INDONESIA: Bali, Central Java, Lombok

8th -30th November 2008 with Richard Hunt

This is an exciting new tour to three of the islands of Indonesia, designed to show something of the variety of landscapes, history and cultures of these beautiful and fascinating regions. We will find the people friendly, the hotels charming and welcoming, and the travel comfortable.
BALI offers us wonderful mountain scenery, volcanoes, picturesque villages set among ornately terraced rice-fields, wonderful tropical vegetation and lush gardens. The island is famous for its beautiful and popular beaches (but we plan to avoid the commercialized aspects of the island wherever possible!) Unlike the rest of Indonesia, the people of Bali are Hindu, worshipping at curious Hindu temples (quite unlike their Indian counterparts). Balinese dance is famous and we plan to visit some performances.

JAVA, like most of Indonesia, is Moslem, although Islam here is also unlike that of other lands. Our journey takes us to Jogyakarta in Central Java. Again, the scenery is dramatic with mountains, volcanoes, forests, coffee plantations. Java also has the simply wonderful Buddhist monument of Borobudur – a great temple mountain built in the 8th-9th century - encrusted with thousands of wonderful relief carvings relating to Buddha and mythological stories of Buddhism. There are also the Hindu temples of Prambanam, and other temple complexes, relating to earlier Hindu kingdoms. We will visit princely palaces and museums and explore some evidence of Dutch influence in the colonial architecture which survives.
LOMBOK is a relatively small and undeveloped island, with quiet beaches (snorkeling among the myriad coloured fish?) and some interesting ethnic minority villages.

INDONESIA is an archiplelago comprising thousands of islands, many of which are volcanic, straddling the Equator in a great arc from Sumatra in the West to Papua in the East, so long that it covers three time zones. For many centuries the islands occupied an important trading location between China and India. The enormous population, approaching 250 millions, is made up of ethnic groups speaking many languages, some of whom still seek independence for their disparate regions (East Timor finally celebrated independence in 2002 after many years of violent struggle against Portuguese colonists and Indonesian occupation). Although ‘Java Man’ – an ancestor of modern humans – was discovered in Central Java, the present population resulted from much later migrations from Malaysia and the Philippines

The earliest Hindu and Buddhist relics date from 3rd century AD and by the 7th century Indonesian Hindu – Buddhist kingdoms were trading with India and China. The last and greatest of these – the Majapahit kingdom - ruled much of the archipelago until the late 14th century. By the 12th century Islam was introduced from Arabia and in the 16th century Indonesian rulers were converted and made it a state religion, but one which incorporated some Hindu and earlier animism, a hybrid religion still practiced in Java. The European powers – Portuguese, British, French, Spanish, Dutch - vied for control of the profitable spice trade from the 16th century, and the Dutch monopolized the trade from Indonesia after their expedition in 1596, exploiting the valuable timber and other resources, and expanding the spice plantations. During the Napoleonic wars Britain occupied some of the islands (with Sir Stamford Raffles as Governor) but returned them to the Dutch. In 1942 Japan occupied the entire archipelago. With Allied support the Dutch returned after 1945, but faced a renewal of the violent independence struggle, finally relinquishing their last enclave in 1963.

Provisional Itinerary

Sunday 8 November 2008 Departure on Malaysian Airlines Heathrow 10.50. Arrive Kuala Lumpur 07.20
Depart Kuala Lumpur 09.50 Arrive Bali (Dempasar) 12.50
9 Nov
Arrival in Bali, greetings service then transfer to the hotel in the south for check in. The rest of the day free at leisure.                        Lunch and dinner at own arrangement
Accommodation for 3 nights at RESOR SEMINYAK HOTEL. This hotel is located on a quiet beach near Seminyak in the south of the island.

10/11 Nov
Bali – Beach holiday   Breakfast at hotel each day. A couple of days to recover from the flight, leisure at the beach or time to join a variety of optional tours to temples, craft workshops and cultural dance programmes.
There is a very wide range of restaurants within easy distance of the hotel

12/13/14 Nov
North Bali – Munduk Breakfast at hotel each day
09:00 Pick up from the hotel for transfer to Munduk, the North hill side of Bali with possibility of some stops on the road such as at Taman Ayun temple and Alas Kedaton, the holy monkey forest. Then proceed to Munduk for check in at the hotel
Lunch and dinner at own arrangement. The simple restaurant at the hotel serves western and local food.
Accommodation for 3 nights at PURI LUMBUNG COTTAGES. These are simple rustic 2 storey cottages located high in the hills (no need for air conditioning), built overlooking wonderful terraced rice fields with distant mountain views. The hotel is run as a cooperative with the village of Munduk which aims to encourage and explain local arts. Children are taught traditional Balinese dance here, gamelan orchestras practice or perform and there may be the opportunity to learn cooking, yoga, music etc. There are walks (some quite strenuous) into the countryside to explore waterfalls or villages, and we can take tours to the north coast, local temples and to ethnic minority villages with the excellent staff of the hotel as our guides. Batukaru, the second most important temple in Bali, can be visited via a very scenic drive.

15 Nov
Munduk – Yogyakarta Breakfast at hotel
Transfer to the airport (approx 2 hours) for our afternoon flight GA. 247 departure to Yogyakarta at 12:40
12:55 Arrival in Yogyakarta then directly transfer to our hotel for check in. The rest of the day free at leisure
 Lunch and dinner at own arrangement: hotel or there is a wide variety of restaurants in the city
Evening departure for Ramayana performance
Accommodation for 3 nights at THE DUSUN YOGYA VILLAGE INN. This is a small boutique hotel in a quiet quarter of Yogyakarta, with pretty rooms grouped around a swimming pool. The restaurant is built in traditional style and serves Indonesian and western food.

YOGYAKARTA (often referred to as Yogya, the ‘y’s pronounced as ‘j’s) is today a provincial city of half a million population. The city dates from 1755, when Prince Mangkubumi built a palace, took the title of Sultan and established a powerful independent state. The city was fiercely independent and at the forefront of the anti-colonial struggle. Yogya was declared capital of the Republic from 1946 until independence in 1949 and the Sultan, who locked himself in the palace during the Dutch reoccupation, became a symbol of independence. The family still live in part of the ‘Kraton’ (palace)

Sunday 16 Nov
Yogyakarta City Tour Breakfast at hotel
Departure form the hotel for Yogyakarta City Tour visiting Sultan’s Royal Palace (on Sunday a local gamelan orchestra will be playing and possibly a dance rehearsal - very different to Balinese gamelan), Water Castle (Taman Sari), Batik Home Industry and Silverwork at Kotagede.

17 Nov
Yogyakarta - Prambanan temple Breakfast at hotel
08:00 Pick up from the hotel and drive to the Prambanan village to visit the Prambanan Temples. The Hindu temple complex was erected in the 9th century while Java was ruled by the Hindu Sanjayas of Old Mataram in the north. The complex consists of 4 major temples/shrines, such as Candi Shiva Mahadeva, Candi Brahma & Candi Vishnu, Candi Nandi as well as the Candi Sewu. The Ramayana story is carved into the walls of the temples. Enough time is given to stroll around and to observe the beautiful carvings. Afterwards, return back to the hotel.

18 Nov
Yogyakarta – BOROBUDUR - Magelang Breakfast at hotel
We check out from the hotel to continue our tip to Magelang. On the way a stop will be made at Borobudur, to explore the majestic 8 - 9th century Buddhist monument, considered to be the largest Buddhist temple and most complete collection of reliefs in the world. Borobudur is a man made hill, which is at the same time a Stupa (relic mound), and a Mandala (representation of the Universe) built as a place of worship and ritual enlightenment for the monks and devotees. As we progresses through the lower layers we pass thousands of wonderful relief carvings which tell the story of Buddha and many disciples. At the top are hundreds of curious Buddha sculptures We will have a guided tour of this impressive complex and have time to absorb its splendour. In the vicinity are other wonderful temple structures. After a late lunch we drive on (approximately 2 hours) into the hills to Magelang
Accommodation for 2 nights at LOSARI COFFEE PLANTATION. Located high in the hills, among the eight volcanoes that form the spine of Java, this is a former plantation converted to a luxury boutique hotel. It has just 26 villas built in traditional Javanese style. There is a stylish restaurant or we can dine outside beside the swimming pool. The club house and bar are restored old plantation buildings. Delightful.

19 Nov
Breakfast at hotel. Here we can relax, enjoy the facilities of the hamam and spa, join the morning plantation tour, the Sekarlangit waterfall walk or visit the rural village.

20 Nov
Yogyakarta – Solo Breakfast at hotel
Check out from the hotel to continue our trip to Solo with some stops on the road. First we visit Gedung Songo temples and later take an exclusive short ride on a small country train through villages and rice fields. The station at Mayong was built in 1878. Then continue driving to Solo via Salatiga.
2 nights Accommodation at SAHID KUSUMA HOTEL. This is a large hotel in the centre of the town of Solo. It was originally a palace, and gamelan orchestras play under the traditional entrance. There are various new wings with comfortable rooms, a restaurant and a large swimming pool.

21 Nov
Solo & surrounding areas Breakfast at hotel
Solo is a large city which was another princely state. It has two palaces – a kraton (or first ruling house - home of the princely ruler) and a Puri (home of a second ruling house). Both are now interesting museums close to our hotel.
Visit to Candi Sukuh and Candi Ceto.- 15th Century Hindu temples. These are some of the last Hindu temples to be built on Java at the end of the Majapahit Kingdom. We can also visit Sangiran where Java Man was discovered.

22 Nov
Solo – Yogyakarta – Lombok Breakfast at hotel
Transfer to the airport for the direct flight to Mataram on Lombok Island departing at 11.40
Arriving at 13.55 then directly transfer to the hotel for check in.
3 nights Accommodation at QUNCI VILLAS. This is a small hotel located on the beach. Some of the rooms look out over the sea, but others look onto the garden. The rooms are simple and well designed, there is a small open fronted dining room by the pool, or we can dine by lamplight at small tables on the terrace beside the beach. Our time in Lombok can be spent relaxing beside the beach or joining excursions, including one to a nearby small island where we can snorkel in shallow water, surrounded by multi-coloured fish.

23 Nov
Lombok – Sasak tours Breakfast at Hotel
The focus of this excursion is the Sasak culture on the southern part of the island and Kuta Beach, also known as Putri Nyale Beach. See how the local people make intricate traditional fabrics such as ‘songket’ using the back strap weaving technique at Sukarare village. Pottery is made at Pununjak village. Observe the Sasak way of life and its architecture. Enjoy the superb views of the scenic white sandy beaches of Kuta and A’an.

24 Nov
Lombok city tour Breakfast at hotel
Pick up from the hotel and start with the Mataram City tour by first visiting Mayura Water Palace. This palace was built in 1744 as part of the Balinese kingdom’s royal court on Lombok. Afterwards, continue to visit Pura Meru, the largest Balinese Hindu temple on Lombok, which was built in 1720 under the patronage of the Balinese prince, anak Agung Made Karang. Further, proceed through beautiful rice fields to visit Taman Narmada. This site was built in 1805 by Anak Agung Gede Ngurah Karang Asem for recreation and a place to worship Shiva. Then continue to visit Pura Lingsar, Lombok holiest temple. This large temple complex was built in 1714 and combines the Bali Hindu and Wektu Telu religions in one complex. Finally before returning back to the hotel visit of the local market of Sweta.

25 Nov
Lombok – Ubud Breakfast at hotel
Departure to the airport to catch the flight to Denpasar (BALI)
Arrival at domestic airport in Bali, then directly transfer to Ubud for check in.
3 nights Accommodation at KAMANDALU HOTEL This is built as a traditional Balinese village, with the cottage rooms having balconies and outdoor showers! It is within easy distance of Ubud town, but far enough away to be quiet and relaxing.

UBUD is the cultural centre of Bali, with many art galleries, craft workshops and museums. There is a small palace in the centre of the town, where performances based on the Ramayana and other mythological stories are performed nightly, and other performances of these and kecak dances take place in a variety of auditoriums and outdoor spaces most evenings of the week. There is a lively market selling all manner of tourist tat – some of it very nice! There is also a wide variety of restaurants, including one near the palace (lunchtimes only) which sells roast pork and rice – quite scruffy but cheap and very delicious. So Ubud is a place to explore on your own or in small groups, using the shuttle service from the hotel.

26 Nov
Kintamani – Besakih Tour Breakfast at the hotel
A full day tour up to the mountain area of Kintamani to enjoy spectacular views of Mount Batur with its crater
lake. Then follow the rim of the mountain to Besakih Temple on the slope of Mount Agung. This temple is
known as the mother of temple of Bali. Return to Ubud through rice field view in Bukit Jambul.

27 Nov
Ubud – surrounding Breakfast at the hotel
At leisure or our coach is available for us to use for visiting the surroundings. The possibility of visit could be arranged such as for shopping would be to Tohpati, which is known for its batik and continue to Celuk, the center of exquisite silver works and Mas, for fine woodcarvings. Enter Ubud, the cultural heart of Bali with many fine art galleries, and a home to a score of local and foreign artists. One of them is Agung Rai Museum of Art which has an extensive collection of paintings by Balinese, Indonesian and foreign artists in classic Balinese and contemporary styles. Afterwards, you can test your bargaining skill at Ubud art market prior to a visit to Puri Saren Agung whose royal family ruled Ubud from the late 1800’s until 1917.

28 Nov
Ubud – South Bali Breakfast at hotel
Morning is free at leisure. In appropriate time transfer to the couth of Bali for check in
2 nights Accommodation at RESOR SEMINYAK HOTEL (where we stayed at the start of the tour)

29 Nov
Beach resort – free at leisure Breakfast at hotel
The morning is free at leisure. In the afternoon we plan an excursion to the far south of Bali to visit the temple at Ulu Watu, built on a promontory over the ocean. From here we can move to an auditorium that looks out west and as the sun sets, watch a spectacular kecak dance performance

30 Nov
Denpasar – Departure Breakfast at the hotel
A full day for relaxation until our transfer to airport for the departure flight.
Departure from Dempasar Airport 18.45 Arrive Kuala Lumpur 21.40
Depart Kuala Lumpur 23.55 Arrive Heathrow 05.30 next day (1 December)