Please help: Java and Bali Itinerary for 18 days

Hi MysticTraveler!

The most logic way of travel would be crossing Java from West to east and ending on beautiful and relaxing (but very interesting) Bali!

The place to start would be Jakarta: a crowded, dirty, busy capitol where in the old harbour quarter you will find the most interesting places to visit.
I think you can get a good impression withing one day: the former Dutch colonial district is "Batavia" and there are some nice, though somewhat rundown remainders to be seen:
Sunda Kelapa is the old timber harbour, where scooners with wood are still being loaded and unloaded by hand. Have a look.
Nearby you'll find the Pasar ikan (fishmarket) area with the building of the Maritime museum (more interesting than the exposition which seems very rundown), but hey: spend half an hour there ..
Dont miss the beautifullly decorated Cafe batavia, where in former days the rich Dutch would have there teas and still some typical Dutch meals can be bought there like "bitterballen". Dont miss the restrooms there!!

The next stop after jakarta would be Bogor because of the great botanic gardens.
People from "Abu" guesthouse organize a guided tour (small groups) through the everyday life in the kampungs( neighbourhoods).. interesting!
Crossing the beautiful Puncak pass would take you to Bandung.
We met a great guy there who took us out to the little villages, through rice fields, new a lot about history and everyday life and showed us an active vulcano where we were the only visitors" Gunung Papandayan.
His name is benny irawan, he is from bandung and a tour guide with a long and good reputation: he's honest and a pleasant guy to be with. No cheating. If you would know the date email him a little in advance to arrange a tour please:
mooitour@yahoo.com (meaning "nice tour")

His adress : Jl. Pangarang 50 Bandung 40261. Unfortunately he is not rich enough to be able to afford a mobile phone.
He could drop you off in Cipanas, a village full of hot springs. Even inside your guesthouse you'll be bathing in a thermal spring!

The city of bandung itself is not that much, but you could visit a Wajang doll factory and a tradition performance of Angklung music: you need to join in though, but its great fun. Ask for "Ujo's anglng school" is a well known name.
Bandung has a very primitive Tourist Information: a couch and a desk in a mosk somewhere.

Dont miss Kampung Naga, a traditional village. By this time you've arrived in central java, near the south coast.

Next place to be would definitely be Yogyakarta: visit the Kraton, the Sultan's palace and this is the place to see something of the batik art: a very specific way of painting and "cooking" textile to a deserid coliur.
Yogya also has a nice bird market. the Waterpalice is not really wort a visit.
The Borobodur may not be missed: a day excursion from Yogya. Try to arrive at sunrise and clim all the way up immediately to have some great pictures.

Next stop could be the city of Solo (Surakarta) but this again is a big town where the best thing would be to escape and take a bike ride into the villages surrounding and see the traditional life and all sorts of small home factories.

In Malang (next and final town) you can book a daytrip at the
famous and colonial cafe "Toko Oen" a former Dutch cafe. It still looks like the 1930's! Not much has changed ever since!
This trip will take you to an area with three vulcanoes close at eachother: Mount bromo can be climed and you are actually standing on the rim, on a small edge where you need to take great care not to drop in the active crater!!!
Most people visit at sunrise so it does get crowded. Just do it later during any day: there was no one when we arrived at 11!
There is an other active and fuming volcano at the background!

That;'s about it for java I think: it would be wise tro have at least 3 days for the beautiful island of Bali.

Bali means sund and sea, but please take a motorbike ride and just get of the main road and head into the hills: any direction will do.
Have a loogk in the tiny villages where every house looks like a tempel.
Visit a local market and see the colourfull people.
Off course there's a lot of thing (temples eg) to see on bali, but what we enjoyed best 9after having been there several time) would be just to get from the busy beach towns and head into the hills. Buy a map and hit the road.
Most people stay in Kuta or sanur (southeast). Kuta has the best beach and great faclities but hardly has anything "original" anymoren.
We preferred the laid back town of Lovina ("Kalibukbuk area, there are 3 areas).
We stayed in Bayu Kartika Bungalow: 14 US $ for a huge bungalow with AC, a great garden with pond (and some huge monitor lizzards in it), a great and very clean swimming pool) and a laid back place and good place to start your exploration of the beautiful island.

Ubud, in the southcentral part is a bit of an artistisc town with lots and lots of "galleries". More impressive are the small towns surrounding Ubud: both the ricefields they're in and the production of all sorts of furtiture, bamboo, lamps, tables, would make you want to buy it all and ship it to redecorate your house!

So: all in all: absolute mustdo's : 1 day jakarta, Bromo, Gunung Papandayan (very impressive: you actually have the earth bubbling below your feet), Yogya, Borobudur and an escape to villages and rice fields somewhere along te route.
Plus: a few days to discover Bali.
If you're lucky: inform if theres a funureal going on while you're there: very impressive to us westerners.

Please have a look at some of our pictures if you'd like to, links are attached

We;ve just returned from 20 months of travels through (mostly) asian countries.
If you could understand some Dutch: these are the travelreports:

www.langevakantie.nl
press "reisverslagen"
choose 23 and 24

Regards and enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photoset 24: BaliPhotopage 23: java

Again:

there's a lot of Java pictures in set and report 22 as well
and sorry for all the typos and grammatical eroors I made!Set 22: Jakarta on java

Hey thanks for all the details! Really appreciate it.

When you come to Bali, I would recommend a ferry crossing to Bali and drive along the Northern coast to the East through Menjangan, Lovina, Amed, CadiDasa and into Ubud. I left out many stops along the way; but, the point being to enjoy Bali not just Cleveland, I mean Denpasar/Kuta in to south.

Timmie,

I am leaving in 5 days to Bali and Java so it was interesting to read this thread. Your photos are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

Just a remark concerning Mt. Bromo: This is really a mystic place and I'd advise you to be up there at sunrise and endure the masses of tourists. You just have to await one hour (if being on the viewpoint) or two hours (if being on the crater of Bromo) after sunrise and the crowds are totally gone!

hallo mystict travelers,

you've just got your answer from some friend, but i would like to give you another alternative to spend your 18 days for java and bali.

if you can arrange your flight to malaysia ( kul ) or kualalumpur you can fly directly to central java in the city of solo and ignoring the crowdeed city like jakarta. you can take the flight by air asia which can give you a very chip ticket from malayia to solo or the opposite.

then you can start your tour by visiting the old temple civilitation which is located in close to solo, those temples are : prambanan temple ( the hindu temple of the 9th century ), Borobudur temple ( the budist temple of the same periode that also included one of the 7 wonders ), the other thing is the most active volcano of indonesia ( the Merapi Volcano which is just erupted few months ago. and you can also find a chip and good accomodation buit very well organized homestay by calling 0271 632667 after you arrive to indonesia.

to accomodate your hobby of diving, i would inform you that in central java there is an island called KARIMUNJAWA, in this place you can dive or snorkling also see the pool with full of sharks.

then you can continue your trip to see the sunrise in Bromo, that you can also combine it with the trip to ijen crater. which those all located in east java.

and fro east java you can directly go to bali by the land transportation that you can arrange from bromo. ant that's it, your trip is end up at the beach of Kuta to enjoy surving and sunset.

then from bali you can just take the flight to jakarta and fly back to your country.

well this is the alternative trip for you coz' i belive that in west java you can find nothing but some modern thing.

and if you have some dificulties while you are in solo you can call my mobile 081 804550955 my name is Ajib Bond.

have a nice trip

1. 
   
   hallo mystict travelers,
   
   you've just got your answer from some friend, but i would like to give you another alternative to spend your 18 days for java and bali.
   
   if you can arrange your flight to malaysia ( kul ) or kualalumpur you can fly directly to central java in the city of solo and ignoring the crowdeed city like jakarta. you can take the flight by air asia which can give you a very chip ticket from malayia to solo or the opposite.
   
   then you can start your tour by visiting the old temple civilitation which is located in close to solo, those temples are : prambanan temple ( the hindu temple of the 9th century ), Borobudur temple ( the budist temple of the same periode that also included one of the 7 wonders ), the other thing is the most active volcano of indonesia ( the Merapi Volcano which is just erupted few months ago. and you can also find a chip and good accomodation buit very well organized homestay by calling 0271 632667 after you arrive to indonesia.
   
   to accomodate your hobby of diving, i would inform you that in central java there is an island called KARIMUNJAWA, in this place you can dive or snorkling also see the pool with full of sharks.
   
   then you can continue your trip to see the sunrise in Bromo, that you can also combine it with the trip to ijen crater. which those all located in east java.
   
   and fro east java you can directly go to bali by the land transportation that you can arrange from bromo. ant that's it, your trip is end up at the beach of Kuta to enjoy surving and sunset.
   
   then from bali you can just take the flight to jakarta and fly back to your country.
   
   well this is the alternative trip for you coz' i belive that in west java you can find nothing but some modern thing.
   
   and if you have some dificulties while you are in solo you can call my mobile 081 804550955 my name is Ajib Bond.
   
   have a nice trip
   
   

Thanks to all of you for your responses----especially TimmieHardin and MikeMean. Much appreciated. Yeah, I want to relax on the beach in Bali, but that's not all I want to do. Thanks for the suggestions. If you've got any more, keep them coming! Take care.