Other sights in Java
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Kebun Raya
At the heart of Bogor are the fabulous botanical gardens, known as the Kebun Raya, the city’s green lung of around 87 hectares. Governor General Raffles first developed a garden here, but the spacious grounds of the Istana Bogor (Presidential Palace) were expanded by Dutch botanist Professor Reinwardt, with assistance from London’s Kew Gardens, and officially opened in 1817. It was from these gardens that various colonial cash crops, such as tea, cassava, tobacco and cinchona, were developed by Dutch botanists including Johannes Teysmann, during the infamous Cultivation Period in the 19th century. The park is still a major centre for botanical research in Indonesia. This …
reviewed
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House of Sampoerna
Just northwest of Jembatan Merah is the city’s best-presented attraction, the House of Sampoerna which is the home of one of Indonesia’s most famous kretek cigarette manufacturers. Whatever you think about the tobacco industry, this factory and museum makes a fascinating place to visit. The building itself is a wonderful 19th-century Dutch structure, originally an orphanage but later converted into a theatre (indeed Charlie Chaplin once dropped by). The former lobby now forms the museum and is something of a shrine to the Sampoerna empire, with exhibits on the use of cloves and the history of kretek in Indonesia alongside uniforms and drums of the Sampoerna marching b…
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Candi Jago
Along a small road near the market in Tumpang, 22km from Malang, Candi Jago was built between 1268 and 1280 and is thought to be a memorial to the fourth Singosari king, Vishnuvardhana. The temple has some interesting decorative carving – in the three-dimensional, wayang kulit style typical of East Java – from the Jataka and the Mahabharata. This primarily Buddhist temple also has Javanese-Hindu statues, including a six-armed, death-dealing goddess and a lingam, the symbol of Shiva’s male potency. There are two photocopied leaflets available at the entrance you can consult to learn about its history. To reach Candi Jago take a white angkot from Malang’s Arjosari bus ter…
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Candi Cetho
Even higher up the slopes of Gunung Lawu, Candi Cetho sits on the southern face of Gunung Lawu at around 1400m. Thought to date from around 1350, this candi closely resembles a Balinese temple in appearance, though it combines elements of Shivaism and fertility worship. It’s a large temple and is spread over terraces rising up the misty hillside. There’s little carving here, but the stonework is well constructed and close-fitting. The entrance is marked by temple guardians and you’ll find a striking platform with a turtle head and a large lingam on the upper terrace. Balinese Hindus visit Candi Cetho to make offerings on auspicious days.
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Karang Nini
The main Pangandaran–Banjar road runs east initially, passing a series of bays and beaches exposed to the full force of the Indian Ocean. About 8km along the road, is Karang Nini, where there’s a group of warung on a headland, picnic areas beneath pandan trees and some bare, unattractive bungalows (per night 220,000Rp). The eastern section of beach here is superb, with a sweeping expanse of sand and crashing surf. Walk for 15 minutes along this beach and you’ll reach a beautiful river estuary, its banks lined with tropical forest and patrolled by gliding eagles. Karang Nini is about 3km south of the highway.
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Arjuna Complex
The five main temples that form the Arjuna Complex are clustered together on the central plain. They are Shiva temples, but like the other Dieng temples they have been named after the heroes of the wayang stories of the Mahabharata epic: Arjuna, Puntadewa, Srikandi, Sembadra and Semar. All have mouth-shaped doorways and strange bell-shaped windows and some locals leave offerings, burn incense and meditate here. Raised walkways link the temples (as most of this land is waterlogged), but you can see the remains of ancient underground tunnels, which once drained the marshy flatlands.
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Kebun Raya Purwodadi
A few kilometres north of Lawang on the road to Surabaya, the Kebun Raya Purwodadi are expansive dry-climate botanical gardens. The 85 hectares are beautifully landscaped and contain over 3000 species, including 80 kinds of palm, a huge fern collection, a Mexican section, myriad orchids and many varieties of bamboo. The garden office to the south of the entrance has a map and leaflets. Air Terjun Cobanbaung is a high waterfall next to the gardens. The gardens are easily reached; take any bus (5000Rp) from Malang to Surabaya and ask to be dropped off at the entrance.
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Candi Sumberawan
This small, squat Buddhist stupa lies in the foothills of Gunung Arjuna, about 5km northwest of Singosari. Originating from a later period than the Singosari temples, it was built to commemorate the visit of Hayam Wuruk, the great Majapahit king, who visited the area in 1359. Take an angkot (2500Rp) from Singosari pasar on the highway to Desa Sumberawan, and then walk 500m down the road to the canal, turn right and follow the canal through picturesque rice paddies for 1km to the temple. This delightful walk is the highlight of the visit.
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Tembi
Down in the deep south of the city, Tembi is a Javanese cultural centre in a lovely position surrounded by rice paddies. The fine old wooden houses here contain an outstanding collection of kris, a few wayang puppets, batik and basketry and some historic photographs of Yogya. There’s a highly recommended restaurant and accommodation too. To get to Tembi, jump aboard any bus bound for Parangtritis beach from Jl Parangtritis and get off at kilometre 8.4 on the highway; Tembi is 400m east of here along a side road.
reviewed
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Candi Sukuh
In a magnificent position on the slopes of Gunung Lawu, 900m above the Solo plain, Candi Sukuh is one of Java’s most enigmatic and striking temples. It’s not a large site, but it has a large, truncated pyramid of rough-hewn stone, and there are some fascinating reliefs and statues. It’s clear that a fertility cult was practised here: several sniggeringly explicit carvings have led it to be dubbed the ‘erotic’ temple. It’s a quiet, isolated place with a strange, potent atmosphere.
reviewed
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Monas
Ingloriously dubbed ‘Sukarno’s final erection’, this 132m-high national monument, towering over Merdeka Sq, is both Jakarta’s principal landmark and the most famous architectural extravagance of the former president. Begun in 1961, this typically masculine column was not completed until 1975, when it was officially opened by Suharto. The monument is constructed from Italian marble, and is topped with a sculpted flame, gilded with 35kg of gold leaf.
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Jin de Yuan
At the western end of the Petak Sembilan street market is the large Chinese Buddhist temple compound of Jin de Yuan, which dates from 1755 and is one of the most important in the city. The main structure has an unusual roof crowned by two dragons eating pearls, while the interior is richly atmospheric: dense incense and candle smoke cloud the Buddha statues, ancient bells and drums. There’s some wonderful calligraphy too.
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Sacred Tomb
This quiet old town Kota Gede, which is now a suburb of Yogyakarta, was the first capital of the Mataram kingdom, founded by Panembahan Senopati in 1582. Senopati is buried in the small mossy graveyard of an old mosque located to the south of the town’s central market. You can visit the sacred tomb, but be sure to wear conservative dress when visiting. On days when the tomb is closed there is not much to see here.
reviewed
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Kawah Putih
The road south of Bandung leads to Ciwidey; from there the road winds through the hills to the turn-off to Kawah Putih, a volcanic crater with a beautiful turquoise lake. The turn-off is 6km before Rancabali, and then it is 8km to the small crater lake just below Gunung Patuha (2334m). Although it is only a small crater, Kawah Putih is exceptionally beautiful and eerily quiet when the mists roll in.
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Gong Factory
One of the few remaining gongsmiths in West Java is located in Bogor. Visitors are welcome to drop by the gong factory, where gamelan instruments are smelted over a charcoal fire. As it takes two weeks to beat a copper gong into shape you may want to tip the workers here a note or two. A few pricey gongs and wayang golek puppets are on sale.
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Taman Sari
Just southwest of the kraton is this complex, which once served as a splendid pleasure park of palaces, pools and waterways for the sultan and his entourage. The Portuguese architect of this elaborate retreat, built between 1758 and 1765, was from Batavia – the story goes that the sultan had him executed in order to keep his hidden pleasure rooms secret.
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Kawah Sikidang
From Telaga Warna it’s about 1km along the main road to Candi Bima, and then another 1.2km to Kawah Sikidang, a volcanic crater with steaming vents and frantically bubbling mud ponds. Exercise extreme caution here – there are no guard rails to keep you from slipping off the sometimes muddy trails into the scalding-hot waters.
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Balai Seni Rupa
Built between 1866 and 1870, the former Palace of Justice building is now a Fine Arts Museum. It houses contemporary paintings with works by prominent artists, including Affandi, Raden Saleh and Ida Bagus Made. Part of the building is also a ceramics museum, with Chinese ceramics and Majapahit terracottas.
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Monumen Kapal Selam
Surabaya’s foremost stretch of renovated waterside real estate centres on the hulk of the Pasopati, a Russian submarine commissioned into the Indonesian navy in 1962. The Pasopati itself is well maintained, and there is a small landscaped park with a couple of cafes popular with young smoochers.
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Wayang Golek Workshop
Pak Dase makes quality puppets at his wayang golek workshop, down by the river, just north of the botanical gardens. Take the footbridge to Wisma Karunia from Jl Jenderal Sudirman and ask for Pak Dase in the labyrinthine kampung (village).
reviewed
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Tomb of Sultan Agung
This tomb is of major interest to pilgrims. Visitors can join the pilgrims at these specified times, although to enter the tombs you must don full Javanese court dress, which can be hired for a small fee.
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Telaga Warna
The road south from Dieng Plateau Homestay takes you to the turn-off to beautiful Telaga Warna, which has turquoise hues from the bubbling sulphur deposits around its shores.
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Taman Prasasti
To the northwest of the National Museum is Taman Prasasti, which is the Kebon Jahe Cemetery; important figures from the colonial era are buried here.
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Museum Kekayon
This museum is dedicated to the history of Indonesian people and has a priceless antique wayang collection gathered from all over the nation.
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Gedeh Tea Plantation
The lush hillsides and processing plants of the Gedeh tea plantation, 15km northwest of town, are well worth a visit.
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