From: smezias@rnd.GBA.NYU.EDU (Stephen J. Mezias)
Newsgroups: rec.travel
Subject: Re: Indonesian Holiday?
Date: 19 Nov 92 13:27:56 GMT
Organization: NYU Stern School of Business

In article <BxxzpC.D4w@news.cso.uiuc.edu> pwebb@void.ncsa.uiuc.edu
(Peter Webb) writes with questions about Indonesia:

(1) General advice: Do not travel by bus in Java, especially not by
day bus.  It is excruciatingly slow: I say this as someone who has
travelled by bus in (among other places) India, Nepal, Peru, Bolivia,
etc.  The people seal all the windows, apparently there is some
superstition about wind, and fill the bus with smoke from clove
cigarettes.  If you must travel by bus, do it by `bis malaam' night
bus, but dress warmly, they are air-conditioned like meat lockers.  If
you have the money, buy and air pass or individual air tickets and
fly.  I say this as someone who has enjoyed overland travel on many
occasions.  Indonesia, and particularly Java, are not the places for
bus travel.  Trains may be better, but the system for allocating
tickets on the long distance trains was quite arcane in my experience,
and we never succeeded in getting train tickets for the routes and
times we wanted.

>On Java:
>
>Bogor (1 day), Ujung Kulon (2 days + 2 travel days), Yoygakarta + Borobudur
>(2 days + 1 travel day)

Flying will save you three travel days here.  Use one of them to spend
an extra day in Jogjakarta at Prambanan: not as well publicized as
Borobudur but almost as nice.  I would also try to go the Pekalong
and/or Semarang in North Java for the very unique and beautiful batik
made there.  There are also some nice temples outside Semarang.

>	0) What are the best sources of information?  I've written to the
>	   Dept. of Tourism and am reading the Lonely Planet Guide and the
>	   Insight Guide.  Any other books (history, culture, wildlife,
>	   tourism) highly recommended?

This is the question with no answer: Normally, I like the Lonely
Planet guides but the one for Indonesia is not good.

>	1) Where are the best places to see wildlife?  If you've been to
>	   Ujung Kulon or the reserves in E. Java, I'd love to hear about
>	   your experiences.  Are there any reserves on Bali worth visiting?
>	   What sorts of animals live there?

The orangutan reserve at Bukit Luwang in Northern Sumatra is
absolutely ***oustanding***.  Hire a car for the overnight trip from
Medan if you can afford it (~$75).  The public bus from Medan to Bukit
Luwang has an inconveneient schedule, is in disgusting condition, and
is grossly overcrowded.  Medan (on your air pass) is also the gateway
to Lake Toba, which we really loved.

>	2) How crowded will it be?  I know the early summer is high season,
>	   but I don't know if that means 2-hour lines at temple entrances,
>	   and mobs on the beaches, or just moderate crowds.

Java is always crowded with locals.  Most are quite helpful, but
unfortunately a large minority of those who can actually speak English
can be quite aggressive in trying to get you to spend on what they
think you should spend on.

>	4) What's it like driving in Bali?  I know you don't have to have a
>	   driver (like you do in Java) but is the traffic manageable?  How
>	   are the roads? Bali looks very small, but I suspect bad roads and
>	   low speed limits make drives longer than they appear from the map.

Rental jeeps are cheap and driving away from the heavily touristed
areas is easy.

>	8) Am I really missing out by ignoring Sumutra, Kalimantan and
>	   Irian Jaya?  I just don't think I've got time for everything.

Go to Medan in Sumatra.  The lake and the orangutan reserve were the
highlights of our trip.

SJM