The XtraSuitcase

Bandung, Indonesia

September 2014

Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia.  The earliest reference to the city dates back to 1488.  D had a business trip to Jakarta and Bandung is only 110 miles southeast of the city, we hopped on a local train and took one of the most fascinating train journeys we have experienced.

We "splurged" and bought first class tickets at $8 USD each.  From the minute we left Jakarta, until the minute we arrived in Bandung, it was non-stop images to view from the train window.  What struck us the most was the abundance of life right along the train track.

People gather to just watch the train go by, many with cameras.

Once we got out of town, we started to see lush green hillsides…

And stacked rice terraces…

And deep rivers running through the mountains… it was all just stunning.

We then took a 30-minute taxi ride into the mountains to our very special hotel.  It had a Balinese feel/style.

As we entered the resort, there were hundreds of orchids hanging in the passage.

It was a beautiful property…

…made up of individual villas.

Notice my scarf?  It was cool enough to wear!  Year-round, Bandung has cooler temperatures than most other Indonesian cities and is a very popular weekend getaway destination, especially those escaping the crowded city of Jakarta.

Take a peek into this dreamy bedroom…

And the BATHROOM…oh la la!  It was quite large and completely open (no walls) with a huge marble bathtub! 

We had to let it run for over an hour and that barely covered a few inches.  And yes, I left the roses petals in for the bath  :   )

Bandung lies on a river basin surrounded by volcanic mountains named Tangkuban Perahu, which translates to "upturned boat."  Legend says that a beautiful woman cast away her son for disobedience, and in her sadness was granted the power of eternal youth by the gods. After many years in exile, the son returned home and he and his mother failed to recognize each other.  He fell in love with his mother and they planned to marry.  

But then his mother saw his birthmark and realized it was her son.  In order to prevent the marriage she asked her son to build a dam on the river Citarum and to build a large boat to cross the river, both before the sunrise.   He was almost finished, so the mother had to trick him in believing the sun was coming up.  She spread red silk cloths east of the city, to give the impression of the sunrise. 

Upon believing that he had failed, her son kicked the dam and the unfinished boat, resulting in severe flooding and the creation of Tangkuban Perahu from the hull of the boat.

This area is also scattered with beautiful tea plantations.  The Dutch colonials first established tea plantations around the mountains in the eighteenth century and they still exist today.

Indonesia is one of the highest tea-producing countries in the world, with seventy-five percent coming from this fertile area.  They mainly grow black tea.

It was fun wandering through the maze of tea plants.

We stopped and bought a fresh pineapple from a roadside stand.  Our hotel cut it up for us to eat for dessert. 

Guess D knew what he was doing when he picked it out, as it was one delicious pineapple!

I just liked this photo…

We had massages at our hotel.  The villa where they gave the massage was the most beautiful, relaxing place I have ever had one!

The grounds of the hotel were so pretty with so many little places to sit and relax.

There were beautiful blue bees…

{click here for more bee photos on my art blog – ma vie trouvee}

And a Koi pond….

 They served a lovely breakfast on the front porch of our villa.

My favorite was the coconut pancake called Surabi.  It is made from rice flour with coconut milk (or plain shredded coconut).  It is traditionally baked using charcoal and served with coconut milk and brown sugar.

But I also loved the savory chicken porridge with hard-boiled eggs.

I will leave you with a view from the city looking back on the mountains.

We really enjoyed our long weekend in Bandung!

Yogyakarta, Indonesia

July, 2014

Yogyakarta, usually referred to as just Jogja, is a city in Java, Indonesia.  It is a popular tourist destination due to its proximity to Borobudur Temple.  It is also well known for its Batik fabrics.

We drove by this neighborhood several times on the bus and we both were intrigued.  So one morning we ventured into it – what a blast!

The streets were wide enough for a motorcycle or a becak (their form of a tuk tuk).  When we started for our walk, we did not see anyone.

We did see these two unusual little chicks.  Their heads have such an amazing color.  A woman told us they were chickens – but that may have been lost in translation.  I would love to know what kind of bird or chicken they are.  Do you know?

As we walked further in to the neighborhood – the children starting to come out.  Shy at first…

But then, wanting to pose for us.

It wasn't very long before the children came out of the woodwork.  They all wanted to have their picture taken.  We soon had a stream of children walking around the neighborhood with us.

Because they were almost all little girls, we stopped at a local shop and purchased bracelets for them.  It was refreshing that the children did not beg for anything, especially not money.  

Aren't they beautiful children?  The one below was so sweet and photogenic.

Look at the batik fabric on her blue dress.  This area is known for their batik.

At one point we stopped and spoke to a group of women frying chips.  It was in the middle of Ramadan so all muslims were fasting from sunup until sundown.   They were preparing the food for the entire neighborhood to eat after sunset.

One of the neighbors spoke English well, so we chatted with her for quite a while.  She was married to a Dutch man and they owned a restaurant in town.  She invited us to her house for coffee, we declined as we felt uncomfortable drinking when they were not allowed (no drinks during the fasting period either).

As we were talking with the ladies, many of the seniors came out to see what was going on.  People were very curious as to what we were doing in their neighborhood.  The one who spoke English told us that tourists/westerners never venture into that area.  The Seniors wanted their photos taken too.  The two women in the photo on the right are sisters.

Next came the moms with the babies.  So sweet!

This little guy was very shy.  He was the son of the woman who spoke english.  His friend with the water balloon thought the whole thing was very funny!   

A favorite photo below, with all the boys running to see us – they did not want to be left out of the fun.

Our walk through this neighborhood was the highlight of our trip.  I LOVE this photo – one last pose before we left the gates of their neighborhood.

Other parts of the city…

the bird vendor

There were many interesting graffiti murals throughout out the city.

Horse buggies were used by tourists ad locals.

We always enjoy a four-person motorcycle shot!

 It scares me so to see the very young children standing up…but oh what fun for them.

The gas station…

It always amuses us to see the different street eating in Asian countries.  In Yogyakarta, during Ramadan, the street vendors put out mats for people to sit on and eat.  Notice the condiments are even laid out for you.  This was a new one for us.  We did not give it a try…

And to end this blog – a photo of D that I really like – by an old textured door.

Borobudur – July 2014

Central Java, Indonesia

at sunset…

Borobudur is the world’s largest Buddhist temple and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  What I found most amazing about this temple is that is has been standing longer than Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which most people are familiar, but very few people know of Borobudur. 

Historians say Borobudur Temple was created in the 9th-century in Central Java, Indonesia.  There is no written record of what the purpose of the Temple was for or who built it.  Today, Borobudur is used for pilgrimages; once a year, Buddhists celebrate Vesak at the monument.

The structure of the monument consists of six square platforms topped by three circular platforms.  There are 504 Buddha statues, 72 of these are seated inside their own perforated stupa.  They surround the main dome, located at the center of the top platform.  The Buddha below is missing his stupa.  Many of the Buddhas are badly damaged.

They say you need to see the temple at sunrise, during the day, at sunset, and at night.  We did, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate for the brief time we were there.  However, often when I see photos of this spectacular temple there are clouds. 

… day view

Borobudur was hidden for centuries under layers of volcanic ash and jungle growth.  Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles (also a key player in the history of Singapore) rediscovered the temple in 1814. The facts behind its abandonment remain a mystery.

The temple is built from two million stone blocks that were fitted together with no cement.  It is decorated with 2,672 relief panels. The stones were not meant to be seen, as the entire monument was originally coated with white plaster and painted.

Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction. 

… sunrise

We were up at 4 am to meet at the front desk of our hotel at 4:30 for our "pilgrimage" to the temple.  Luckily, our hotel was on the temple grounds.  It was pitch black and created a very eerie feeling.    You can see twin volcanoes, Sundoro-Sumbing and Merbabu-Merapi in the background.

Local legend says that if you climb this temple with one wish in your thoughts, reach your hand inside the bell-like stupa at the top of the temple, and successfully touch the Buddha's figure inside, your wish will come true.

Sunrise was a calming and peaceful experience.

 Prambanan Temple

Built in the 10th century, this temple is the largest Hindu Temple in SE Asia.  It is dedicated to the three great Hindu divinities (Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma) with three temples dedicated to the animals that served them.

You can walk around the first tier and enter each temple.   

Prambanan Temple collapsed due to an earthquake in the early 11th century, and was rediscovered in the 17th century.  In its original form, the temple complex contained over 250 large and small temples. 

It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Since 1918 they have been restoring the temples using both the traditional method of interlocking the stones and modern methods using concrete to strengthen the temple structure.

Candi Sewu Temple (below) is a 9th century Buddhist temple complex very near Prambanan.  Historians say the proximity of the two temples tells us that in Java, Buddhism and Hinduism lived peacefully next to one another.  It is the second largest Buddhist temple in Indonesia after Borobudur.

The temple was severely damaged during an earthquake (6.4) in Java in 2006.  They are slowly repairing the structure, but crumbling stones can be seen everywhere. 

After watching the sunrise, we had a lovely breakfast ad then took a 2-hour horse buggy ride to a neighboring village.

We stopped to play on this massive tree.

The parasite plant that took over the main tree was amazing.

D had to swing on the vines.

There are many small temples sprinkled around the village.  I could not find the English names, so I can't provide any information.

Our driver took us to see little rice cakes being made.  It was actually quite interesting and the ladies were so friendly.  They had me sit and form one – they were all laughing at my technique (or lack of!).  It was all in fun. 

They bake the rice cakes over an open fire and sell them.

The final product – some savory and some sweet.

We enjoyed our visit to Borobudur Temple.  We wished we would had stayed two nights instead of one.  Next stop – Yogyakarta, Indonesia.