Java: Why go there?

Java is the most populated island in Indonesia and to many Indonesians outside of that island, Java is synonimous with the government. Javanese people speak a variety of languages including Bahasa Indonesia, Javanese (in Central and western Java) and Sundanese (in western Java). For a tourist visiting Indonesia for the first time, what are the reasons to visit Java?

Java has a lot going on but gets a fraction of the tourism that Bali does. The population is mainly Muslim, but Java does have a sizeable Christian population.

•Solo
Solo is located in Central Java and is the cultural center of Java, together with Yogyakarta. Solo is also called Surakarta and is the least westernized city in Java, the Javanese language being written on street signs. As far as reasons to visit, one could check out the batik shops, visit the 2 kratons (walled palaces) Kraton Hadiningrat, Kraton Mangkunegaran, art galleries, Chinese temples, and local markets. Solo has a selection of affordable guest houses so it won’t break your budget. Other sights include the Radyapustaka Museum which contains a collection of items belonging to the former royal family.

•Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta is the most visited city in Central Java by foreign tourists. As a center of culture it offers a lot and the nearby Buddhist temple of Borobudur means Yogya is one not to miss and the street / warung food is legendary and affordable. The main street, Jl. Malioboro is a madhouse of buying and selling, great for gifts and unique items. Yogya is also home to the batik and silver jewelry trades, bargains galore.

Other sights include the Taman Sari Water Palace. Dating back to 1758, these pools have lily ponds, pools where the harem used to bathe and interesting architecture resembling a Spanish style. The Kraton (palace) dating back to 1757 is a great place to see a tradtional dance performance. Dance form is strict with less facial expression than the Balinese dancers. The Bird Market located north of Taman Sari is the place to check out a variety of birds and animals including turtle doves, parrots and roosters.

Borobudor is the massive Buddhist temple located 42km NW of Yogyakarta. It can be reached by local bus and is the largest Buddhist structure in the southern hemisphere. Built between 778-850 AD, it is one of the world’s most impressive structures.

•Mt. Bromo
Mt. Bromo is located in East Java 25km SW of Probolinggo. The volcano isn’t that high itself, but its highland location gives one the feeling of being in Nepal or some other cooler climate place. The huge caldera that Bromo sits is is flat with steep sides, giving a really surreal feel. It takes only 10 minutes to climb Bromo, and its immediate neghbour, Mt. Batok takes around 1 hour to get up and down. Many cheap guest houses on the crater rim and decent warungs.

•G-Land
G-Land is a great surf location. Famous for its powerful left hander, this location on the edge of the jungle is home to various surf-camps, but just to be away from the fast-lane makes it a place to visit.

•Bogor
Bogor is located 60km south of Jakarta in the highlands of west Java. The city is built around one of the best botanical gardens in the world. Bogor is another center of learning with many institutes. The Bogor Botanical Gardens (Kebon Raya) has over 12,000 species of plants spread over 87 hectares.

Food is Bogor is in the Sudanese style that is not as pedas (spicy hot) as the Sumatran Padang food. A typical Sudanese dish, asinan contains vegetables, fruit, peanuts and peanut sauce.

•Bandung
Located 180km SE of Jakarta, Bandung is situated in the highlands, surrounded by tea plantations and mountains. Like Yogya, Bandung is a center of education with many fine colleges and universities, including the tourism school. Referred to by the Dutch as the ‘Paris of the East’ Bandung has several sights worth checking out including the Sundanese Museum of Art and Army Museum. Fruits and vegetables such as avocado, strawberries and corn on the cob can be found in abundance due to the cooler climate.

•Getting to Java from Bali
Java has an international airport, Sukarno-Hatta in Jakarta, as well as several other large airports including Surabaya, Semarang, Badung, Yogyakarta. Flight time to Jakarta from Bali is around an hour?