After 9 days travelling from Manchester to Jakarta, then overland through Java to Bali, today’s been one to kick back and relax. We’ve travelled nowhere – unless you count walking around the town of Ubud, which is where we’ll be based for the next week and more. The bags can finally be unpacked for a while.
Admittedly, I’m still waking up at 06:00 every morning. For some strange reason it’s my built in default every time I come to Asia. It’s different for Dawn as she’ll still be in the arms of Morpheus for several hours more if allowed. I have to be careful so as not to disturb her – which means always leaving the sound off on my laptop for a start!
Once we finally got our acts together not long before noon we went for a stroll along the famous Monkey Forest Road in search of sustenance. It was also a chance for me to see just how much has changed since I was last here in 2017 (short answer? A lot). Having dodged monkeys and dodgy pavements we ended up at Bumi Bali, a large restaurant and bar which is sheltered from most of the traffic noise. The attentive staff soon served dishes we’d ordered from the Balinese section..
My Balinese brunch. Yellow rice with satay skewers, egg, green beans and all the trimmings. Both well presented and delicious.
Replete, we worked off the food by exploring further as I rediscovered some old haunts whilst mourning the loss of others. To Dawn’s eyes it’s all new, so the effect was rather different. Having stretched our legs we retreated to our hotel where I couldn’t resist trying out the pool. Dawn tried an alternative relaxation outlet and used the hotel’s massage service. Dee tells me they’re very good. Well, she certainly came back relaxed, which us what matters.
After returning to Bumi Bali for our evening meal we’re now relaxing at the hotel before another hard day of doing nothing much at all. We’ve earned it. Hopefully, I’ll have loads of pictures from this trip added to my Zenfolio website tomorrow. Watch this space…
It’s nearly midnight so the hotel pool is quiet. As our room has a private entrance from the balcony I’ll be making the most of this over the next few days.
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It’s Just after midday here in Java and the pair of us are aboard the Mutiara Timur train from Surabaya heading to Ketapang. The torrential rains we had yesterday cleared overnight. Today the weather’s cloudy and overcast with the occasional patch pf blue sky – just to tease!
The Mutiara is made up of older coaches compared to the past couple of services we’ve used. Even so, ‘Executif’ is still comfortable and the air conditioning is set to a reasonable level other than deep freeze. The buffet car is of similar age, but at least we have one.
After leaving Surabaya we were back on a traditional railway with single track controlled by semaphore signals and absolute block working. Equipment that’s been serving the railways since the Dutch era. I’ll describe the journey at greater length when we get to Bali as it’s worth writing about. Java has 45 volcanoes and this line passes several. Seeing then emerge out of tge clouds as we pass really is rather spectacular. I’ll add some pictures just as soon as I can.
Right now, we’re between Probolinggo (the station for people visiting the incredible Mount Bromo) and Tanggul, passing through a landscape rich in rice paddies, Maize and sugar cane. The further East we go, the more rugged the countryside becomes.
The stock for the ‘Mutiara Timur’, hauled by CC20177 18 arrives at Surabaya. The rugged and volcanic beauty of Java.
16:55.
Having traversed beautiful Java through some wonderfully fertile and rugged countryside, we arrived at Ketapang in the middle of a torrential rainstorm! However, that didn’t dampen our spirits and after a short walk from station to port, we’re now on a ferry like this for the trip across to Bali.
Ferries from Bali (in the background) queue to berth at Ketapang in Java.
00:00.
It’s just after midnight here in Ubud, where we arrived around half an hour ago after a four hour 20 minute journey by road from the ferry terminal at Gilimanuk. The road from the port to Denpasar, the Balinese capital is the islands equivalent of the M1. Unless stuff comes in by air or one of the other seaports like Padangbai, virtually everything that’s used on the island that isn’t home produced comes via Gilimanuk. The only problem is their M1 is a normal single carriageway for most of its length – and a single carriageway that follows the contours of the undulating island to boot. It’s chokka with lard-butt trucks of all sizes and cars – with scooters and motorbikes dashing in between them like minnows. It makes for a very interesting journey – especially in the dark!
But we made it. Now to get ourselves settled here in Ubud. There’s no railways on the island but there’s plenty of other things to keep my camera occupied, although tomorrow’s going to be given over to relaxing and getting used to the changes and developments in a place that was once so familiar.
See you tomorrow…
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‘Tis only a short blog from me today as it’s late, I’ve been up since 06:00 and we’ve another early start tomorrow as we’re moving on by train/ferry/bus to Ubud in Bali tomorrow. Today we bid goodbye to Yogyakarta and said a brief hello to Surabaya. We caught the 11:30 train which took 4 hours to transfer us from city to city. It wasn’t a bad journey at all, although the rainy season has really kicked in these past 24 hours. We had an absolutely torrential downpour last night and intermittent rain throughout the morning. I’d been up early as I had to walk into town to get some cash. I’d forgotten about the ATM roulette that one plays in Indonesia. I’d tried several. The first one had faulty buttons, the 2nd wouldn’t accept my card, the 3rd did but then refused to complete the transaction, the 4th would only pay out 1.25m rupiah at a time. Sounds a lot, doesn’t it? (its just over £62). Just as I was losing the will to live I spotted an actual money changer’s outside the railway station where I swapped actual sterling for rupiah and suddenly became a multi-millionare!
I was back at the station a couple of hours later, along with Dawn and all our baggage. Yogya stations grown a lot since I was last here in 1998. There’s extra platforms and the line East has been electrified. Passenger facilities have been extended and the whole station brightened up. There’s even a shuttle train service to the airport.
Our train trip through the rice paddies and sugar cane plantations of Java was a very pleasant one. Whilst the train was busy it wasn’t rammed, but it was on time. On arrival I booked a taxi to our hotel via the ‘Grab’ app. The discount we got from the Grab staff at their hub at Gubeng station meant that the fare to our hotel cost me the princely sum of 63p Once unpacked and settled in at the hotel we arranged to meet a local friend, Bagus – who took us to a very popular restaurant which specialised in local dishes. The three of us chatted whilst enjoying an excellent meal so time soon flew by. Whilst driving us back Bagus offered to give us a guided tour of the city, which we accepted. The tour was enlivened by the fact it was during the middle of a thunderstorm with rain so heavy some roads were flooding!
I’ve liked Surabaya since my first visit and Bagus’ tour confirmed why. It’s got some fascinating architecture and an excellent of restored Dutch colonial buildings along with modern shopping malls and tower blocks. The wide boulevards are tree-lined, giving the place a really nice feel. Dawn was very impressed and – it it wasn’t for the fact we’ve so little time to spare – would have stayed for a couple of days just to explore.
Ironically, despite all the city has to offer. Lonely Planet guidebooks have decided it no longer merits a mention in their new Indonesia guide. To be honest, the new LP Indonesia is complete crap, but I’ll save my revue of it for another blog. Suffice to say, Lonely Planet guidebooks have utterly lost their way.
Now we’re kicking back at the hotel before another early start in the morning. We’ll be on the 09:15 train to Ketapang where we catch the ferry to Bali. It’s going to be a long day. The train journey alone is 6hr30m. We should get to Ubud sometime before midnight, but who knows? If I can I’ll do a rolling blog tomorrow. We’ll see…
In the meantime, here’s what we were scoffing tonight, Nasi Goreng Madura.
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It’s evening here in Indonesia and the pair of us are relaxing at our little homestay (an old house in the back streets of Yogyakarta), listening to the thunder and the torrential rain bouncing off the roof and into the little pool in the courtyard. It’s been a long, sweaty but enjoyable day that started at 06:55 when we were picked up by our driver who took a small group (just 4 of us) on a tour that took in the magnificent 9th century Buddhist temple at Borobudur and the huge Hindu temple complex of Prambanan (also 9th century).
I’ve visited both before, first in 1992 and again in 1998, but a lot changes in 26 years, as I was to find out. The biggest changes are at Borobudur. Tourists can no longer wander around the structure willy-nilly. Now there are strict controls. You can wander around the grounds until your heart’s content, but if you want to ascend to the top you have to book a 1 hour time slot (running from 08:30) and numbers are limited to 1,200 people a day in order to preserve the monument from wear and tear due to the increasing numbers of tourists visiting.
Now, you arrive at a brand-new, sprawling tourist complex full of shops to gain entry. First off is getting your paper wristband with a QR code, then you’re given a pair of flip-flops to replace your own shoes in order to lessen damage even further – and a bottle of water. The slippers are actually rather cool and comfy and come with a monogrammed bag, making them a nice souvenir! Once the formalities are over you’re taken by stretched golf buggy to a compound nearer the monument where you meet the guide who will escort you around the temple and make sure you’re off on time. We were lucky with both the weather and with our guide who was a lovely older chap with a keen sense of humour. The low clouds that have dogged us most days cleared away, which was great for pictures but the heat and sun were fierce. As the temple’s built atop a hill there’s often a decent breeze, but that doesn’t stop you frying! Here’s a couple of the pictures I took. I’ve loads more to edit when we get to Bali. Last time I visited I was still shooting film and had to be sparing with it as I was travelling for 18 months and the slide film I was using (Fuji Velvia) wasn’t easy to come by. This time I could indulge myself and also see what the Nikon Z9 could do…
With time up we left and headed off to Prambanan which doesn’t have the same restrictions as it’s a very different site. It’s actually a series of temples spread around a large site but this most impressive is this…
I’d have struggled to get this shot on a film camera. There are 4 statues in the main tower, this one is (as the nameplate suggests) Durga. For camera cranks, this was taken hand-held with a 50mm lens, F5.6 at 1/20, 5000asa.
We sweated (and I mean sweated) our way around all the other temples before our time was up and we had to head home where the first priority was a shower, then a drink. Tomorrow morning we leave Yogyakarta by train to hit Surabaya for the night and chance to catch up with an old rail-enthusiast friend, so expect some railway related images in tomorrow’s blog.
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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.
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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.
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Paul Bigland 