Indonesia

About the trip

I had been to Bali about 25 years ago, a short visit before a cruise. I was fascinated and hoped to return "sometime." My traveling companion had booked her trip with OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel) with a single room/no supplement! I booked the trip with a single as well. It was an interesting trip focusing on people-to-people contact, arts, culture, religions, food and ancient places like Borobudur and Prambanan in Java. We flew from SFO to Singapore, on Singapore Airlines, where we stayed for 3 nights to acclimate to time zone and explore Singapore. We stayed at the Kempinski Capitol because the AMEX Platinum card has a $300 statement credit on hotels every 6 months and the hotel had a free night offer, PLUS a $50 gift shop credit. So instead of a $1,000 cost for 3 nights it became $300 split by 2 people! FABULOUS breakfasts, nice pool, excellent service. Highly recommend. On my return to US, I returned to Singapore and stayed at the iconic Raffles Hotel. Again, a deal...ask me. Enjoyed Singapore, including the night safari at the Zoo! But too hot and humid. Jakarta, the least interesting capital city I have ever visited. Too smoggy, too hot and humid, and not enough landmarks to make it worth the time or money. (We did taste fresh durian fruit and BBQ cobra sate, tastes like soy marinated rubber bands.) OAT did set up interesting visits to communities to discuss how they live and they asked us about us. That is always interesting. Our guide also spotted a wedding that he got us invited to, after the other guests had left. That was a highlight. On to Yogakarta, a much more interesting and approachable city. It is our guide's home town and he took us to meet a tailor, a bird seller, a small family apartment with 3 generations living together, behind our hotel and they run a small luncheonette for local workers right there. We had lunch in a small rice growing village whose chief invited us to his home. We went to Borobudur and climbed it, went to Prambanam, made small batiks to experience that craft. We visited a small, remote village of Animists who have a different way to return a recently deceased body back to nature, learned about both reincarnation and recycling the body. OAT always has a home hosted dinner and ours was a delight. On to Java for 1 week. The island was celebrating a Hindu festival so it was particularly delightful. The "difficult topic" was talking to a married couple from different castes, the wife's Brahmin caste had to renounce her completely. Visted a school teaching Indonesian dance and gamelan performance, a weaving business producing irate fabrics, a knife/dagger maker with full forge blasting in the 100 degree heat! Now that I am back, I can enjoy all the memories in our cool 65 degree weather.

Where to stay

covered above

Restaurants

food was more situational than planned gourmet.

Questions?

Reach Laura Olson at Laurazolson@gmail.com

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