Welcome to the 6th edition of The Journey. Train Travel in Indonesia!
Today I am actually writing this from the train. That’s right, we have officially left Jakarta and are now taking the train to Yogyakarta. It’s the first time I have experienced train travel in Indonesia, and it’s actually pretty good!
There is no wi-fi, but you can’t expect everything. I have my laptop and am tapping away on Microsoft word, so that later I can copy and paste into WordPress. Where there is a will there is a way, and there is no need to waste an 8 hour train trip just staring out the window. Even though the rice paddies are pretty scenic. (He says as he wistfully gazes out the window)
I AM pretty happy with the train though. For someone tall, there is plenty of leg room. More than you would get on any plane, possibly even in business class. The seats are clean, as is the carriage itself. There are two power outlets, so I can charge my phone and laptop as we go. The food cart has been past twice, so that makes it once an hour. All in all, train travel in Indonesia is a pretty good experience so far.
Oh, and the ticket from Jakarta to Jogja is about $30AUD. That is for executive class. There is a basic economy as well for about $16AUD. If you are really looking to class it up, Luxury (business class) is about $70AUD.
A review on Jakarta
Now, even though I entitled this article Train Travel in Indonesia, I still have other things to talk about. So let’s get to what I have been up to since last we spoke.
In The Journey #5 I had just arrived in Jakarta and had been to Kota Tua. I have the article for that up now, so you can check it out on the button below.
Since Kota Tua we have been busy though, and Jakarta life has taken its toll. Because if there is one thing that can be said about life in Jakarta, it just never stops! And I mean that literally.
I will write a complete Guide to Jakarta in the next few days, but right now I will just touch on how busy the place is. The city has the worst traffic in the world, and that means that every time you walk out the door, expect to be gone for a long time. The normal trip of an hour in any other city will take you 3 or 4 in Jakarta. Sitting for long periods in traffic is normal, and surprisingly there is a lot less road rage in Jakarta than in other cities. I guess they just expect the traffic and are at peace with it.
The other thing about Jakarta is that it runs 24/7, and it is nothing to see families out eating dinner at midnight. It is normal in Jakarta, and like the traffic, is just their way of life.
A couple of weeks ago we headed out of the traffic and up the mountains to Kebun Raya Cibodas. This is a “branch” of the Botanic Gardens that we visited in Bogor. It was quite incredible, and totally different to the other Gardens, with the mountainous location offering different growing conditions. Everything here was bigger and better than the more formal gardens in the city. Check out the article by following the link on the button below.
Finding things to do in Jakarta seemed hard at first, as Jakarta isn’t a city geared up for tourism. But when you live with a local, you soon learn there is actually a few great things to do. Even if those things are not, technically, marketed towards the international tourist.
The Good and the Bad
I came across two things that I will mention here. One good experience and one bad. I will explain why.
First, the good.
Taman Mini Indonesia is a theme park that is based on the 26 different cultures that make up Indonesia. It is probably the most popular place in Jakarta for locals, and on public holidays gets jam packed with humanity. Every culture has a large display that features their individual architecture, dress and style. They are staffed by locals from that area, and are a brilliant way of experiencing Indonesia and getting a great overview of how diverse it is. Other than the cultural displays, there are also 16 museums, water park, lake and wildlife parks. We spent two days there and still only just touched on it all!
If you want to read more follow the link on the button below.
Now, the bad…
One of the other favorite places to visit for locals is Pantai Ancol. This is the “beach” of Jakarta, and it is located right next door to the port. This should have been a red flag for me, but I kept positive and tagged along to check it out.
Pollution and Over-hype
From the outside it seems like a great concept. A beach area, little Sea World, Water Park and a Theme Park all packed into a coastal strip. But all it really was, really, was a polluted and over-hyped money grab.
The entire concept is old, and to be fair it HAS been around for many years. But the safety systems in place (or lack of) would not pass muster in any western country. The beach area was SO polluted that they actually had signs warning people not to swim. Yet still there were parents there with their toddlers playing in the water, splashing away among the garbage and refuse.
Just around the corner is the hyped “lagoon” area, and as we strolled along the boardwalk we could see the fish belly up in the water dying. How this place is a popular weekend getaway, I cannot tell you. But, like Austrians and their political parties, Jakartans are probably so used to mediocrity that they just don’t notice anymore.
Jakarta Shopping is amazing!
One thing that is far from mediocrity, however, is the shopping in Jakarta. If you really want to spoil yourself and “shop till you drop” then come and check this place out!
I believe the number of malls in Jakarta is about 160, and we are not talking about suburban strip malls. These are big, six to 9 story behemoths that I kept getting lost in. In fact when we went to Grand Indonesia Mall, Jo got lost. And she GREW UP in the mall. Well, almost.
There are entire sections of these malls devoted to the one thing. It reminded me of the souks in Dubai. If you wanted to shop for electrical, or a phone for example, ALL the phone shops were beside each other. Interested in shoes? You will find the shoe shops all in one spot. Japanese food? The food courts looks like a mini Toyko!
Basically, I am pretty happy to be getting out of there. Jakarta is not my style, and big cities do not quite do it for me. Especially not when it’s the second largest city in the world, and I just want to get out into the countryside.
A side trip to Bandung
We did do that for a couple of days before boarding the train to Yogyakarta. The last two days we hired a car and headed to Bandung, a mountainous town a couple of hours away. Jo was born there,and she wanted to show me around.
IT was a good trip. We saw one of the most amazing places I have seen in Indonesia. A place called Kawah Putih. This is an acidic lake that forms the crater of a volcano. The sulfuric clouds waft across the green water, and the air is thick with fumes. The photos are amazing though, and I will be doing an article about it shortly, so keep an eye open. If you are interested in knowing exactly where it is, then HERE is a Google Maps location.
While in Bandung we also visited one of the famous Tea Plantations. The idea was to get some nice drone photos. I managed a couple before it started to rain, but Jo got some pretty amazing photos with the camera as well, so the trip was worth it. Even if the road was totally dodgy!
The one down point of the Bandung trip was the hotel. I will NOT be recommending it, unless you are looking for an ant and cockroach infested bacteria trap. Let me know if you are and I will happily divulge the name to you!
This train to Yogyakarta has been a great trip so far. I am very impressed with train travel in Indonesia, if this trip is a good example. Right now we are sitting at Cirebon Station, a couple of hundred Km’s out of Jakarta. We have been traveling for 3 hours, and the journey has been very comfortable. Even if the shaking of the train has caused me to make a thousand typing errors. But those can be fixed later…
As a matter of fact, I am enjoying the trip so much that I will write a separate article about it. I highly recommend train travel in Indonesia as a really good cheap alternative to flying. This train to Yogyakarta from Jakarta is no exception. Heaps better than sitting at the airport waiting for your plane. And a thousand times better than all the security. Here, we showed our ticket, pcr result and vaccination certificates, ONE TIME and then we were on board.
Simple.
UPDATE – I have written the article and full review of the train trip. You can find it by following THIS LINK.
Ok. Well Jo has just headed off to the restaurant car, so I will wrap this up in anticipation of a Nasi Goreng coming back with her. (I hope)
Next post will be from Jogja (Yogyakarta), in THE JOURNEY #7, so I will catch you all then.
Cheers,
J
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