Return to Indonesia (and Singapore)

[ by Stian ]

OK, so I had 20 days on my itinerary where I could do whatever I wanted. As I had met the very nice and sweet Lucas in Bali, and again in Yogyakarta, I decided to go back to Indonesia to see if there could be a potential future for me and him together, as he really really wanted me to come back and hang out with him in Indonesia. I have always told myself that IF I find the big love I am willing to try to see if there is a chance for it to work out. I was pretty nervous though, as I really did not know what to expect when returning to Indonesia, also Lucas told me that we could travel around in Indonesia and I was looking forward to get the opportunity to see more of this country as I only got to see a few places the last time. Kenneth on the other hand chose to go to Australia to hang out with his very new good friend there, so I was on my own in Indonesia.

Jakarta = A Massive Traffic Jam

Jakarta is a huge city with a population of around 10 200 000 inhabitants and located on the Java island. The city is the economic, cultural and political center of Indonesia. There are plenty of shopping centers around and the city offers great great dining. There are no sights to see or do though, so in that way the city is pretty boring. The biggest problem with the city is that there is no metro/subway, only taxi, buses and train and therefore to get from point A to B during daytime might take as much as 8 times as long time as if no traffic at all. It really really does feel that you are constantly stuck in the traffic and do not go anywhere. As Lucas was staying in Jakarta in this period I therefore had to fly in to this city to meet up with him again.

Meeting Lucas again / «Loosing» my VISA-card

The first meeting Lucas was very nice, though he was late because of traffic and also a bit stressed to begin with. He picked me up at the airport and we headed back to his hotel, which was OK. Later on I got to meet his friend Andhy as well and we all had dinner together the first evening, and eventually got to do some shopping as well. So first day was pretty good indeed. Already the next day we checked in to an apartment in Kalibata City – an apartment complex area of Jakarta that houses around 30 000 people. We would be living in a small apartment for the remaining time while in Jakarta, but that was ok – though of course I would be missing WiFi (as there were none there...). On this second day I realized that I had misplaced my VISA-card (which I at first thought had been stolen) so I was really upset and sad. I did get my card blocked though and ordered a new one from back home. Later it turned out that I had forgotten my card at the last Chinese restaurant we had dinner at while in Beijing. Thankfully Shirley had gotten a hold of it, so it was all good, though I had already blocked it, so the card was of no use anymore though.

Party in Jakarta

Jakarta IS known for having a very good nightlife, so I could have had some nice stories to tell about partying, but the truth is that we did not get to do very much partying. This second evening I and Lucas went to a bar called Cazbar and met up with his ex-boss who's birthday it was. As a treat to her Lucas had to perform a song, as he has a passion for singing and everyone knows this as he has even taken part in singing competitions like the Indonesian version of Idols. We only stayed here for a short time though. After Cazbar we went on to a gay club called Apollo, where there was a drag show and many hot go go dancers, and really nice music as well. So that was a fun evening. We did return to Cazbar for evening food at one point, but no drinking, and we also returned to Apollo once more another weekend and hang out with more friends of Lucas and had pretty much a really good time. But that was the only partying I got to do while in Jakarta though... Almost all of our evenings we spent at the apartment, relaxing.

Sightseeing in Jakarta: Dunia Fantasi and Tuga Monas

As already mentioned – there is not much to see in Jakarta at all. Or at least I did not get that impression. It didn't seem like Lucas knew about stuff to see or do either except for a few things. The third day both of us hang out with Lucas friend Andhy again and went to the Dunia Fantasi Theme Park, which well... is a theme park, and not of the best ones really... but we did the best out of the time we had there. There was a very small Farris wheel, a small roller coaster, a swing boat and other attractions there – as well as we watched a live show called Treasure Land, which was pretty good at least. We rounded off the evening this third day by watching the EcoPark Fantastique Media show which was staged close to the theme park. Funnily enough, when we were on our way to the theme park I was fascinated by the old style railway station, so I was taking photos - I was then stopped by the security guards who told me it was not allowed to take photos at the station and then told me to delete the photos. Lucas told them I was a foreigner so he would tell me, but of course, I never delete photos!!

The fourth day I and Lucas went to see the Tugu Monas, which is the National Monument of Indonesia. This monument is OK enough though, but it seems like it is the only one of its kind in Jakarta... in other words: The only real thing that can be considered a typical tourist attraction. In the base of the monument there is a museum where we got the story of Indonesia's struggle for independence from the Dutch colonies, which was sort of interesting. At the top of the monument we got a pretty ok view of the city, but it was a cloudy and wet day so it wasn't the best conditions. Of course other locals found interest in me and wanted to get their photos taken with me again – haha. I think there is something about the Indonesians, cause it is really only in Indonesia I attract this much attention, not anywhere else.

Indonesian Wedding Reception

Another interesting event I got to take part in was an Indonesian wedding reception. We had met up with some friends of Lucas; Jenny, Mozes and Esti and we all headed for this typical reception. The only comment I have for this reception is that I feel sorry for the wedding couple, as this reception obviously is a happening that goes on all day. There are hundreds of people coming by and the ones responsible for the reception (I guess the wedding couple and their families) have to provide food for ever guest – and the only thing that is going on is the guest arriving, then standing up in line to congratulate the couple and then get their photo taken with them, and then as a guest you just walk around chatting with other people, until it's time to get in line to say goodbye to the wedding couple and thank for the food. The wedding couple itself, and their parents, have to sit on a stage for the whole day and great and say goodbye to the guests...pretty much a boring day for them really (or at least it would have been for me).

Going to the Cinema

The only other activities we got to do while in Jakarta was of course eating, but we also got to see many movies at the movies, as both I and Lucas love going to the movies. During my stay we watched the movies «Iron Man 3», «Oblivion», «The Croods», «Sinister», «The Caller» and «Trance» - most of actually were pretty good movies:) We also had many a night just at home watching movies on the TV and relaxing.

Dining in Jakarta

Jakarta has a lot of very very nice restaurants to offer. Most of our dining we did at one of the major shopping malls like the Grand Indonesia Mall, Plaza Indonesia Mall, Plaza Senaya Mall, or the small mall at Kalibata City. Though the best restaurant we got to eat at was definitely the Lara Djanggrang-Imperial Indonesian Cuisine Restaurant. This restaurant is though not located in any mall at all, but in a pretty out of place area to be honest, so I don't think we would have found our way on our own. The previous day we had spent with Lucas female friend Ningsih and we had met up with her again and she was the one who took us to this restaurant, which was just amazing. The food at Lara Djanggrang was really really nice. This restaurant had even been awarded being the best restaurant in Indonesia. I do have to say that I really do like the Indonesian cuisine, except for the deserts – Asia don't know how to do sweet dishes at all unfortunately (or at least not the type that I seem to like, haha). I already had beef randang in Malaysia, but Lucas insists that beef randang originally comes from Indonesia, so he did his best to prove himself right, and I did have some really nice randang while in Jakarta as well I have to admit.

Another nice restaurant we ate at was the Canteen Restaurant at the Plaza Indonesia. Here I had a very nice German meal actually consisting of bratwurst, mashed potatoe and onion – but it was very nice. This special evening was very nice until Lucas started discussing the topic Lady Gaga vs Madonna which turned out to be an heated discussion that led to him becoming very annoyed with me (OMG: I know, it's so gay and hilarious.. I don't even wanna think about it, haha)...ah well.

I was even served a home cooked meal by Lucas himself one of the days during my stay. He had made arrangements with his friend Jenny, who was living in the same building as us, so that he could cook in her kitchen and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by his cooking skills, cause the food was very nice indeed. Of course it was beef rendang that was on the menu, haha.

City of Semarang

The plan of traveling to different places didn't work out very well, as Lucas changed his mind a lot. One of the places we got to go to was though the town of Semarang, which is the fifth largest city of Indonesia and has a population of about 2 million inhabitants. It is located on the north coast in the central part of the Java Island, so its not so far from Jakarta, but we still had to travel by air. Actually we purchased the tickets around midnight the evening before... which was totally strange for me. The local air companies seem to be open and fully serviced 24/7 in Jakarta, and they have offices in the center of the city – so no need to go the airport.

Sam Poo Kong

We stayed two whole days in Semarang, which is home to several notable universities and high schools, as well as several Chinese temples as a result of the large ethnic Chinese population of Semarang. One of these temples is Sam Poo Kong. The Sam Poo Kong is the oldest Chinese temple in Semarang, originally established by a Chinese Muslim explorer, and now shared by Indonesians of multiple religious denominations. The groundbreaking (as they call it) of the temple happened around 1400-1416, but the temple has been renovated a numerously times. It is a nice temple, but I did not get a wow-feeling as I have got at other places cause the temple looked pretty new, and lacked the charming old-style-feeling to it. Anyways. I got to take some photos at least, before we moved on to the next place.

Buddhagaya Watugong Pagoda

Another attraction in Semarang is the Buddhagaya Watugong Pagoda, which is the highest pagoda in Indonesia. It stands majestically as high as 45 meters, with octagonal base measuring 15 x 15 meters, which sustains the seven levels of rooms which symbolically represent the perfection and purity that can be achieved in an ascetic life in this world. Inside the second level of the Pagoda Buddhagaya Watugong Avalokitesvara there's a statue of the goddess Kwan Im. I have to say that I really liked this pagoda as it is very picturesque and located in a very nice area. Though we arrived in the evening so the lighting was not the best for us when taking photos, oh well. The pagoda was constructed over a 10 month period and was completed in the year 2006, so it really just is a baby in the pagoda-world, but a beautiful one indeed

Godong Songo

The second day in Semarang we headed for Mount Ungaran, which is a deeply eroded stratovolcano, located in the south of Semarang. Here we would pass the Darum Village on our way to explore the the complex of the Godongsongo Temples. The name Godongsongo is made up of the words «godong» which means house or a building and the word «sanga» which means nine. Hence, Gedongsongo represents nine groups of buildings. Whether they were already in nine groups since the first time or was there another implication for that is still being questioned. In fact, there are only five complete buildings presently. The temples were constructed for the Hindus during the 8^th century and therefore predates both Borobudur and Prambanan.

To explore the areas we had the option of hiking or riding a horse. As the price for the horse was a bit too much we opted for the hike. For me it turned out to be a nice hike as well, as the nature is spectacular, though Lucas got tired in just no time as he is not used to hiking... and he made sure that I got aware of this, ah well. Some people are just to used to comfortable taxis where ever they choose to go...

Local fruits and Pool complex

After the hike we stopped by a local fruit stand close to the Darum village and Lucas purchased mangosten and lengkeng fruit, which I had no idea was – but it turned out that I would love both of them as they tasted really yummy. We then headed for a pool complex in the hills, which offered a really stunning view. The plan was to maybe go for a swim, but I chose not too, as I felt were uncomfortable with all the locals people staring at me... God knows how they would take the sight of my chalk white body, haha;)

Dining in Semarang

We had two very nice dining experiences while in Semarang. The first evening we had dinner at the Koenakoeni Café, which is a very nice restaurant located on top of a hill which offered a very nice view of the city at night. I had beef and chicken satay here, which was really nice. The following day we had lunch at the restaurant Gubug Makan Mang Eng King which really had an impressive attraction, other than the very nice surroundings, establishment and food – namely two Bengal tigers! I have to say that the tigers really impressed me! Majesticly they were resting in their cages, but I really got close to one of them as he stared me deep into my eyes. He for sure was a pure beauty in every aspect:) The food was pretty OK as well – Lucas had a gurame bakar, which is a whole fried fish which tasted really really nice.

«Canceled» trips...

Semarang turned out to be the only other place I got to see, besides Jakarta, after my return to Indonesia. We were supposed to go to the cities of Bogor and Bandung as well, but as Lucas had the bad habit of changing is mind for the most silly reason sometimes, we ended up not going, which is too sad really. It has to be said that I and Lucas did not turn out as hoped. There was a bit of disagreement going on between us, and Lucas made sure to make me aware when he was not happy. But we did have a lot of nice times together as well... though some of they days I could have been apart for sure.

Return to Singapore

As I found cheaper tickets to Japan from Singapore (than from Jakarta) we chose to spend the last days we had together in Singapore. The first day/evening in Singapore was not the best one though as we had a really big disagreement and I chose to leave Lucas – but as I was trying to figure out what to do while outside the hotel, Lucas came after me and apologized for his behavior, so we made up again. Though it was a very calm evening, where we did not do anything.

Clarke Quay – Boat Quay

The following day we slept in. When we got ourselves to wake up and freshened up we headed for Clarke Quay which is a historical riverside quay in Singapore, located within the Singapore River Planning Area. The quay is situated upstream from the mouth of the Singapore River and Boat Quay. Clarke Quay is also the name of the pedestrian street along the river, which indeed is a nice street mainly consisting of restaurants and bars. We walked from Clarke Quay and towards Boat Quay which is pretty much the same, only located on the other side of the Singapore River. We eventually found ourselves a river cruise boat and explored the area from the seaside, which was nice indeed (but the river cruise ride lasted way to short after my meaning).

Afterwards we walked along the Esplanade-Thetres On the Bay and towards the Singapore Flyer, just for the walk/exploring. We also had a short break at the Molly Roffey's Irish Bar on the way, before we headed back towards hotel, but hanging at the Bugis junction mall for dinner and then movies, where we watched «Trance», before arriving back to the hotel for the evening.

Last Day With Lucas

The very last day we headed for the Orchard road for window-shopping, lunch and just to hang out and kill some time before heading towards the airport. At the airport I said goodbye to Lucas. I and Lucas had our differences, and sometimes we had major disagreements, but I really did like the good and caring Lucas, but taking the whole experience as a whole I doubt there will ever be a future together for me and Lucas.

So to make the long story short: Jakarta is a very messy city, where one is always stuck in traffic – it was a very very very annoying thing. I am pretty sure that I will never return to this city as I found it extremely boring. Good food and good shopping I can find almost anywhere in the world, so if that's the only thing a city has to offer, then it really has not much going for it. Semarang was more interesting indeed from a cultural and historical perspective at least. We also had major plans for Singapore as well, but we did not get to do any of those so also this experience was only so-so. Ah well. Next time I'll make sure to go completely on my own as I am sure I'll have way more fun then:)