Indonesia

Indonesia is scattered over 17,500 islands - we wanted to start in Jakarta on Java. In the mega metropolis (9.5 million), we planned the rest of our trip with mixed feelings. There was still so much ahead of us, but we could also gradually see the end of our journey approaching.

Everywhere in the Muslim country, it was the month of Ramadan. Only after dark did the food stalls on the streets open. But we always found something to eat at lunchtime without any problems. Indonesian cuisine is very tasty. In simple wooden shacks (warungs), you can find the classics like Nasi Goreng (fried rice), Mie Goreng (fried noodles), Bakso (meatball soup), and Gado Gado (vegetables with peanut sauce).

First, we flew to Borneo because we absolutely wanted to see orangutans. These "forest people," as they are literally translated, can be seen in Tanjung Puting National Park, which can only be reached by boat. The two of us spent 3 days on a giant boat on the river through the park with a cook, guide, captain, and a sailor. We could sleep on the mat on the deck with a mosquito net. The jungle itself is already very beautiful. But the highlight was that we could stop at 3 ranger stations for feedings. There, the orangutans receive bananas once a day. Many of these animals have been freed from captivity, but wild animals also sometimes come for the feeding. The 2-hour feeding flies by. We were fascinated watching mothers with babies, young and older animals. At one station, a gibbon monkey even joined in and quickly stole some bananas. Once, we were able to go on a night safari and admire huge spiders and fluorescent mushrooms.

A return flight to Java brought us to the small town of Semarang. In the evening, a wonderful night market took place in Chinatown, which only offered food. We filled our bellies with Chinese ravioli, skewers, and Spanish churros. A young couple made cotton candy in the form of plush toys, and we tried a minion. Two boys made breathtaking Javanese coffee.

We continued by train to the city of Yogyakarta, where an art festival was taking place. We stayed there for several days and also went to the Borobudur temple for sunrise. After that, we set off for Mount Bromo. Shortly before reaching our destination, we had to wait for a whole morning until the minibus up to the village at the volcano was full. We hiked along the edge of the crater for a while and caught a glimpse of the volcano when the sky cleared up. The next morning, we set off early to the less-known viewpoint for sunrise and hiked through the plain to the volcano.

By chance, we made a connection with a tour group that continued to the Ijen volcano. We stayed overnight on a coffee plantation, which even had a thermal pool. The group left at 1 o'clock in the night for the volcano - but we first slept in. In the morning, we had to find two motorcycle taxis in the village, which took us to Ijen in about 20 minutes of adventurous driving and waited for us there. We were almost alone on the volcano, where a beautiful blue lake shimmered. With a gas mask, we could descend into the crater and watch the sulfur miners at work. Porters carry huge baskets uphill to the crater rim with great effort, where they are then transported down to the valley in handcars.

We liked the coffee plantation so much that we stayed for another 2 nights. Every morning, groups set off early, and we had the whole estate to ourselves for the whole day. Once, we took a walk to a nearby waterfall and were blown away by its beauty. Suddenly, heavy rain started, and the path turned into a stream. We wanted to wait, but we were slowly getting cold. Suddenly, we realized that we were standing next to a thermal spring. We just sat down in the mini pool, which reached about our knees, and poured hot water over ourselves in the pouring rain in the middle of the jungle. Simply paradise! When the rain subsided, we moved to a proper thermal pool with a roof on the outskirts of the village. We stayed there all day, and half the village stopped by for a swim. At noon, the pool attendant even made us instant noodle soup. We bathed in our underwear since our swimsuits had been stolen overnight. How were we supposed to find a bikini in this Muslim country?!?

With another group, we were able to drive to the ferry to Bali and then to the party beach of Kuta. Here we were sure that we would find new bathing suits. It was incredible what kind of food there was. From vegan organic hipster cafes to Greek restaurants and world-class Italian cuisine. We continued with new swimwear to the cultural town of Ubud in Bali. Here we wanted to stay for a few days and extend our visa. We rode a scooter to the rice terraces and to a chocolate factory. But it was also great to just laze around in this cozy place.

Next, we traveled to the Gili Islands north of Lombok. The islands are surrounded by reefs, and you can snorkel and observe turtles directly from the shore. We also went diving in the reef and could admire colorful fish (we found Nemo!), a stingray, and beautiful corals. On the islands, there are no motorbikes, and the only means of transportation are horse-drawn carts. However, you can walk around the island in about an hour. We then took a boat to the island of Lombok and traveled overland to Kuta Lombok.

In the small beach town of Selong Belanak, we wanted to learn to surf. Our homestay belonged to an Indonesian surfer boy from a picture book, who patiently pushed us so that we had immediate success. After two days of training, we tried it on our own, and it was a bit harder, but still a great experience. But then we needed an easy beach day to heal our abrasions. The beaches of Lombok surpassed all previous ones and were very cozy. There are simple restaurants in wooden shacks everywhere, and a cool beer or a coconut is always just a stone's throw away. Nevertheless, they are largely spared from tourist infrastructure and are primarily a destination for the island's residents. Then it was time to head back to Bali, where we had to pick up our passports. Finally, we had to say goodbye to Indonesia and fly to our final destination.