Mbah & Atok go to… tour of Java - Day 2

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 creativity

Most visitors, however, were more attracted to its architectural features. Its Dutch colonial design was the obvious draw. As the name suggests, the building has more than a thousand doors and large windows that open like doors (Lawang means door and Sewu means one thousand). That made for some very Insta-worthy props, with lots of young and young-at-heart posing in every nook and cranny of the building. We were the young-at-heart. 😊

Rustic look and good food at Tokodeko Koffiehuis

Tokodeko Koffiehuis cafe was the planned lunch venue and came highly recommended online. The problem with such places in this post-COVID era is that some may no longer hold the shine they once had. Fortunately, not Tokodeko Koffiehuis. Since it was within Semarang old town, the cafe’s old-school and rustic look could be mistaken for disrepair. But it was actually in keeping with the overall character and atmosphere of the area. And it didn’t hurt that the food was good.

Stepping back in time in the back lanes of Semarang old town

We continued exploring the old quarters and liked it. The place transmitted some old European vibes, especially along the back lanes where fewer tourists trudged. At the same time, though, this old town had probably looked better in an old-fashioned way once, but now could do with some maintenance and sprucing up. Perhaps the aftermath of COVID was still lingering.

Everywhere I turn reminded me of my youth days

An interesting find was an antique market where we got to step back to our youthful 1980’s. From small knick knacks and ornaments, to vinyl records and cassette tapes, to cameras and books and magazines of the era. And in a (I think) Dutch automative magazine we found an article of the first car we hired — a Fiat Panda — during our undergraduate years in the UK, during a short break before our last examination paper. It was a relatively new car so the plastic dashboard smell was still strong. As we set out early the heater was cranked up full to fight the chilly morning air. Unfortunately the new plastic emitted smell that induced car sickness in Mbah. So there we were in the morning dawn with Mbah spewing out whatever breakfast she just had on the side of the road. 

Memories are made of these

Still in three days we drove a round trip of more than 1,000 kilometres from Bognor Regis to Windermere in that small car. There was little money left for hotels so at night we would bundle up in our sleeping bags to sleep at motorway rest areas, turning on the engine from time to time to run the heater to keep ourselves warm (in those days parking at motorway rest areas were free-of-charge regardless of how long). Until today, these spur-of-the-moment adventures, but now with hotels, have become a regular part of our lives. Memories are made of these.

Speaking of memories, the next stop in this tour is a city chosen due to our heritage. As descendent of the Javanese who hailed from this island, my grandfather used to tell “stories from the old country” that had piqued my curiosity. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and rest for the day.