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A Reply for Cumidaniciki in Malaysia

Submitted by indohoy on Sun, 2010-01-24 11:20

January, 2010

Hi, this is a special entry to fulfil an Indohoy reader's need of info. We were supposed to reply to their email, but somehow the email delivery failed. Wanting to help out as much as we can, and still waiting for a new blog column being developed by our dear programmer Tiva, we thought why not reply the email here.

So, Cumidaniciki, wherever you are now, here's for you. And may the info will be helpful for others too  :)

Travel Indonesia - around Java

message to us was:

HI, we are from malaysia planning a roadtrip from jakarta and around java in mid feb (chinese new year). we have about 8days to see, eat, shop, experience the oddities of java island. we need your advice & suggestions(accommodation, destinations, car rental....) !

besides some nightlife & shopping towards the end of our trip in jakarta, we have nailed down yogja & solo. We like the unusual stuff and like to take detours. we travel on a budget but not backpacker level.

And here's what was drafted but unfortunately failed to be delivered:

Hi Cumidaniciki,

how are you? 
Hope your 2010 is starting great 

Okay, we're gonna try to give you some inputs for your travel plan in Java.

First of all, Semarang (the capital city of Central Java) is known to have the strongest chinese tradition when it comes to chinese new year. So that might be an interesting place to be around that time.
I was gonna recommend you to go to Karimun Jawa islands, in the north of Semarang, but February is not a good time to go, and you have only 8 days, so that might not be enough. However, you could visit Jepara as they're known for their wooden carved objects, and maybe Kudus, a nearby town which is quite historical and known for the 'soto kudus' , soup-like dish, and  'soto kerbau' (buffalo soup).

Travel Indonesia - Kudus, Central Java

Another interesting place in Java is Cirebon, a city at the border between West and Central java. We have an entry on Cirebon in our website, you might wanna check it outhttp://www.indohoy.com/trip/experience-mind-and-taste-buds-cirebon-west-java
 
And then from Cirebon, you could go to nearby towns like Kuningan or Indramayu , as written by Mumun in our website http://www.indohoy.com/trip/wedding-and-beyond-%E2%80%93-kuningan-west-java-0
You mentioned that you've been to Jogja, right? Have you visited the great temples (candi) there? Well it's no detour, but if you're into cultures, We would also recommend going to the Candi (Such as Borobudur and Prambanan) which you could access from Jogja and also check out the schedule on to when a live performance is holding on. Usually at full moon, they have a dance performance.

You can check out their official website http://www.borobudurpark.co.id/en-index.html
Then.. there's Bandung, the capital city of West Java. I know that a lot of Malaysians love to spend weekends in Bandung, mostly for shopping.  What people seek in Bandung usually is the shopping at Factory Outlets (FO) which are scattered all over the city, the food (batagor, cireng, siomay, sundanese restaurants, nasi timbel, oh you name it they have it all.. ), and of course the cool weather. 
They have lots of restaurants in the highlands called Dago Pakar, but you do have to go by private car.

Here's one car rental you could contact:
GBM rental, +628122326360 contact person: Deddy, 
location: Gunung Batu area, Bandung
(we'll inform more of these when we get more info)
You can also visit Saung Mang Udjo at Jalan Padasuka, phone # (0)22 727 1714
and the website is http://www.angklung-udjo.co.id/ That would be great for exploring about the arts and culture of Sundanese.
I myself just spent the year end holidays in Bandung. Was gonna go to Kawah Putih at the south of Bandung (you can google it for pictures and click this link for a brief intro http://www.indonesia-tourism.com/west-java/mount-ratuha.html) , but I had to cancel the trip because it rained a lot. And on national holidays it's always crowded with visitors. 

Here are some links to websites about Bandung http://www.bandungtourism.com/ and http://www.visitbandung.net/
In Bandung, here's a recommended place to stay by a friend of mine:http://rumahtubagus.blogspot.com/
But of course Bandung has a lot of accomodation options.

Mostly I crash at my friends' places when in Bandung, but I've also experienced these hotels:
- Sani Rosa Hotel http://www.bandungtourism.com/acc_lis_det_e.php?id=79
(great location, it's quite near shopping mall and Rumah Buku (a place for books and film lovershttp://zine.rukukineruku.com/) )
- Grand Serela http://www.grand-serela.com/

And when you're in Jakarta, you might wanna add a little of experience with nature, you can go to Kepulauan 1000 (1000 Islands) It's best if you spend at least a night there (2D1N trip usually)
http://www.indohoy.com/trip/underwater-heaven-across-land-skyscrapers-1000-islands-pulau-seribu-dki-jakarta
A recommended place to stay by a friend of a friend: http://www.bangka-bnb.com/

Hm, all of these in only 8 days, that seems kinda unrealistic. Well, we've only given you some inputs on where to go and what to do, I hope it helps you making decisions :)
Indonesia is indeed an adventurous place for detours :D

That's all from me for now.. 

Hope it helps.. 
Regards

Vira