Today we visited the Kraton, the palace of the Sultans of Yogyakarta. It’s an impressive, sprawling place where it’s easy to get lost in the multitude of courtyards. The buildings are impressive, but what was even more so today was listening to the gamelan musicians playing. Javanese gamelan music is much more formal than that of Bali (which is far more exuberant) and – as you’d expect from musicians playing in a palace – it’s more formal. That said, it’s also lovely to listen to. Here’s one of the shots I took of them playing.
Later, the orchestra provided the music for a dance troupe who appeared to be re-enacting stories from Hindu times. Not quite what you’d perhaps expect to find in a Muslim Sultan’s palace. The dancers costumes were incredibly colourful and the dancing reminded me of some of the Balinese traditional dances, where eye and finger position is paramount.
They were a delight to watch, even if you hadn’t got a clue what the story was! You can find more palace pictures by following this link.
We stayed for several hours, then retreated back to the hotel to relax, enjoy some sun and (in my case) spend a few hours picture editing before planning more of the next phase of our trip. I also booked tickets for a visit to Borobodour and Prambenan in the morning. We’ve an early start, so this blog’s only short as a consequence, but expect more cultural pictures tomorrow.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
After two nights in Jakarta it was time to move on. Whilst I really enjoyed being back Dawn was finding it hard to reconcile herself to the poverty and squalor that you encounter in parts of the old town. Dee’s not been back to Asia since 2017 and finds some aspects hard to adjust to, whilst I, as an old Asia hand who’s been coming here for 33 years see it as part and parcel of life.
Today was chance for Dawn to see another side to Java, away from the capital. The taxi ride to Gambir station which took us past some of the more salubrious parts of town made her regret not getting to see them yesterday, but c’est la vie. Gambir station itself appears to have been modernised since I was last here, making it a pleasant, hassle-free experience. Scanning your ticket to collect your boarding card’s easy and if you have any problem staff are only too keen to help.
Gambir station’s on three levels. Ground, 1st (with more cafe’s and shops) and 2nd, which is platform level. This is the ground floor.
The stock that formed our train (the Argo Dwipangga) was also modern, having been built by INKA (Indonesia) with parts supplied by CRRC. We travelled ‘Executif’ class. These air-conditioned coaches have 2+2 reclining seats, multi fitting plug sockets and information screens at the end of the car above the door that tell you the train’s coach number, the speed. time of arrival at stations and even which station you’re passing through non-stop. A separate bulkhead screen spells out the rules of travel and even gives you the coach attendants name. The cars also contain separate Male and Female toilets.
The empty stock for our train arrives at Jakarta Gambir.Executif class…
After traversing the busy Jakarta suburban rail network with its succession of stations and frequent trains we broke out into the country and a landscape that soon changed from urban to rural and miles upon miles of paddy fields.
By noon as we approached Dalam Perjalanan we started to see the countryside become less flat with clusters of small hills rising up to break the monotony of the plains. Endless paddy fields gave way to more mixed agriculture with far more tree cover.The railway changed too with level crossings being replaced with road and foot bridges or underpasses. To complete the picture the weather got in on the act. Snatches of blue sky broke up the monotony of universal grey skies that had dogged us all the way from Jakarta.
As a consequence of hitting such rugged country our speed dropped back from over 100kph to little more than half that, not that I minded as it gave more chance to admire the scenery. Whilst Dawn dozed I blagged the empty window seat opposite, plugged in my laptop and began to write this blog, balancing my machine on one of the flip-up tables stored in the seat armrests. As I watched the front of our train twisting and turning along a railway snaking through the hills my only regret was that I couldn’t lean out of a window to get pictures! The line to Karang Sari and beyond has had the Airfix style girder bridges replaces by substantial solid concrete beams bridging the various ravines and valleys the line traverses. The twin tracks complement rather than parallel each other. In many places there’s a large gap in between the running lines, or they run on different gradients – as our Eastbound track takes more leisurely curves. I’m assuming this is because the route was originally single track. As in much of Asia the railway’s also used as a footpath between villages. We passed a steady stream of pedestrians, men working in the surrounding fields or groups of women with colourful parasols walking into town.
We continued to cross the hills for some time. At Notog, a pretty and well-manicured little station I observed the first evidence that this line’s been rebuilt. We passed an abandoned single-track viaduct just before we plunged into the first tunnel on the line. Shortly afterwards, when we passed over a wide river another abandoned single track ‘Airfix’ bridge appeared on our right.
Having breasted the hills, which began to recede in the distance we picked up the pace to hit the heady speed of 115kph for a stretch but the hills gradually closed in again, causing us to pass through the third tunnel on the line at a station called Ijo. Emerging from the dark we entered a different world as heavy, ominous-looking clouds greeted us, causing light levels to drop significantly. Fortunately, the rain they brought with them they dropped over the hills and we escaped back into the sunshine.
Passing through Kutuarjo station which still boasts a small loco depot I noticed several younger people filming our train on their phones. I’d noticed the odd one or two en-route. Rail enthusiasm is alive and well in Java. The addition of new locomotives, coaches and liveries no doubt helps as it adds to the variety. After a very pleasant 6 hour trip we arrived at our destination on time. Resisting the urge to get a taxi I chartered two motorised becaks to ferry us to the hotel – just for old times sake. Needless to say Yogyakarta’s change a lot – but I’ll reserve those stories for another blog.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
We’ve not entirely shaken off the jetlag, which has meant we’ve not done quite as much as we’d planned today. However, this morning we did spent several hours wandering around Chinatown which is only a short distance from our hotel. It’s a fascinating area but one of the least touristy Chinese districts compared to the Chinatowns in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur – which makes it rather special. We only bumped into a handful of other Europeans, and they were with all with a tour guide.
To get there we had to cross the chaotic Jalan Gajah Madah main road which is even more chaotic as the new line 1 MRT metro is being built underneath it by the ‘cut and cover’ method, which is taking a huge swathe of it out of commission. Fortunately, there was a footbridge right next to us which allowed views onto the site.
The elevated Southern end of Line 1 opened in 2019. This Northern (underground) section isn’t due to be in service until 2027.
Walking North along the squeezed road we made it to Jalan Pencoran and the gateway to Chinatown.
Walking along the pavement here is like walking though a Chinese-themed tunnel as you traverse stall after stall selling traditional lanterns and decorations.
All that glitters isn’t gold (it’s mostly paper!)
Swinging left down Jalan Kemenangan Raya we entered a narrow street packed with shops and stalls selling all sorts of foodstuffs. Fresh fruit and veg, fish and meat were in abundance, as were cakes and dry goods.
Much of the stuff I recognised, but some delicacies on offer had me completely foxed.
I’ve clueless as to what these are but as they’re on ice I assume they’re animal. I’m sure I’ve seen them before in an episode of ‘Dr Who’…
Needless the say, with the jumble and jostle of people and scooters you have to have eyes in the back of your head as you never know what you might encounter.
Beep-beep! Coming through!
Finally, after constantly being distracted by photo-opportunities we arrived at a street corner and the location of the Dharma Bhakti Temple, a Buddhist Chinese temple dating from 1650. It’s a fascinating place with a cool, peaceful atmosphere far removed from the bustling streets below.
Each side of the main hall is lined with statues of Gods and important figures in Chinese history and mythology. You’ve heard of King Kong? Well, meet Tai Sing Kong!
Around the temple you’ll find people selling thousands of caged birds. These are birds with which to perform fangshen, a symbolic act of releasing them for good karma.
Religions isn’t just confined to temples, you’ll find street-corner shrines like this too…
Further along Jalan Kemenangan 3 is the Church of Santa Maria de Fatima, a Christian site expressed in Chinese architecture but with a far simpler style. It being dedicated to the Chinese community the mass is conducted in Mandarin.
Whilst the interior may be simple, they’ve made up for it with this creation outside!
For me, one of the pleasures in exploring areas like Chinatown is the streetlife. It’s a photographer’s dream.
The tricycle rickshaws known as becaks can still be found in Chinatown. Here’s one chap passing the time of day with a neighbour whilst he waits for custom.
Having dipped into Christianity we returned to earlier Chinese religion with a visit to Yayasan Wihara Dharma Jaya, a more traditionally arranged temple with 18 different shrines. The building dates from 1751 which is when it was built on the site of an earlier temple which was burned down by the Dutch in the 17th century.
These temples are no museums, they’re an important part of Chinese community life, with a constant stream of visitors and bands of caretakers who look after them. Chinatown is packed with small shops and businesses which employ thousands of people at all levels. It’s hard to work out how some people manage to scrape a living, but everyone turns their hand to something…
Finally, we made our way back to our hotel, only to find a nearby shopping mall had suffered a very serious fire in the early hours of the morning. We’d seen some smoke from our room this morning but we’d no idea just how bad the fire had been, it seems to have destroyed several upper floors of the Glodok Plaza. It’s a major shopping mall packed with electronics stores which has generated clouds of acrid smoke from burning goods as well as the building itself. We counted at around a dozen fire engines in attendance along with several media outlets.
Sadly, according to news report, four people have died.
Tomorrow we leave Jakarta by train to head to somewhere more relaxed, with a very different vibe. Yogyakarta, where we’ll be spending 3 nights in order to explore magnificent Hindu and Buddhist temples, along with the Sultan’s palace – and the town itself.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
It’s 05:00 UK time and midday here in Jakarta. We’re currently kicking back in the lobby of our hotel after a looonnngg journey of over 18 hours. Our flights with Qatar were both excellent. Clean, modern aircraft (a Boeing 787-9 and Airbus A350-900, reg A7-ALS) with great food, good entertainment and lovely staff. As expected, we had no time at all on the ground in Doha. We were straight off one plane and onto another. I binge-watched movies and survived on a couple of hours sleep whilst Dawn did better on the snoozing front.
Landing at Jakarta was an interesting experience as a lot’s changed since I was last here in 2017. Now it’s an airport run by apps and QR controls, Both immigration and customs are done via QR codes. Want a taxi? Download an app. For once, I did. We had plenty of time to get into town as our plane had landed at 07:05, so we made a leisurely exit and had a coffee in a cafe outside the terminal whilst we adjusted to the temperature and plotted our next move. having sussed out the ‘Grab’ app we ordered a taxi whilst we waited at their stand. I’d normally have used public transport but as we were tired, loaded down with luggage nd this was all new for Dee I decided a taxi would be the more relaxed option. Grab staff were both courteous and helpful, even plying us with free bottles of water. Last time I got a taxi to the airport it was in a battered old IC engined thing. Today we had a modern EV with the driver navigating his way through the torturous traffic and diversions due to construction work on sewers and metros by satnav.
Our hotel’s in the Glodok area, not far from the old Dutch quarter and Kota station, I could have sworn I stayed here back in 2017 but I don’t have my records to hand. Reception’s on the 8th for skyscraper. The floors below are packed with little shops selling electronics, steel and engineering widgets. I dunno what our room will be like but I’ve booked an upper floor with a view although the one we have from the bar and outdoor seating area isn’t bad!
Jakarta’s another sprawling SE Asian megopolis an all its vibrant, chaotic sights, sounds and smells…
Once we can get our room my first priority is making sure Dawn (who’s not as used to these long days) does is get some sleep. I might join her for a little while, but after that I’m keen to reacquaint myself with the city.
15:30 (UK time) 22:20 Java time.
We managed to get out for a long walk around the old colonial part of Jakarta, but now jet-lag is catching up and it’s time for a decent night’s sleep. I’ll talk more about what we got up to tomorrow, along with more pictures.
When the roads are blocked, just drive on the pavement! Construction of the new line 1 MRT outside Kota station’s causing a lot of problems for road users, hence scenes like this., Kota station’s a fine example of colonial transport architecture. It’s still a busy transport hub today. In Dutch times the Kali Krukut canal would have been lined with sailing barges and Godowns (warehouses) as it was massive commercial area. Abandoned and decaying for many years the canals recently been restored with the banks becoming tree-lined walkways. Here’s a picture of how it looked in 2017.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
We’ve made it to Manchester airport in a hassle-free journey. The taxi we’d ordered arrived on time and the roads (even the M62 motorway) were clear. The only anxious moment was when we hit a bank of thick fog just before joining the motorway at Rishworth. Thankfully, it only lasted about half a mile.
We’re flying from Terminal 2 which is much more civilised than the older terminal. There’s plenty of space and lots of staff. Qatar had us checked in very quickly, it was only the bag drop that took time. Looking at the airport codes on people’s suitcases I could see diverse destinations such as Sydney, Bangkok, Islamabad and Lahore – although no-one else seemed to be flying to Jakarta. Curiously, we’re one of the few long-haul flights. There’s another to Beijing and a couple crossing the pond to the states, but the majority are Europe bound.
Security was a breeze. There’s no faffing around with putting liquids in plastic bags anymore, the scanners were fully staffed, the people efficient and we breezed through. Even my camera bag escaped extra scrutiny!
Now we’re killing time until our flights called. We’ll be boarding a Boeing 787-9 ‘Dreamliner’ for the 6hr 50min flight to Dohar. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get some sleep en-route as it’s going to be a long old day. I doubt I’ll have time to blog from Qatar. Our transit time’s an hour so I suspect we’ll be going straight to the gate to board our next flight. The next you’ll be hearing from us will be when we arrive in Jakarta tomorrow morning (07:05 local time).
It may be 06:00 but all the shops and food outlets are open which was somewhat of a surprise, but then there’s a lot of trade about…Our plane awaits..A7 BHS is a brand new aircraft. It was only registered in December and entered into service on the 8th January!
This will be a a short blog as the pair of us have got to be up at silly o’ clock to get a taxi to Manchester in order to catch our early morning flight to Jakarta. Thankfully, the snow which has blanketed West Yorkshire for the past week is finally melting so we shouldn’t have any problems getting to the airport. We’ve had a busy day packing and arranging all sorts of last minute stuff before we leave (in my case, that involved filing a tax return!).
Now we’re packed, everything’s ticked off the list and we can relax for a few hours before beginning the trip. I’ll do as much of a rolling blog as I can, but that will be reliant on airport, hotel and other wifi as international roaming charges cost an arm and a leg out in that neck of the woods nowadays. Still, I’m sure I’ll find time to post pictures and other stuff of interest over the next few weeks. We’ll be on the move a lot for the first week but when we get settled in Bali there’ll be more time to write. In the meantime, here’s a taster of life in Jakarta.
Indonesians are a friendly bunch, including those in uniform. In 2017, a couple of railway level crossing keepers at Tanah Abang in Jakarta were very happy to have their picture taken as a train they were protecting crossed the road behind them. You can find more of my pictures from Jakarta here.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
It’s a short report from Bigland Towers today as I’m in ‘getting away from it all’ mode – although that means life is rather frenetic as I clear the decks before travelling on Tuesday. There’s not a huge amount to report from this part of the world. The snow’s still here. It’s far too easy to break your neck (or extremities) on pavements that have become skating rinks, but the landscape from afar does look lovely, buried as it is under inches of snow (metric measurements are available).
Today was the first day I ventured out of the Calder valley this year as Dawn and I joined her parents for lunch over in Huddersfield. I’d have got some pictures but we were pressed for time and when we returned the the glorious sunshine had been snuffed out by low cloud. Ah well…
Now we’re back at home and I’ve begun the process of packing. I’m determined to travel as light as possible (says a man carrying a weighty camera bag) as I want room in my suitcase for bringing back some shopping from various destinations. Besides, textiles are cheap in the neck of the woods we’re heading to and I’ll be putting money into the local economy.
One of the things I’ve managed to do is clear the hard-drive on my laptop and add a lot more pictures to my Zenfolio website. You can find pictures in these galleries.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Bugger. Another day when things didn’t quite go to plan so I ended up trapped at home. The moral of the story? When you get a new phone, don’t forget the new password you entered for getting into the bloody thing! I did, which set me back as I ended up having to do a factory reset after wasting several hours trying a combination of passwords, all to no avail. These new phones drag out the agony too. Every time to enter a wrong ‘un they extend the time you’ve go to wait before you can try again. My wife, on hearing what I’d done, summed it up thus – “you dipstick!”. Who am I to argue?
Now everything’s sorted and my time wasn’t entirely wasted as I’ve cleared the decks of more old photos which have now appeared on my Zenfolio website. You can find the latest gallery update by following this link.
I did manage to get out for a little while in the evening whilst Dawn was working late in order to wrap up her work before going away. I popped up to our local pub (The Big 6) to join friends for the Friday quiz. It’s an informal gathering where Mel reads out the two quizzes published every week in our local ‘Pub paper’. It’s neither serious, nor competitive – just fun. Oh, and there’s plenty of beer – and free pork pie.
Now I’m back at home, compiling a list of more stuff to sort out before going away. I’m looking forward to being back in the sun and balmy weather rather than the barmy weather we’ve still got here. The snow’s never gone away in many places. Instead, it’s turned to sheet ice thanks to the sub-zero temperature of the past few days. Minor roads and pavements resemble skating rinks. I’ve never known the snow stick around for so long in the 15 years I’ve lived up here so I’ll be more than happy to see the back of it on Tuesday. Today’s picture shows how the Calder valley looks today. This is a view taken with my new Nikon Z series 100-400mm lens, looking out across the Calder valley to Sowerby. As you can see, the snow’s certainly sticking around.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Today’s been another one of those days that’s not quite gone to plan due to a combination of weather, technology and impending travel plans. I’ve spent a large chunk of time waiting in for a number of parcels to arrive as I’ve been shopping for various new bits of kit in readiness for heading back to Asia next week. Most have been pretty straightforward. There’s not much you can learn about a new camera bag after all – although my new 100-400mm Nikon Z lens is proving to be rather tasty, I’m looking forward to having some fun with that documenting street life in places like Jakarta. The frustrating thing has been getting a new phone and getting the damned thing to sync with my laptop and with all my different websites, apps and general electronic clutter of 21st century life. I *think* I’m pretty much there. To be fair to Samsung, their phones copy over data and apps very well. The issue is me trying to sync them with a myriad of forgotten passwords! I may have sworn a little tonight…
On the bright side (with fingers crossed) everything seems to be working OK now. Well, all the important stuff anyway. Other bits I can discover later. At least I know have a fully functional smartphone to travel with as my old one was on its last legs. We’ve only a few days left before we travel and there’s still plenty of stuff to sort out in order that we can breeze into a holiday (did I mention a tax return to fill in?). But, come Monday everything in the UK takes a backseat.
One of the other little jobs I’ve been doing is adding more pictures to my Zenfolio website in order to clear space on my laptop. So, today’s picture is one of them.
Here’s the inside of St Mary’s shed at Newton Heath depot in Manchester with 195128 undergoing a bogie and wheel swap. You’ll be able to read more about the past, present and future of the depot in a future edition of RAIL magazine.
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
It’s a short blog from me tonight. Today was another one that didn’t quite go to plan – but in a good way! I’d intended to get out with the camera, despite the sub-zero temperatures but an email and a phone-call soon put paid to that. The email was from an old client, a railway magazine which was after a selection of archive pictures. Whilst I was sorting and sifting through those I received a phone call from a company in the rail industry whom I’ve never worked for before. They were anxious to source pictures – and more. So, I ended up dealing with a long-term work proposal and yet more urgent picture requests. On top of which I’ve been busy sorting out more of the logistics for next week’s trip which has involved a fair bit of research and purchases which will (snow permitting) arrive before we leave.
Next thing I knew it was nearly dusk. The quality of the light at the back of the house made me look out of the bedroom window, which is when I saw this rather amazing and colourful sky as the sun set over the Calder valley.
I have to go out tomorrow to pick up some of the stuff we’ve ordered so maybe there will be the chance to get a final few snow pictures…
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Paul Bigland 