A series of photos taken while visiting the Chap Go Meh festival in Singkawang, Indonesia
19-22 Feb 2015. Palembang, Indonesia
I trooped off to another flash travelling destination over the Lunar New Year holidays. This time round to Palembang, Indonesia. Not your typical destination, but then again, I’ve never been a typical destination kind of person. So what exactly is there to see in Palembang?
Palembang is the second largest city in Sumatra, Indonesia. The Musi River cuts through the city, bisecting it into two. Linking northern and southern Palembang is the majestic Ampera Bridge. This is one of the largest bridges in Indonesia, and is a distinctive landmark. The Ampera Bridge is also what you see on every postcard, fridge magnet or keychain from Palembang.
Northern Bank – Seberang Ilir
City life is at its most bustling and exciting at the area around the northern bank of the Ampera Bridge. The large area under the bridge houses an open air street market, selling mainly clothing. There is also a TransMusi stop underneath the bridge. The TransMusi is perhaps the easiest way for a tourist to get around by public transport. These buses ply routes around the city, and for just 5500 Rupiah, you can travel around without difficulty. The alternative is taking the angkutan kota, the city vans but these require a bit more savvy, since there are no clear route maps you can find online, unlike the TransMusi network.
I did take a few of these vans to get from place to place, and being able to communicate in Bahasa Indonesia helps of course. Look out for your bags though. “There are pickpockets”. This was advice from more than one local. I did not encounter any incidents though, other than a near accident when my bajaj (those three wheeler tuk-tuks) almost crashed into the rear of a stationary car that was double parked in the middle of the road.
To the west of the bridge, a slew of waterfront restaurants and eateries line up along the waterfront. These include a KFC and a J.Co Donuts outlet, with seats overlooking the river, allowing for some spectacular views of the Ampera Bridge. Further down, the pretty waterfront promenade is where everyone goes to in the late afternoon. It is a bit of a party atmosphere here, with balloon sellers, and food vendors setting up their own mobile stalls, complete with stoves and short stools for their customers. I had myself a “telor kerak” made out of crispy slightly burnt eggs scraped off the bottom of a wok, and would have eaten from one of the many Mie Tek Tek stalls had I not been so full.
Still along the northern bank, and on the east side of the bridge is an indoor market known as Pasar 16 Ilir. A maze of alleys to get lost in, with vendors calling out to you from left and right. Each stall sells colourful garments but the highlight would be the gold threaded fabric known as songket. The gold thread, sometimes also in silver, enhances the base cloth and creates very desirable clothing pieces. The good quality hand-woven pieces could cost hundreds of Singapore dollars. Machine sewn ones would be cheaper, but still more expensive than normal cloth. I shopped around and learnt a little about the fabric.
Just immediately north of the bridge are a cluster of tourist sites which, together with the bridge, make up the heart of Palembang. First is a massive fountain, in the middle of a roundabout. Just further down the road is the grand Masjid Agung, a place of worship constructed in 1738 and today the grandest mosque in the city.
Nearby is the Monpera, helpfully abbreviated from Monument Ampera. This giant grey building in the shape of a flower was erected to honour the dead who fought against their Dutch colonists. Inside the building is a rather dismal museum, with photos of war heroes and paraphernalia. The best part of Monpera was climbing up 8 flights of stairs to reach the open roof, where young couples sit and scribble declarations of love on the surface of the roof. Just behind the monument is the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Museum, a more slightly more impressive collection of the history of Palembang.
Most people end up taking a boat cruise down the Musi river. The main attraction is Kemaro Island, around 5 kilometres downriver. The Chinese temple on the island in the middle of the river is where the local Chinese would go during festivals like Chap Goh Meh.
Food & Malls
One of the main hangouts for shopping is the Palembang Indah Mall. Like most large Indonesian cities, there is a surge of new shopping malls, where the affluent and trendy would hang out. For m, the most impressive thing about the mall is the state of the art Cineplex, which surpasses the mediocre cinemas back home. Over here, the cinema experience is a grand affair, with plushy seats and attendants who greet you with palms together. Even the area around the ticket counter looks like an airport VIP lounge. And might I add that the price is less than half of what we pay back in Singapore.
The newest mall is the Palembang Icon, fancy and with a layout mimicking the malls back home. However, I preferred the mall just next to it, Palembang Square which, although shabbier, has a better mix of tenants.
My affinity for Indonesian cuisine makes this next section very biased. Padang cuisine can be found in chains like Sederhana or Pagi Sore. Both restaurants will have waiters serving you as astounding number of dishes, leaving you flabbergasted if it’s your first time visiting. How it works is that you pick out only the dishes you want, and leave the rest. They will charge you accordingly. The specialty in Palembang is pempek, a chewy fish cake dough made out of fish and tapioca. It is kind of similar to the keropok lekor found in Malaysia. The Palembang version is eaten with cuko, a sweet vinegary black sauce that makes the pempek delicious. Pempek is sold everywhere and local tourists travelling to Palembang would pack large boxes to bring back home.
Southern Bank – Seberang Ulu
I spent a fair bit of time on the southern bank of the Musi River too. Crossing the Ampera bridge, and flagging an angkut, I reached the Palembang Cheng Ho Mosque. Cheng Ho, or Zheng He, is the Hui Chinese admiral born into a Muslim family, who in the 15th century made 7 expeditions from China to the rest of the world, visiting 37 countries in the process. He stopped by Palembang multiple times on his journeys and at one point helped the locals ward off seafaring bandits. The Cheng Ho mosque is named after him. The mosque itself is new, built in 2008, and has oriental architecture atypical of normal mosques there. Near the mosque is the Jakabaring stadium where the 2011 SEA games was held.
Getting on a bajaj, the helpful driver took me to the Kapitan’s House. This 500 year old house located at the southern bank of the Musi near the Ampera bridge, is still lived in by descendants of the Kapitan. The Kapitan was a local Chinese appointed by the authorities when Palembang was under Dutch rule, to be the representative of the Chinese community. He was the one the Dutch would have dealings with. And the Kapitan’s house is one of three still remaining in the area. Inside the house is a prayer shrine, as well as many portraits on the walls, each one showing an ancestor or a current member of the family. Immediately to the right of the house is another house, this one also 500 years old, but not lived in. Instead it is used as an ancestral shrine.
Outside Central Palembang
Additionally, I visited a couple of museums outside of the city centre. The Sriwijaya Museum lies outside the city. It is on the grounds of ancient Sriwijaya ruins which are long gone. In its place now is a pleasant park, with waterways and a lake that was dug up during the Sriwijaya period. The museum itself has a collection of artefacts from the Sriwijaya empire (7th to 13th CE). Sriwijaya was the center of Buddhism in the region, and the museum features Buddhist deities and inscriptions. Within the hinterlands of Sriwijaya, Hinduism flourished and the museum displays a selection of Hinduism-related artefacts from Bumiayu temple ruins. Getting to the remote Sriwijaya Museum on public transport is tough, so you might want to hire a taxi. Remember to get the driver to wait for you at the parking lot of the museum while you explore.
The other big museum is the Balaputradewa Museum. More accessible than the previous museum and thus considerably more touristed, the Balaputradewa has several galleries that chronologically trace the history of South Sumatra. The most interesting section for me though is the display on the megalithic culture of South Sumatra. 2000 year old carved rock specimens in the shape of humans and animals have been found in South Sumatra, near the Lahat and Pagar Alam districts. Some of the collected rock specimens are on display here at the Balaputradewa Museum. Getting there by public transport is possible. Just take the angkut that shuttles from Ampera to KM5. Ask to stop outside the museum.
Getting to Palembang.
Updated Oct’17: Silkair has transfered their Palembang service to Scoot. Jetstar also goes to Palembang. Previously, both services were unavailable, so we took a fast ferry from Singapore to Batam, and then flew from Batam’s Hang Nadim Airport to Palembang on Citilink Air, an Indonesian low cost carrier.
Medan, Balige and Toba (Part 1 of 4)
Date: Wed 22nd Jan’14
From Medan to Parapat
I am in Sumatra, Indonesia. The largest of Indonesia’s islands (that’s completely in Indonesia). More specifically, I am in the town of Parapat, North Sumatra. Back for another micro-adventure in one of my favourite countries after 3 years.
This time round my plan was to visit Lake Toba, the largest lake born out of a volcanic super-eruption. I had been to Lake Toba when I was much younger, though I have scant recollection of the place. Goal set for this trip? 1) Get to Tuktuk, small touristy outcrop of land on Samosir Island, the island in the middle of the lake. 2) Learn a little more about the Batak people, inhabitants in this region of North Sumatra. Loftier initial plans to visit West Sumatra’s Pagaruyung, the old Minangkabau capital and Pulau Nias was not possible, due to time constraints and the appalling amount of time required to travel overland from city to city within Sumatra.
I arrived in Medan’s brand new Kuala Namu International Airport. The airport is located an hour’s drive from the city (much further out than the old airport). How to get to the city? There is a train that goes to the Central Train Station in Medan (80,000 Rp) and a swarm of taxi drivers who will set upon you as soon as you exit the airport. Cheapest way? As you exit, turn right and take the Damri bus. It leaves when full and the ticket is 10,000 Rp. The bus drops you at Amplas Station, which is a little way east of the city centre, but perfect for me, as this was the place to board the public long-distance bus to Parapat.
From the Amplas bus station, the Sejahtera Bus (32,000 Rp) goes to Parapat, stopping at the towns of Tebing Tinggi and Pematangsiantar along the way. Total journey takes 5 hours, making pit-stops everywhere to drop off passengers. My bus left at 1.30pm, which meant that I arrived too late in Parapat to take the connecting last ferry across the lake to Samosir Island. No worries though; I decided to stay the night in Parapat.
The bus journey is typical of the travel here in Sumatra, along a one lane road, with the driver channeling Fast & The Furious, overtaking in the oncoming lane. Not for the faint-hearted, but if you do like your thrills, sit in the front row.
The second half of the bus ride passed through Batak territory. I started to see many churches by the side of the road, for the majority of the Bataks were Christians. A pretty pink-bricked ‘Gereja of St.Maria’ here, a Gereja of St. Stephanus, an Advent Hari Ketujuh (7th day adventist) there. Unlike the Acehnese to their north and the Minangkabau to their south who were Muslims, the Bataks are staunchly Christian (though some sub-groups like the Angkola and Mandailing were Muslims). It was fascinating to see Batak graves, adorned with their traditional roofed designs. Somewhere after passing Pematangsiantar, the terrain became hilly and after half an hour of winding upslope, the road opened into a gorgeous view of Lake Toba below.
Parapat
The last ferry for the day had left so I found lodging at the Wisata Sedayu (100,000 Rp), located a stone’s throw away from the bus station. It was a decent enough place to stay, but the one I was aiming for was a Hotel Sedayu, a recommendation by Lonely Planet’s 10th edition of Indonesia). I surmised that the latest Lonely Planet isn’t very good. Not only did it not mention that there were two Sedayus and to pick the correct one (both 100 metres away from each other), it also failed to include the Parapat map, which the 9th edition had. Sadly, recent additions of LP seem to be cutting back on useful information, as well as simplifying maps to the extent that they’ve become pretty much useless.
Food. That always sets me in a good mood. So off I went for dinner after sorting out my lodging. There are plenty of warungs, or stalls along Jalan SM, the main highway in Parapat. Batak food, Minangkabau food, Javanese food and all sorts of other Indonesian regional fare. I settled for a Minang warung, going behind the ubiquitous glass displays in Indonesian eateries that stack up their dishes like a pyramid, and helping myself to plenty of different dishes. Yum. Rice, rendang,
sambal prawns, lots of sweet green and red chillis, all topped off with a glass of diabetes inducing tea. Heavenly I say, and one of the main reasons why Indonesia ranks so highly on my best countries I’ve visited list.
Tomorrow, I will be up early and trying to head to Bilage, where there is a Batak museum. Not much information on the web or in the guidebook, so I’m hoping it turns out well.
Medan, Balige and Toba (Part 2 of 4)
Date: Thu 23rd Jan’14
For the second day running, I failed to get to Tuktuk, my intended destination on Pulau Samosir, the island in the middle of the supervolcanic crater lake in North Sumatra called Lake Toba. Instead, I ended up spending the night in the remote village of Onanrunggu, sleeping in a local Batak family home. How did I get here?
They day began unassumingly enough. I went to the Parapat bus station at 8am, and it was deserted. The junction outside the bus station where it meets the main road is where all the minivans, locally known as opelets, pick up passengers. My destination? Balige.
Balige
Balige is a small town on the southern mainland shore of Lake Toba. On the 2nd of January 2011, the largest Batak museum in the world was opened to the public here. Balie is also firmly in Batak territory, so it should be an interesting place to visit, I thought.
I think it was contemporary Batak music they were playing throughout the journey. Because I understand Indonesian fairly well and I am unable to fathom what was probably Batak singing in the songs. The music is a lot of flutes and keyboards, over a repetitive chacha-like beat that occurs in every song. Actually, I quite like the music.
Central Balige is like many Indonesian towns, except for the fact that Batak roofs permeate through the buildings in town. There was also a row of impressive Batak houses lined up by the side of the main street. This was where the central market was located.
Batak houses are designed with huge impossible-to-miss roofs that from the side look like upturned boats, with the bow forming the front of the house. Today, the majority of Bataks in North Sumatra are Christians, of both the Protestant and Catholic denominations. However many of their traditional Batak beliefs remain, such as the designs on the Batak houses. For the houses, the roof represents the ‘world above’ or the heavens, and this roof extensively decorated with Batak motifs. The floor level where the family lives is raised above the ground level, the ‘middle world’. And under the floor level is where the animals are kept; this is the ‘world below’.
The Batak museum is located about 3 kilometers out of town, in a village called Desa Pagar Batu. I took a pleasant morning hike out there, passing by many churches and Batak graves set in paddy fields before arriving at a small complex. This was the mausoleum of Raja Sisimangaraja XII. He was a Batak leader who fought against Dutch colonial rule in the 19th century and is recognised as an Indonesian national hero.
Further down the road is the TB Sillalahi Centre, which comprises two museums in its grounds: the Batak Museum and the TB Silalahi Museum. TB Silalahi is a former Indonesian Minister of Batak descent, and the museum honours him with displays of his ceremonial attires, belongings and awards. I was more interested in the Batak Museum of course. Entry for foreigners is 50,000 Rp).
Oddly enough, there is no information about Balige or the museum in guidebooks, or even a Wikitravel / Wikivoyage entry. I thought that the site of the largest Batak museum in the world would at least deserve a mention. The museum exhibits’ text panels even had English captions, so you cannot say that it was targeted only at locals.
Expectedly, I was the only foreigner there (and even then, everyone thought I was local). The architecture of the museum building was modern and impressive, a two-storeyed building with a mezzanine floor where you enter from. The ground floor is an open-air museum showcasing sculptures of Batak guardians and ancestor figures. A 150-metre ramp leads up from the mezzanine floor to the second level, where an impressive array of exhibits displays the rich Batak heritage, culture and traditions. Among these were models of Batak houses, the aksara which was the unique alphabet developed by the Bataks, rare metal charms and jewellery, and various weapons.
My favourite was the Batak ritual staff. The Tunggal Panaluan is a carved wooden staff shaped like a totem pole, with faces carved onto it, one atop the other. There is a cautionary tale about the staff.
Interlude: The tale of the Tunggal Panaluan
Once there was a man named Guru Hatia Bulan, who lived with his wife. After seven years of trying to conceive, his wife finally gave birth to a pair of twins, a boy and a girl. However, the birth date of the twins was an inauspicious one, and during the name-day ceremony, the villagers beseeched Guru Hatia Bulan to separate the two, to prevent any misfortune befalling the village.
He was adamant that they grow up together however, and the twins were so close that as they grew up they no longer behaved like brother and sister. Instead they became lovers.
The villagers found out and condemned the twins, expelling them to live at the top of the mountains by themselves. Guru Hatia Bulan could not bear to forsake his children however, so each day he would go to the peak and bring food for them.
One day the girl, Si Tapi Omas, was foraging in the forest when she came across a tree. She climbed up the tree to pick its fruit, and to her shock, she was swallowed whole and became one with the tree. Her brother Si Aji Donda came running and tried to help her but he too became stuck to the tree and was meld to it. Their dog which had followed them also got stuck. All of them cried out for help.
Soon Guru Hatia Bulan arrived with his daily rations for his children and was horrified to find them stuck onto the tree, He called for the village dato, or shaman. The shaman, Dato Parmanuk Holing came by and inspected the tree. Suddenly he found himself dragged and stuck onto the tree! A succession of famous shamans was called to help: Maragin Bosi from Si Ajui Bahir, the shaman Pongpang Niobungan, and also the renowned Boru Sibasopaet who came with his snake. Each one was beseeched to pull the twins from the tree from which they were stuck. But every single shaman failed, and found themselves swallowed up by the tree as well.
Finally, a shaman named Parponsa Ginjang came by and said “This phenomenon is the results of the twins angering the gods, and the only way to fix this is to offer prayers to the gods and then chop the tree down, to prevent more people getting swallowed up by the tree.”
Guru Hatia Bulan chopped down the tree. He brought the wood back to the village where the village artist carved out a staff that featured the faces of each of those who have been swallowed up by the tree. On the staff were the two children of Guru Hatia Bulan, the shamans who tried to help, the dog and the snake. Everyone in the village looked on. And when the staff was finished, the shaman Parponsa Ginjang suddenly fell into a trance.
From his mouth came the words “Oh you, who has carved our features. We have eyes but we do not see, we have mouths but we cannot talk, we have ears but we do not hear. We curse you, oh carver!” The artist said in fear “Do not curse me, but instead curse my blade, for without it I would not be able to carve!”
To everyone’s surprise the carving knife retorted “It is not me you should curse, but the blacksmith. For if he had not made me, I would not be able to carve.” The blacksmith did not want to be the guilty one, and he said “Don’t wrong me, it is Guru Hatia Bulan who you should curse!”. At that point in time, everyone turned towards Guru Hatia Bulan, and the entranced shaman said “I curse you, oh Guru Hatia Bulan, you and your father and the mother who gave birth to you.”
To which Guru Hatia Bulan answered: “It is not me that you should curse, instead you should look at yourself. You are the cursed one, you who have fallen, been carved and and will never have descendants.”
The staff fell silent, before finally saying “Alright, let it be this way, oh father. Use me for calling rain, stopping rain, as a weapon, to cure illness and to ward off diseases.” And with that, the shaman fell out of his trance. From that day onwards, the ritual staff and similar ones were carved, and these were used by powerful shamans throughout the Batak lands.
Onanrunggu
I must have spent too long at the museum, for it was 2.30pm when I finally left Balige. My destination was Tuktuk, which meant retracing my steps to Parapat, and taking the ferry across the lake to Tuktuk. But then I got too clever for my own good, and thought: “Hey, since Balige is also on the shoreline, it should have its own port!”. I asked around and ended up at the Balige port, but the ferry did not go to Tuktuk from there. It goes to the island, but only as far as Onanrunggu, a village 20 km to the south of Tuktuk. No matter, I thought, I could land there, and go by road the rest of the way to Tuktuk. The ferry was leaving in 5 minutes, and I made up my mind to just board it and go.
It was a brilliant plan, or so I thought. Arriving in Onanrunggu, I asked for the direction of the bus station. The villagers laughed. No buses. And no vehicles either, none that could take me there this late in the afternoon. According to the villagers, the road was so bad that 20km would take at least one and a half hours, and even if I paid the 200 000 Rp they were asking for, the the motorbikes riders would worry about riding back in the dark after they had dropped me off. I waited for an hour for a passing vehicle, before finally giving up.
In the end, the local mechanic I had been speaking to put me up at his mom-in-law’s place, for a quarter of the price of the ojek. It turned out to be a good decision. I got to walk around in an authentic Batak village, and got some great photos. Only downside is that I did not eat well. I had cup noodles ‘Pop Mie’, since my host was more concerned about me getting ‘halal’ food than I was, after I told her I was Muslim. And throughout the trip, in many circumstances did I see such considerate behaviour between Christians and Muslims.
Tomorrow morning, the plan is to arrive in Tuktuk. (Third attempt!). From Onanrunggu, I will be taking the 7am ferry to Parapat, and from Parapat, take the ferry back across the lake to Tuktuk. It is a testament to the slow transportation in Sumatra; to get from Point A (Onanruggu) to Point B (Tuktuk), both linked together by land, I had to cross over to Parapat.
Medan, Balige and Toba (Part 3 of 4)
Date: Fri 24th Jan’14
Finally, I end up in Tuktuk, on the third try. At 7am, I boarded the two-hour ferry to Parapat. After yesterday’s fiasco where I found myself stranded for the night in the little village of Onanrunngu, I was intent on getting to Tuktuk. I said goodbye to the nice family who put me up for the night, and boarded the same ferry I took yesterday, this time heading to Parapat.
The deckhand, an olive skinned Batak boy of about 13, gave me a shrug, as if to say “Heading to Parapat? Then why in the world did you take the boat from Balige to Onanrunggu last night in the first place?”. I shrugged back at him, and my shrug said “Yes, I know I’m an idiot. I should have just taken the bus from straight from Balige to Parapat”.
The journey took me through some exhilarating scenery. Lake Toba was formed 75 thousand years ago when a supervolcanic eruption created the crater, resulting in weather changes throughout the world and later being filled up with water to form what is today Lake Toba. And the scenery is the kind I have seen elsewhere where volcanic rocks abound. Cliffs rise out of the lakes on either side of the ferry, its surface covered with vegetation. Pulau Samosir to my left and the mainland on my right. And on the ferry were locals picked up along the way from various villages; the water low enough for the ferry to dock right at their doorstep! These locals were going to Parapat for business, or work, or to do their shopping in a big town.
I arrived in Ajibata harbour, about 1 km away from Parapat, disembarked and took a morning stroll to Parapat. Apparently it was faster to just walk, the ferry takes another 20 minutes to get to the next bay.
The Tiga Raja harbour in Parapat was also a market area with vendors selling pineapples, mangosteens, bananas and other tropical fruits. I bought a bunch of bananas and some mangoes and got on the ferry to cross back to Samosir Island, this time to Tuktuk. As ridiculous as it sounds, the fastest way to get from Point A (Onanrunggu) to Point B (Tuktuk), both located on the same island 20 kilometers apart, is to go back to the mainland and take a ferry back from there.
I saw my first tourists in three days on the Tuktuk boat. Tuktuk is where all the tourists stay, and at the end of the 1 hour ferry ride, I saw before me a string of resorts, all laid out along the shoreline. Each one boasted traditional Batak cottages, their courtyards opening out into the lake. I picked a place which had wifi, and for around 6.5 USD, got a room so big that I had enough space to do cartwheels in the bathroom!
Tuktuk is a tourist haven, the laid-back kind of place where you just relax and do nothing, the kind of place where an intended 2 day stay becomes a week long retreat. It had all the ‘characteristics’ of similar places → banana pancakes, wifi, magic mushrooms and TV channels showing movies and sitcoms.
After four hours of doing nothing (Internet!), I got restless and decided to go for a 3 kilometre hike to the next village Ambarita, the site of a group of 300 year old stone seats, used by the Batak for meetings and discussions.The stone seats themselves were underwhelming and the western tourist group firmly entrenched in the seats as their guide talked to them dissipated whatever mystical quality the stone seats had for me.
Instead, my afternoon took a serendipitous turn. Earlier as I was in the hills walking towards Ambarita, I heard music playing from somewhere down in the village. Thinking it came from the stone seats, I mumbled about how touristy this attraction must be. However, arriving at the stone seats, there was no music. The music was further ahead, and I followed the direction from where it came from.
It was a Batak wedding, right in the middle of the road. Everyone was dressed in their finest, and a full-blown ceremony was ongoing. Music was blaring, everyone was dancing and even the band playing was live. I peeked from the rear of the festivities and tried to see what was happening. The bride and groom were seated in the middle, on chairs. Family members danced around them and took turns to drape the Ulos cloths over the bride and groom. This is the Ulos Hela ceremony. It was all quite exciting, seeing little old Batak ladies spinning around to the lively music was the highlight of the day.
Back at the resort, I spent the evening stuffing myself and on the Internet. Three days to get to Tuktuk. And tomorrow I will be leaving for Medan.
Medan, Balige and Toba (Part 4 of 4)
Date: Sat 25th Jan’14
From Parapat, I took a shared taxi (75000 Rp) which on hindsight is a decent deal, since it brought you directly to your destination. Taking the public Sejahtera bus is 32000 Rp and it is much slower, stopping passengers everywhere. And you will need to flag a cab to get to your final destination once you reach the Medan bus station. There were even two locals taking my ‘tourist’ 7 seater shared taxi.
Compared to the idyllic waters of Lake Toba, Medan is a noisy, polluted Indonesia city. Potholes and open drains needed to be avoided, traffic lights seemingly turn red and green without a pattern, and the stream of traffic: cars, becaks, taxis, motorcycles all add to the chaos. Medan feels alive.
I splurged on a nice hotel, used by travelling Indonesian businessmen, evident by the tone-deaf hotel guests that night who were warbling on the karaoke machine in the lobby. Come to think of it, my hotel room that night costs more than the past three days combined!
The sights in Medan. There are no must-see sights in this city. I popped into the Masjid Raya, a mosque built during the Kingdom of Deli. Also saw the Istana Maimoon, a royal palace whose usage is very much ceremonial these days. Along the way, I got into an altercation with a becak driver. He insisted on taking me in his trishaw to Maimoon Palace for 2000 Rp. Sure, it was just 100 meters away, so let’s do the guy a favour, I thought. He then tried to charge me an extortionate sum of 75000 Rp for the short trip, which was ridiculous! I paid that same amount in the 5 hour shared taxi ride from Toba to Medan! Of course I was furious and refused. “But I brought you sightseeing”, he reasoned, which was not even valid as my view was blocked throughout by the flap covering the front of his trishaw. I gave him an earful, a generous 10000 Rp and stomped off.
Medan’s Lapangan Merdeka is a large open space, and at its perimeter are a row of open air eateries: fast food, local fare, some fancy restaurants and a section with a stage where live bands can play. Fashionable Medan youths hang out here. Beside the lapangan Merdeka is the Central Railway Stations, which I took to get to the airport (80000 Rp).
The price was very steep, considering I paid 10000 Rp getting from the airport to town in the public Damri bus a few days back. But this was a modern airconditioned cabin; clean and brand new. I was impressed with the brightly lit and spacious seating areas, and the announcements in English and Indonesian. You could even do a city check-in at the station. I was just thinking “This is pretty good” when the train departed 15 minutes late. “Still Indonesia then, even the fancy trains run late,” I smiled to myself.
I spent the rest of the time in Medan roaming at the many shopping complexes. Medan Mall holds many brands and shops, and the adjacent linked mall is a warren of small merchants selling all sorts of knick knacks. The grandest new mall is however Centrepoint, located just beside the train station. This 6 storey mall has all the brands I know back home. There is Malaysian brand Parkson, Singapore brands like Bakerzinn, and Charles & Keith, and big tenant Korean brand Lotte, amongst others. The Chinese New Year festivities were in full flow, and there were performances on the ground floor atrium of the mall.
The top floor of the mall is a food court (so very similar to the layout of Singaporean malls), where each stall sold different regional and international fare. Opened only last month, the food court boasted Hainanese Chicken Rice from Singapore, Ipoh Laksa, Hong Kong Tsim Sha Shui, amongst other dishes. You even paid with pre-paid cards, and topped them up at counters, just like Singaporean malls.
And that was that. I left Medan the next morning, for the 1 hour flight back home. I bought boxes of the local specialty, Bika Ambon, which is a sort of tasty cake and headed home. Five days covering Parapat, Balige, Samosir Island and Medan.
Week five of the Indie Travel Challenge 2012 is about traveling in Asia. If you’ve traveled in Asia, what’s your favorite destination? Share a story of one of your best experiences in Asia, or tell us about a place you love
Being located in one of the main transport hubs in Asia allows for easy trips around the region. In this week’s Indie Travel post, I will share a few of the less common places to visit in Indonesia, one of my favourite countries. Mention Indonesia, and the traveller will think of Bali, but with more than 17 000 islands in the archipelago, Indonesia has a lot more to offer. If you have been to Indonesia before, go there again and try some of these other sights, new destinations you can visit. Ranked 1 to 5 hearts, with 1 being unusual but pretty common and 5 hearts being really way off the beaten track.
1. Dieng Plateau, Java
Going into Java, one of the most exhilarating sights is the temple of Borobudur. The other major UNESCO listed sight are the Prambanan temples. Both are reachable from Yogyakarta. But did you know from Yogyakarta you can go on another side trip to the little known Dieng Plateau, where the oldest stone structures in Indonesia are found. 8 Hindu temples remain from the Sanjaya empire remain, out of 400, built around 750 CE. From there, you can take an ojek ride to catch the sunrise at the 2300m peak above the plateau. Around the volcanic plateau are Kawah Sikidang (Deer crater), a boiling sulphuric pool and Telaga Warna (Coloured Lake) where you can see clear turquoise waters with tiers of farming landscapes in the background.
Off the beaten track rating: ♥♥♥
Getting There: From Yogyakarta, take a bus at the terminal to Magelang. At Magelang, take another bus to Wonosobo. This drops you off at the Wonosobo terminal, just outside of town. Join the crowd taking the bemo to town and you’ll get dropped where the minibuses to Dieng are.
2. Banda Aceh, Sumatra
Once badly affected by the 2004 Tsunami, the city has been rebuilt, its coastline fortified with bunds to protect against future disasters. The Aceh province is somewhat special, under a higher level of autonomy than the rest of Indonesia and with a staunchly Muslim population. Thus when travelling in the city, you will see the locals covered up, but no less friendly. The Baiturrahman Grand Mosque is a magnificent landmark. Banda Aceh is the springboard to Pulau Weh, for some fantastic diving, and also to Bukit Lawang for the orang utans.
Off the beaten track rating: ♥♥
Getting there: Either take a bus from Medan, or fly into Banda Aceh’s airport. Take the international flights from Malaysia or the domestic flights.
3. Gili Islands, Lombok
Tourists wax lyrical about Bali, but Lombok is an up and coming alternative. And the three small islands off the north-west coast of Lombok is a little piece of diving heaven. Gili Trawangan is the party capital, Gili Air with local villages and Gili Meno is the quiet one. Go there soon, before the infrastructure gets too developed, and the tourist population starts to outnumber the locals.
Off the beaten track rating: ♥
Getting there: Flights to Mataram, the capital of Lombok, from Singapore, and domestic flights. From Mataram, arrange for a transfer to Bangsal harbour, and take the public boat across.
4. Waikabubak, Sumba
For eleven months of the calendar year, no tourists will turn up in Sumba. The only time that you will see a smattering of foreign faces will be during the Pasola horse festival. During this event (normally in March), riders atop decorated horses charge and throw wooden spears at each other. The aim will be to draw blood, “returning blood back to the earth”. Other rituals before the festival include boxing, and auguring the nyale, sea worms that get wash ashore during this period. The Sumbanese also practise a syncretism of Christianity and animistic beliefs, reflected in the megalithic tombs that you see all around Waikabubak.
Off the beaten track rating: ♥♥♥♥♥
Getting there: is not easy. Local Merpati flights fly into Waikabubak or Waingapu, the other main town on Sumba island. Merpati though, does not handle online ticketing, so you would have to either arrange through an agency or buy over the counter.
5. Ternate, North Maluku
This is another destination way off the tourist radar. Ternate island however is rich with history, being one of the original sources of nutmegs and cloves. The region is collectively known as the Spice Islands, and this was where back in the 16th century, European explorers shipped back precious spices and trade made the locals kings rich. Wars, treachery and bickering between the neighbouring kingdoms were common, and the Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese and English took advantage of this. Today however, Ternate and its surrounds are little visited but great scenery and the remnants of foreign forts are visible throughout.
Off the beaten track rating: ♥♥♥♥
Getting there: Flights from Jakarta. From Ternate, boats go to the neighbouring islands. The smaller islands have less frequent public boats and you may need to spend the night there.
6. Tangkuban Perahu, Bandung.
From Jakarta, the locals take a weekend drive to nearby Bandung, cool and a shopping paradise, with many factory clothing outlets. Just a little way out of Bandung however, is the crater peak known as Tangkuban Perahu, which literally means ‘upturned-boat’, after a local legend where a man kicks the boat he was building in anger. From Bandung, that is what the peak looks like. It is a well visited tourist spot, with locals from the capital regularly dropping by. From the top, you can look down and even walk into the crater. Other activities are checking out (and boiling eggs!) over the boiling hot pools of Kawah Domas.
Off the beaten track rating: ♥
Getting there: From Bandung, it is an easy bus ride to the foot of Tangkuban Perahu. From there, just hire and ojek to take you up to the visitor’s area.
7. Lake Kelimutu, Flores
This is yet another one of those remarkable but rarely visited sights Indonesia has to offer. The Kelimutu lake is actually a group of 3 crater lakes. What is so special about them? All three are of a different colour. And they change colour over time. Today, one is reddish brown, one is green, and one is turquoise. 10 years ago, one was black, one was dirty green and the other some shade of blue. Experts say that it is due to the mineral content of the rocks. Locals more interestingly believe that the three lakes carry the souls of the dead. One each for the old, the young, and the wicked.
Off the beaten track rating: ♥♥♥♥
Getting there: Fly domestic into Flores (most likely Maumere) and make your way to Moni, the little town from which you can arrange transport up to Kelimutu to catch the sunrise.
8. Rinca Island, Flores
Here there be dragons. Komodo dragons! Rinca and Komodo Islands are side by side, off the western coast of Flores. Most people come to Komodo National Park for the spectacular diving, and include a visit to Komodo or Rinca. For me, I took a boat from Labuanbajo, and visited Rinca, the nearer of the two islands. Everyone knows about these Komodo dragons, and to actually see them upclose meters away from you is really something. Try not to poke them though, your guide, even with his big stick won’t be able to help.
Off the beaten track rating: ♥♥♥
9. Tomohon, North Sulawesi
Out of the way: Pulau Bunaken in Manado, one of the most exquisite diving spots. Even more out of the way: Nearby Lembeh Straits, which is where you can do world-class muck diving. Why-in-the-world-would-anyone-want-to-go-there-out-of-the-way: Tomohon, a little hill city nearby overlooking Manado city. Here and the nearby connecting towns are where you can find the heartland of the Minahasa people. Hikes to Gunung Lokon can be made from here, and if you are feeling brave, take a walk down to the local wet market to check out the fresh animal produce.
Off the beaten track rating: ♥♥♥
Getting there: Easy buses from from Manado head towards Tomohon, where labelled bemos go elsewhere in the area.
10. Mt. Kerinci, Sumatra
I did this a while ago, so I don’t have pictures to show for it. Gunung Kerinci is located in Sumatra’s Kerinci Seblat National Park and is the highest volcano in Indonesia. Attempting the peak requires some level of fitness. At the summit though, you would be rewarded with magnificent views of the surroundings as well as a look into the sulphur belching crater. Do not tarry at the peak though, the fumes are poisonous.
Off the beaten track rating: ♥♥♥
Getting There: From Padang, take a bus to the village of Kersik Tuo at the foot. Arrange for a guide and other essentials there.
** Bonus: Bali.
And finally, I mentioned Bali at the beginning of this post. Not exactly off the beaten track. But here is one time when Bali IS off the beaten track. Taken on the main tourist drag in Ubud, 2009, it shows Bali during Nyepi, the Balinese day of silence. Once a year on that day, shops are closed, the airport is closed, no one goes out, electricity is cut. It is a ghost town, enforced to ensure that when the demons overhead look down, and upon seeing no life, they will fly past and ignore Bali for the next one year.
That’s my list of uncommon places to visit in Indonesia. Other destinations on my bucket list (can’t list them on this post, haven’t been there yet) are Tanah Toraja in Sulawesi, Ponorogo in Central Java, the Cenderawasih Bay in Papua and the Banda Islands in Maluku.
What other places in Indonesia do you recommend?
NAD, 22-26th Dec 2011.
I flicked my foot once, then twice in a measured manner. The fin attached to my foot encountered water resistance, and propelled me steadily upwards. I heaved a sigh of relief, which came out as a cluster of bubbles from the regulator valve. I need to work on my buoyancy. I realised I had hovered down and was almost lying prone on the sea floor, right on top of an deceptively camouflaged mud-covered scorpionfish. One more vigorous kick saw me ascending further, in the process kicking up silt which clouded the already murky water, eliciting irritated stares behind tempered glass. The other divers were pros, carrying tens of thousands of dollars of camera equipment. They didn’t appreciate this noob diver spoiling their shots.
I was diving in the Lembeh Straits, known as the muck diving capital of the world. Located at the northern tip of Sulawesi, that oddly shaped landmass of an island in Indonesia, Lembeh is one of those places skilled divers dream of visiting. It is like the Shangri-La of dive spots, the Zanzibar or Timbuktu that land travellers whisper about and aspire to check off their list. For the non-divers reading this: What is muck diving? Muck diving is diving in dirt, silt, sandy bottoms. Contrast that to what you see on TV, on National Geographic documentaries, when you see healthy corals swarming with reef fishes, and pelagic fish in deep blue waters. In muck diving, you won’t see such sights. In muck diving, you are more likely to see disused old tyres, plastic bags, no landmarks of interest on the sea floor, just sandy bottom all around.
So why would anyone contemplate muck diving then? This is the reason.
I was in another world. The many species of bottom dwelling creatures were like nothing I had ever seen. Aso the dive guide beckoned me towards some sea fans. He took out his metal rod and pointed at one fan. I looked closely. On it was the tiniest, miniscule little seahorse, its tail coiled around the stem of the sea fan. It was as large as half the nail on my pinky, this pygmy seahorse, blending innocuously with it’s surroundings.
Next Aso halted, put his finger to his lips, calling for no sudden movement. I stopped, wondering what he was looking out for. The view in front of me was this expanse of brown silt, devoid of any significant points of interest. Then I saw it, a mimic octopus, camouflaged on the sandy bottom. It was stationary, trying to avoid the attention of this group of divers. Eight mottled tentacles spread outwards from its body, flattened against the sea bed. We approached, and the rings around the mimic octopus darkened, a subtle warning to us not to come closer. Then with a sudden flurry, the mimic bolted! Of f it went in the opposite direction, gliding across the sea floor, with a line of eager divers in tow. We trailed the mimic to its burrow, where it buried itself, with only its head sticking out, its eyes staring out at us defiantly.
Next were the painted frogfish. Ugly little fishes, they perch on rocky crevasses, eyes unblinking, mouths agape. Something akin to a deer in the headlights, which is the expression you get when you take its photos. They are not easily spotted; you need to have sharp eyes. Fortunately, we had Aso, who gestured at an orange version of the frogfish. This one was about the size of a fist, unmoving.
Then there were the critters. Little nudibranchs, which became my favourite undersea creatures back when I started being able to spot them, were everywhere. These sea slugs could be found not just on rock outcroppings, but here they were on dead leaves in the sea floor. Colourful chromodorii and noteworthy nembrothas, each one taking its turn to impress me, like a beauty pageant of which I was the roving judge with an underwater camera.
And so it went, one exotic sea creature after another. I would say that I am a pretty experienced diver, but I was surprised by the number of new species I encountered. Even those I am familiar with came in strange variations. Flounders? Yeah, seen them all. Cockatoo flounders? Whoa! Cuttlefish, sure seen many. But flamboyant cuttlefish? Nope, never seem them. Octopus? Seen plenty. Coconut octopus? You must be kidding, there’s such a species of octopi? Apparently yes.
Finally, up to the surface I went. I removed my mask and took in a deep breath of fresh air. The early morning sun was beating down, and the green canopies of Pulau Lembeh trees were inviting me back on mainland, for breakfast at the resort. In the distance, our boat switched on its engine and barrelled towards us. It was more than an hour of diving, and that was only the first dive! Onwards to more great diving!
Getting there:
Silkair departs from Singapore to Manado 4 times a week. Various other airlines depart from Jakarta, including Garuda, LionAir and Sriwijaya frequently. From Manado’s Sam Ratulangi airport, take a hired car down to Bitung, from the harbour, you could charter a boat to take you across to Lembeh. On a budget or feeling adventurous? Take the airport bus to Manado city, flag down a bemo to the long distance bus station (Ask for Bitung bus). And join the crowded bus packed with locals to Bitung City, two hours away. From there, hop on the public boat to Lembeh, and pillion ride an ojek to your resort.
Alternatively, you could pre-book with one of the many dive resorts on Lembeh or on the mainland, near Bitung city. They could arrange for a pick up at the airport and transfer you to the resort. I did my dive with NAD Lembeh, a neat and professionally run outfit, with experienced guides and a very personal touch. Also check out their excellent blog, maintained by Serge and gang.
21st Dec 2011, Volcano Resort
The dramatically named Volcano Resort sits at the foot of Gunung Api Lokon, just outside Tomohon, Minahasa Province, Sulawesi, Indonesia. The latter is presently not climbable, the volcano a little too active. Instead we are spending the night in a wooden bungalow at the resort. Besides the one resort staff, we had a big party of 6 to 10 year olds having a Christian learning camp, to keep us company at the resort.
The day started out in Ternate: We took the Sriwijaya flight out from Ternate to Manado. Bizarrely, the time difference between the two cities resulted in the flight arriving 15 minutes before it departed! Manado’s Sam Ratulangi airport is much bigger than Ternate’s Babullah airport. The drill is the same though, avoid the first person that comes up to you when you exit the airport. He will quote some ridiculously high price as his transport fee. This time round however, the cab driver actually pointed out the direction when I said we wanted to take the public transport (bemo).
One of the many churches in and around Tomohon.
Christmas is coming and nowhere is it more obvious than here in North Sulawesi. From the get-go, the bemo (or angkut, or mikrolet, as it is also known as), from the airport to Manado’s Terminal Paal 2 passes through roads with X’mas light up. You can hear carols and hymns everywhere. The bemos are playing through Silent Night, Jingle Bell Rock, O Holy Night, and the lady in the bemo had a ringtone playing We Wish You A Merry Xmas. The folks here are devout Christians, and you can see it by the number of churches seen along the way.
From the Terminal Paal 2 station in Manado, flag the bemo to Karombasan Terminal at the south of the city. This is where you can take the bus to Tomohon. We decided to get out of Manado and instead chill at Tomohon, higher up in the hills, cooler and without the bustle of the big ciy.
Tomohon’s terminal – Terminal Beriman – was where we arrived at. We picked our resort for the night, Volcano Resort, at the town just before Tomohon (Take the Terminal Beriman to Kakaskasen bemo – The good thing about the bemos here is that their destinations are clearly labelled, unlike those in Ternate).
At Tomohon, we delved into the market, and there it was, the macabre sight that I was looking for, on the chopping boards, for sale, you have pig’s heads, dogs, and bats with wings torn off. There were some live dogs in cages as well, awaiting their unfortunate fate. I lasted all of five minutes before staggering out, trying hard not to gag. Don’t judge I say, the Minahasans have their own delicacies, just not the type I would try anytime soon.
We had lunch (soto Makassar, if you must know, I had no stomach for the special local cusine) before deciding to drop by Tondano. The bemo takes around a half hour, and from Tondano, a connecting bemo goes into the countryside (Tondano- Remboken route) where we ended up at the Sumaru Eno Family Spring Resort. It was a weekday so the place was pretty empty. There were hot spring pools, fishing areas, those water pedal thingies, all in the middle of a park overlooking the Lake Tondano. Serene and a good way to while the afternoon away.
Back in Tondano, it was dusk and the x’mas decorations were out. Little lighted xmas trees lined up the roads, throughout the entire town! Very x’massey feel which the light drizzle didn’t dampen.
20th Dec 2011, Sasqavia Guest House
With Ternate and Tidore checked off the list, we decided to attempt a day trip to the mainland of Halmahera. Halmahera is the K-shaped island, largest and most undeveloped in North Maluku. There are many points of disembarkation at the mainland, and we decided to head for Jailolo, since that was the location of one of the old kingdoms (before it got swallowed up by Ternate sultanate).
Other landing points were at Sidangoli, and Sofifi. The latter was selected to be the capital of the North Maluku province back in 2007, with much of the government offices shifting there from Ternate. The selection of backwater town Sofifi as the capital was expectedly met with furore by the Ternate locals.
The boat from Ternate to Jailolo leaves when full. It leaves from the sirpet jetty in Dufa-Dufa, just north of Kota Ternate. The trip takes around an hour and costs 50k Rp. There is a ferry that leaves Ternate for Sidangoli at 2pm and departs Sidangoli the next day at 11am. I have no idea how big a city Sidangoli is (It’s the transit point to get to Tobelo in the northern end of Halmahera), but here’s what we found out about Jailolo.
The waters off Jailolo, West Halmahera
Jailolo is not much more than a large cluster of houses. There is one main street with sundry, electronics and clothes ships that had surprisingly mall-like exteriors. And that was all there was. There were no old Sultan’s keratons, no old colonial forts. Nothing. And it was drizzling. Beyond Jailolo, the road goes inland into the Jurassic Park like untouched green interior.
But we made it to Halmahera. After the obligatory location check-in on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, it was time to look for “tempat wisata” or tourist locations. I asked for Marimbati, the beach 12km away recommended by LP. But the road was hilly and wasn’t good, and the converted ojeks that seat two passengers in front, will not be able to climb. The normal ojeks probably could manage the route, but I wasn’t going to pillion ride for 1 hour in the rain, along a hilly, non- tarmacked road. The helpful Jailolo local offered Sahu beaches instead, but it was a case of trying to find objects of interest when there were none. Scraping the bottom of the barrel, I thought to myself, but it gives an excuse to head towards somewhere. However, there really was nothing much to see there, we did a loop around town. There were a couple of monuments, a pair of men and women statues, overlooking the road. In the end, we ended up in a Warnet, the Internet kiosk. So if anyone asks us what we did in Halmahera, the truthful reply would be that we surfed the Internet.
On the boat back, we did come across a lady (probably from Jakarta) wearing a “I dived in West Halmahera” T-shirt, so if anyone reading this knows exactly where the diving is, let me know.
Back in Ternate, just down the street from the jetty was Benteng Tolukko, a 1512 CE Portuguese fort. We paid 5k Rp each and stood at the top of the restored fort. We could see Halmahera from left to right on the entire horizon, Tidore and Maitara on the foreground. Down below were the houses of Ternate, and behind us was majestic Mount Gamalama.
Back in town, we had dinner at the roadside warungs again à this Makassarese dishes: Sop Saudara, Sop Konrod, and Coto Makassar were really lip-smackingly good. Oh and on the way back, we passed by the grand mosque again. It was already dark, but there was a crowd headed for the mosque. It seemed the entire city was dressed in white bajus and covered in religious garb. There were even traffic police controlling the crowd. I asked one guy and he told me that a religious holy man from Jakarta was in town and he was leading some recitations (zikir). It was apparently an event that took place monthly. It struck me how Muslim Ternate was, probably more than some parts of Indonesia. Compare that to what I will experience tomorrow, in the Minahasan city of Manado.
19th Dec 2011, Sasqavia Guest House
We woke up late. 10am, and neither of us had bothered with the alarm. We took brunch, a hearty Soup Saudara and Soup Konrod, before making our way by ojek (7k Rp) to the Bastiong ferry terminal. The ferry terminal is actually where the big ferry leaves from. For more frequent departures, ask for the sirpet harbour, from which 16 seater speedboats leave (8k rp).
Ah Tidore. If we thought Ternate was laid back, Tidore is even more so. We disembarked at Rum, and took the bemo (9k Rp) to the main town, Soasio, on the other side of the island. I thought that the bemo terminal would be in the middle of the town centre, like it was back in Ternate (where it was at the market). But here, the terminal sits in a quiet uninviting area.
The view from atop the Spanish fort ruins, Benteng Tohula
We flagged one of those funky carrier ojeks (they look like mini-tractors with scoops), and made for the Spanish fort, Benteng Tohula. While Ternate made pacts with the Dutch, the Tidore folks allied with the Spanish. Located on top of a cliff, the undergrowth covered ruins from the 17th century is now someone’s farm. The owner cultivates chilli plants along the fort walls!
From there, we went down to the Tidore Sultan’s keraton, almost an exact replica (but with blue roof) of the Ternate palace. Beyond that, and up the hill was another Spanish fort. Tidore’s peak was nearer and thus more grand-looking from this fort. Or perhaps it was because the peak was not covered in mist.
Then it was the 40 minute bemo ride back to the jetty. We had durian, authentic meaty Maluku durians at the docks, before making our way back to Ternate.
Dinner was in Kota Ternate, at an open air collection of warungs, near the Swering promenade. Tomorrow, we will attempt to get to Halmahera, the huge K-shaped land mass that overlooks both Ternate and Tidore.
18th Dec 2011, Sasqavia Guest House
The group of islands known as the Maluku islands are scattered all over the Indonesian waters, isolated from the busy megacities of Indonesia. To the west is Sulawesi, to the east is Papua. To the north are the Philippines and south is Timor and further south, Darwin, Australia. To get to any of these places requires at least 200km of air travel, or days of sea travel. That is how remote the Maluku islands are. In 2007, the Indonesian government divided Maluku into two provinces: Maluku and North Maluku.
We flew in from Jakarta to Ternate on Sriwijaya Air, with a stopover at Makassar. Ternate, the biggest city in North Maluku, has a population slightly over 100k. Back in the 17th century, it was one of the original kingdoms in this region, lording over the clove trade, the single source of the spice in the world. Expectedly, the European powers of the time made their way to Ternate, made treaties with the locals to trade valuable spices. It got a bit messy with the Portuguese, then Dutch and Spanish, coming either to exert their authority or to ally themselves with Ternate’s local rivals, the kingdom of Tidore. You can read my other post for the history of the Spice Islands.
The view from Floridas restaurant in Ternate.
Today, Kota Ternate is a bustling city, despite being so isolated. A network of domestic flights means it is well connected. There is hardly a tourist scene here though. I’m writing this on Day 2, and so far, we are the only two foreigners. It’s a modern place; there is even a mall with pre-paid wifi. Actually, it is typical of most Indonesian towns I have been to, unspectacular, practical with very good food. The only exception is that I see some faces that look more Melanesian.
The flight in. Did you know that Sriwijaya has a Singapore office? They fly to Jakarta from Singapore. The online booking was pretty smooth, with an sms security code confirmation. A couple of days before the flight, they even called to confirm the flight. Food on the Boeing 737 plane was simple but tasty, and there is a free 20kg baggage allowance. Flight stewardesses were hot.
From the airport, it was an overpriced (as we were to find out) 50k Rupiah (Rp) to town. We put up at the Sasqavia Guest House, 175k Rp a night for a double room. With cable and aircon, it is pretty alright. We took a look at some homestays, aka “penginapan” but these were all full, taken up by travelling Indonesians doing sales.
From there, we headed out to explore the town. Ternate is a volcanic island, circular in shape, with Gunung Gamalama towering over the entire island. It looks like one of those volcanic islands you see in movies, majestically rising out of the sea. As a result, the entire city is built along the eastern coast of Ternate.
First was a visit to the big mosque by the coast, the Al-Munawwah mosque. The unusual thing about this mosque is that two of the four minarets sit on stone pillars that rise straight out of the sea! Interestingly too, if you look closely at the repetitive pattern on the dome, it spells out “Allah” and “Muhammad” in Arabic language. This is typical of Muslim architecture, exhibiting repetitive abstract geometrical patterns.
Next we popped by the Dutch fort built in 1607, Benteng Oranye. Located right in the city centre, the walls of the fort still stand, but whatever remains inside are long gone, replaced by residential homes. On the bastion there are still cannons, and when we were there, many, many goats.
Further north, the Sultan’s Keraton is the home of the current Ternate Sultan. This is the same Sultan whose family ruled over the spice trade many centuries ago. It is a fancy two storied raised home, with a museum inside showcasing the treasures of the royal family. We wanted to enter (and perhaps have tea with him) but the Sultan wasn’t home. Neither was the caretaker. Someone mentioned that after the resident volcano blew its top two weeks ago (leading to mass evacuation and a two day shutdown of the airport), the Sultan wouldn’t be at the keraton. I wouldn’t be either, seeing that the palace is right at the foot of the volcano. While there, we also dropped by the Sultan Masjid, a small but interesting mosque.
Bemos, the 8 seater minivans that plough Indonesia’s roads, go around the island. We took one to Rua, where the kolam, or pond, which leads to where locals visit the black sand beach. The stroll was brief, passing by nutmegs laid out to dry by the roadside. This was one of the spices which famously led to so many political shenanigans in the past. Now no one even thinks twice about these spices.
Back at Kota Ternate, the new Jatiland mall, Ternate’s biggest and only mall, was where we had time to cool down. The sun burns through you here, and I made a mental reminder to put on sunblock tomorrow. XH had a 10 SGD cup of kopi luwak, the prime coffee made out of coffee beans excreted by civet cats, while I gawked at the rideable toy train that chugged through the ground level of the mall.
We decided to have dinner at Floridas, a fancy restaurant recommended by LP. It’s quite out of the way. And the food was expensive by Indonesian standards (50k Rp for mains), but the view was worth it. Overlooking the dining area was Kiematubu, the peak of Pulau Tidore, with the smaller Pulau Maitara in the foreground, which made for spectacular sunset views. The exact scene could be seen from the back of the Indonesian 1000 Rupiah note, a fact proudly remarked by the owners. Try the ginger almond (kenari) tea, it is the specialty, but it takes some getting used to.
For a city with barely any tourist sights, we did manage to do quite a few things. Tomorrow, we will hop on a boat to Tidore, the island to the south, and also Ternate’s perennial rival.
Now here’s a thought. Singapore is a nation of migrants. No, I’m not talking about the recent influx of foreigners. Rather, I’m talking about our forefathers, those immigrants from the Malay archipelago, China, the Indian subcontinent and various settlements around the region. They came decades ago, to Singapore looking for better opportunities, settling here and setting the stage for modern Singapore.
And so, as I was looking for new destinations to explore, I thought to myself, how cool would it be if we were to visit the place of birth of our forefathers. For me, that would be Ponorogo, a city somewhere in East Java, Indonesia. That’s on my dad’s side, we are of Javanese descent. On my mum’s side it’s not so clear, she’s Chinese by birth but we’ve no idea exactly where the migration trail started and passed through before ending up in Singapore. So let’s talk about Ponorogo.
Reachable from Surabaya after a 5 hour bus ride, the town is completely off the tourist trail. A quick google turned up some interesting findings. Ponorogo is known for it’s delicacy, sate ponorogo –> I make a quick note to taste the satay there and compare it to my dad’s version. Ponorogo is also well-known as the site of an annual festival, the Grebeg Suro. This is a week long cultural festival where the locals will celebrate by performing the Reog, a dance which pits the hero against a lion-like creature – the singa barong. Apparently there is a lot of mystical symbolism in the dance, a legacy of the Majapahit empire.
Reog Ponorogo
Back in 2007, there was apparently an uproar when a reog dance was published in a Malaysia tourism pamphlet. The Indonesians protested saying that the dance was an art form that originated from Java.
Very interesting. I resolved to pay a visit, possibly in early 2012. The last festival was back in November 2011, but there are monthly reog performances during the full moon in the Ponorogo town square, so that would be a highlight.
How about you? Have you thought about going back to the hometowns and villages of your forefathers? Or perhaps you even have relatives you know there? Maybe you can even tell me more about the Grebeg Suro? Discuss.