, and visiting place in an adventuring way. You wouldn't experience that if you joint the travel agent or tour package, was it ? And of course you have to spend more time visiting one place.

I am not going to name out the places here. I wanted others to share their opinion and adding other ways of visiting places. It could be by boat, a small boat not a yacht or speedboat, a motorcycle and a bicycle instead of a tour bus fully aircon and reclining seat. I Think you have experienced that on your trip right. Please share with us here.

[ppamela]

Hi,

The two main weddings in the photos were ones I had been invited to because I knew the people.
In the case of Liza's wedding- I have known Lisa since 2000 when I went and volunteered at her step father Yudi's private English classes in Cianjur West Java and lived in the family house for two weeks and became very close to the family.
It was such a co incidence that I would be in Indonesia at the same as Lisa was getting married.
The second wedding was Sisi's and I met her on Lonely Planet Thorn Tree forum and had hoped to have her as my guide when I took a group of 13 Indonesian people ( students from my 'free' English school in Cianjur on a trip to Yogjakarta and Solo in June 2007.
However, one month before our trip to Yogjakarta May 27th there was the huge earthquake at Bantul a suburb of Yogja that took about 5,000 lives and I had to cancel it.
On arriving in Bali I sent an sms to Sisi and found she was in Bali so we met and I met her British fiance and she invited me to their wedding in Sraegran near Solo in Central Java.
I went to Lisa's wedding on 2nd July in West Java and Sisi's on 8th July in Central Java.
Both were so different but incredibly beautiful to experience.

Re: being invited to an Indonesian wedding. If one travels independently and mixes with the locals it is very easy to be invited to a wedding and be made 'guest of honour'.
Indonesian people are so friendly and genuinely love western travellers and showing them how they live.
I have been to many weddings in Indonesia, mainly Java and Sumatra and one in Aceh in 2006- see photos.
I stayed with Uncle and Yulia at Uncle's Homestay in Banda Aceh in Nov 2006 and they took me to a wedding in their village the next day.
Pamela.

[ppamela]

Dirgantara,

Where do you live in Indonesia? Please tell us where you are and something about where you live. What island is your home village on and how far is it from a major town or city. What is your area renowned for? Agriculture, palm oil plantations, trekking.
Is it near volcanoes or some famous landmark that would appeal to travellers like myself.
Do you have lots of native plants and wild life like say in Ketambe in Aceh?
Does your area have a touristic sites? Do you get travellers visting your village?
How did you learn English? At school or by mixing with English speaking travellers.
There are so many interesting things you could write about that relate to you and your area you live in.
I would love to know more about where you live.
Also you must have photos of where you live in Indonesia- scenery, rice fields, family weddings showing the traditional dress.
Pamela.

[ppamela]

Dirgantara,

You asked about my experiences of my Indonesian trips.
Here are some links to what I have written elsewhere on the internet.
Bukit Lawang/Tangkahan Sept/Cct 2006
http://forum.indahnesia.com/topic/4553/0/v...eptoct_2006.php

Aceh Trip Late Oct/Nov 2006.
http://forum.indahnesia.com/topic/4280/0/c...tion_update.php

And a fabulous trip a young Australia woman Emma made to West Sumatra. I helped organise a social visa for her with the help of my guide friend Hendri in Bukittinggi.
http://forum.indahnesia.com/topic/3985/0/r...est_sumatra.php

Happy Reading.
Pamela

[ppamela]

Dirgantara,
I just re read some of your posts and you mention going to Aceh for a community project- please tell us all about it. I would love to read about something like this and not the other things you have written about which do not tell me anything.
I would be so fascinated to know about your time in Aceh and what about some photos as well of Aceh.
Pamela.

[sunsethunter]

Try Semeru! Highest peak in Java Island..it's a wild wild adventure, between the summit and the great mount and death..