Semarang lies on the North coast of the island of Java and is the Capital of its province. Semarang dates back to the 9th century.
The Chinese and Dutch have left their imprint on this interesting city. In the 1920's Semarang became known as the "Red City" with the founding of the Communist Party of Indonesia. So many tours here and most of them are to see temples. Many on the ship traveled to Borobudur, 5 whole bus loads for a 9 hour adventure. Its a 3 hour journey down bumpy roads (each way) to get there. David and I have been there so instead .... drum roll.... I signed up for a more torturous 10.5 hour tour (no David) to see a temple in Yogyakarta, The Temple of Prambanan.
I get nervous being on my own in a foreign country even if it is a tour. It is a long day, the food is strange and the bathrooms..... well here they are holes in the floor, a squat toilet. When you are lucky they may have one sitting toilet (never sit on one!). It is easier for women then a squat one.... There is a hose on the wall where people clean themselves I am guessing (Not sure they use toilet paper) so the floor is always flooded with water .... It takes a lot of courage on my part to use bathrooms in some countries.... :) Always bring your own toilet paper when you travel. Sinks were filthy and outside of the restrooms. One sink for all. Not sure if it helps to wash your hands after but I do anyway..... I watched muslim women in full dress enter these bathrooms and actually choose the squat toilet and wonder how they manage it all.
Our guide told us about the very expensive Kopi Luwak Coffee and I almost bought some coffee for Ian and Andy. In 1700's when the Dutch ruled the coffee plantations Indonesian natives were not allowed to pick coffee berries for themselves and they LOVED their coffee. So they found that if they let the Asian palm civet cat eat the berries first and digest them they could pick up the poop from the cat on the ground and wash them off, roast them, grind them, and have a cup of coffee. The cats digestion process actually "enhances" the flavor of the bean..... Very expensive to buy. Tastes earthy and a true treat. No two cups taste alike. I had a bag in hand but could not bring myself to buy it.
Yogyakarta is hailed as the center of Javanese arts. This too was a 3 hour each way delight. We stopped at the Sultans Palace, known as Kraton, to learn about all the Sultans and their wives and children and the history of the sultan. The Sultan is very highly loved by all and he has a lot of loyal followers here. Not impressed with the compound, the condition, and the items they had on display. The Sultans Palace had tons of volunteers sitting around waiting to be of service.
A dancer at the sultan's palace.
School children visiting the sultan's palace.
Puppet on display at sultan's palace. This is the one thing that caught my eye during our tour.
Here is the sultans home on the compound.
Some volunteers at the sultans palace.
We had lunch at a local restaurant and then attended a shadow puppet performance in their gift shop..... I was a bit dubious of a 'shadow puppet show' in a gift shop owned by the people who also owned the restaurant... We certainly were a captive audience for 90 minutes. I asked about cost of a shadow puppet... around $175.... Masks for sale here were $35 each and the same masks were being hawked by street venders for $7. Everything here is negotiable, except in stores. It is always "How Much You Pay?" and they just don't leave you alone or let you go. They are very aggressive.
Last stop of the day, the sun disappeared and the rains came just as we headed to the Prambanan Temple. I do know it is a significant Temple, and is considered the best remaining example of Java's period of Hindu cultural development and is one of the largest in Java..... but I just did not appreciate it. I guess I am not a temple, mosque or church person.... I guess you visit for the significance of its history and magnificence of its sculpture and build. If you are Hindu, this is where you want to be. We toured on our own for about 45 minutes in the rain through massive mud puddles. I climbed many steep stairs. I marveled at the workmanship.
Funny thing when we go to places like this I am often asked if I will allow others to take a photo of me with them. When you visit countries where people have different skin color and hair color then yours a very local person loves to have their photo taken with the 'foreigner'. I usually oblige wishing I looked better or could freshen up. They are delighted to have me in a photo and you know how I hate to be in any photo.... always smiles and a big thank you.
Our trip home was a nail biting 3 hours back. Both ways we had a police escort siren blasting driving down the center of a two lane road all the way there and back. Our bus followed right behind often driving on the wrong side of the road as two police officers stuck their arms out the side windows telling drivers (mo peds, buses, trucks and cars) to move over. We only almost crashed once.
Very long day......
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