Mbah & Atok go to… Java by Train — Day 9: Bandung - Malang Sunday 21 July 2024 The restful day yesterday was also a preparation for the longest train journey of our lives today. But first, to breakfast we go. We had a buffet spread this morning. It wasn’t bad, but surprisingly, I didn’t have much of an appetite. Mbah, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy it. Good for her because usually of late, it had been the reverse. Breakfast to prepare for the long journey ahead We got to Bandung station in good time. However, the guy who picked up our rented scooter (and returned my passport and the deposit money) arrived panting and out of breath with less than 30 minutes before our train was due to depart. He apologised for his delay, explaining that the road was jammed due to a marathon event in the city. He had abandoned his motorcycle to reach us faster on foot.  Stuck behind marathoners While waiting for him, we had been watching the marathon runners and thinking of our son-in-l...

Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java — Day 8: Bandung (Central) Saturday 20 July 2024 We woke up at 4 AM. It was dark and cold outside. The night temperature was reportedly 15 degrees Celsius here, possibly colder with the breeze. Our hotel was perched on a hillside facing east. We braved the cold, warmed by a mug of coffee, and sat on the porch outside, watching the distant lights in the valley below us, waiting quietly for sunrise. Alhamdulillah, never in our planning nor imagination did we foresee being able to travel the world and marvel at its beauty like this.  PPTK Cafe Bandung — best place with the best food on this trip Then it was breakfast time. It's back to yesterday’s PePeTeKa Cafe . And it did not disappoint. The food was good, probably the best we had on this trip so far. We had pempek , one of Bandung’s specialties, and liked it. The kuey teow goreng (fried flat noodles) and nasi goreng (fried rice) we ordered were also good. We dare say the kuey teow goreng taste...

Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java — Day 6: Bandung (North) Thursday 18 July 2024 All of today’s visits somehow made up for the rather unsatisfying fast train experience we had yesterday. First, we went to  the Museum Pendidikan Nasional, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (National Education Museum, Education University of Indonesia).  As an educator and teacher trainer, the museum was of interest to Mbah. It was especially relevant as we were in Indonesia for Mbah’s education research. The display style was rather old school but very informative nonetheless. We liked how Indonesia could trace her education history stretching back 400 years due to the existence of written records. In the grounds of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia which is very picturesque Those early records used metal-tip writing implements that made scratches on tree bark. Then they progressed to writing on paper, produced from rice or wood pulp, with charcoal-based ink. It was interesting to se...

Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java — Day 7: Bandung (South) Friday 19 July 2024 The  good experiences  we had at the places visited yesterday gave us high hopes for South of Bandung today. Again, after some time spent on work, we left for the lesser-known (at least to foreigners like us) village of Gambung . But this is Indonesia, so it was no less beautiful. After reaching our hotel, we went for an evening ride, ending up having specialty tea at a tea plantation cafe. Amazing views on, as well as off the road to Gambung PPTK Cafe  (locals pronounced it as Pe-Pe-Te-Ka Cafe)  is located inside a tea plantation that is also a government-owned tea research centre. The research has obviously borne fruit, as we sat  in a hut raised above the tea plantation, enjoying very nice hot tea while watching the sun gracefully set behind the mountain.  Tea definitely has healing properties, even by just looking at it The cafe starts serving at 9 AM, so we made plan ...

Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java — Day 5: Jakarta - Bandung Wednesday 17 July 2024 The hotel included breakfast, but it was a room service affair. Nasi goreng was served and, while satisfactorily filling, it wasn’t exactly the buffet spread we had imagined. Still, Alhamdulillah. All fuelled up, we went out to yesterday’s promised park . Tebet Eco Park  is an island of tranquillity in the busy city of Jakarta. It was very well designed and very beautiful. Yesterday evening, there were lots of families letting their children run around happily. This morning, the park was mostly filled with people doing their morning exercises. There was a group of children from a nearby school on an outing. Children all over the world are the same: they were noisily being chaperoned by their exasperated teachers trying to get their charges into pairs and in an orderly line. With bemused smiles on our faces, we silently wished the teachers luck. All cities should have nice parks like this Tebet Ec...

Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java — Day 4: Cirebon - Jakarta Tuesday 16 July 2024 Cirebon was meant to be a short stop for the notable mosque visit yesterday. So we had an early start for  Jakarta today. And we started the day with a surprise, or rather Mbah pulled one.  Maybe it was Mbah’s conscience in response to the old man’s offer, or in the spirit of travelling, that we took the  beca (trishaw) to the train station. Mbah thought we could both ride in a beca , but I proved her wrong by filling one all by myself (it was tiny!); so we took one each.  The ride was only a fraction faster than the 10-minute walk it would have taken us but it was a window to local life. According to my driver, thanks to Gojek and Grab, people rarely take the beca anymore. On a good day, he could make around IDR60,000 (approx USD3.70). As life progresses faster, it is sad that some are inevitably left behind. Mbah arriving in style The Indonesian train history exhibit a...

Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java — Day 3: Semarang - Cirebon Monday 15 July 2024 Travel must go on. Goodbye, Semarang. You've given us some very good memories, especially that little blast from the past in the antique market. InsyaAllah, we may yet be back. There’s at least one more place I’d like to visit if the opportunity comes knocking. Thank you for the sweet, memorable time you gave us. Nganti ketemu maneh, matur suwun . And so we continued on the Intercity to Cirebon , another major city along KAI’s track. As on the first day of travel, work must be kept updated. It can be stressful, especially when deadlines act like a noose around your neck, ever threatening to choke you to death. Better seats for working, and sleeping Gratefully, the train today was an upgrade from the previous rigid-upright-with-cramped-legroom seat style. Working in transit was a better proposition. So the better half plodded on for the next three hours while I productively slept most of the way th...

Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java — Day 2: Semarang Sunday 14 July 2024 As we went through Semarang old town yesterday we said to ourselves that this part of town is a must-visit. However, the good Doctor had more pertinent obligations to fulfil, so the adventure started a little later in the day. However, it wasn’t any less wholesome. One of Indonesia’s almost constant feature that we like is its blue sky Lawang Sewu , once the base of the Dutch who ruled Indonesia, was explored as planned. It now belongs to the national train company, KAI, housing exhibits on the history of the building during its construction and restoration, as well as the history of train service in Indonesia from the Dutch era to almost the present day (the story seemed to end a few years ago; for example, information about the new Whoosh fast train was not there). Being a mild train enthusiast, I was more inclined towards the latter exhibit. Lawang Sewu has endless photogenic locations; just bring your creati...

Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java — Day 1: Malang - Semarang Saturday 13 July 2024 You want adventure, you get adventure. For the next eight and a half hours, let's get comfortable with the uncomfortable.  Before going any further, maybe a little introduction is in order. Since we were already in Java, Indonesia for Mbah’s sabbatical stint (if you miss the postings read all of them  here ), we decided to give this island a proper tour. And we wanted to give Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) a try after looking at how extensive its rail network is in Java. We also wanted to revisit Bandung since there were places we missed in our last trip there 10 years ago. There is something about train rides that excite us So our first leg of this eight-day trip was a train from Malang to Semarang , and it wasn’t too bad. The seats were unfortunately the fixed, rigid type, so you could only sit up straight. But at least they were nicely padded. The air-conditioner was working fine, and the train...