30.-01.06.2019 # Java / Bandung

At a little after 9:00 am, we take a taxi to the train station. The train doesn't leave for another hour and a half, so we have enough time for any unforeseen circumstances.

Booking the tickets through tiket.com is quite simple. The only issue is reserving seats, especially if you want to change the ones that are preselected by the portal. With the booking confirmation, you go to the machine, scan the barcode, and the personalized boarding passes are printed. You can only access the departure area with a valid boarding pass and the printed identification document. The checks are quite thorough. The train to Bandung arrives half an hour before the scheduled departure, so we don't have to wait long on the platform. We take our seats in the first row and get comfortable, but then a staff member comes and reverses the seat rows. Oh well, the last row is fine too. The three and a half hour journey to Bandung flies by. The seats are very comfortable, and there is much more legroom than on a bus or plane. A good choice, indeed.

As we pass through the outskirts of Jakarta, we take a look at the downside of the bustling metropolis. Near canals or rivers, you can see numerous poor dwellings, almost like slums. Then the landscape changes, and the journey continues past rice fields and small towns. In the distance, you can also catch a glimpse of a volcano through the haze. It's a pity that the windows are tinted (and a bit dirty), otherwise we could have taken some nice snapshots.

In Bandung, we immediately hire the first taxi driver waiting outside the train station. Deni offers a fair price for the ride to the hotel and already has a program planned for us. He would love to take us to a music and dance performance right after check-in. We politely decline and instead arrange a tour for the next day. We book two nights at the el Royale Hotel. It's not exactly our preferred type of hotel, but its proximity to the train station was the deciding factor. The hotel seems to be quite busy. You mostly see Indonesian families, and other foreigners like us are nowhere to be found. While Anne is staying on the second floor, Maike and I have a room on the 15th floor. From the balcony, we have a nice view of the city and the volcanoes south of Bandung, if they ever emerge from the ubiquitous haze.

In the late afternoon, we stroll a few streets further into an amusement district with numerous restaurants and bars. The latter are closed for now and must wait until June 4th. After breaking the fast, this place will surely come alive. We hear live music coming from somewhere. When we head in that direction, we suddenly find ourselves in a street full of food stalls. Pesona Festival 2019 is written on some signs around us. Pesona means "charm" in English. We dive into the hustle and bustle and attract quite a bit of attention in some places. At one sausage stand, we try a local corn dog. It's edible, but not comparable to the ones we are used to. It probably lacks pork as an ingredient. Makes sense.

Then it starts drizzling, and we decide to head back towards the hotel. On the way, we stop at a restaurant because it's dinner time. Today is also Ascension Day, so there should at least be a proper beer. And we do find one. However, here the rules of the Quran are interpreted differently again. With reference to Ramadan, we are served our Bintang beer in coffee cups..:-) Well then, happy Father's Day, cheers!

The next morning, Deni is ready at ten o'clock sharp. We agreed on a fixed price of 800,000 IDR (50 €) for the entire day trip with three or four stops, which seemed reasonable for three people. First, we drive to the Tangkoban Perahu volcano. It is a little over 2000 meters high and jokingly referred to as a "drive-in volcano" because you can drive all the way to the top. Perfect for lazy people, right? There is a large, inactive crater at the summit and at least one active crater on the flank. The last eruption with the second-highest warning level was just six years ago, and even today you can still smell the typical sulfur compounds.

As is customary in such places, they make good money from tourists here too. At the entrance to the large crater, you have to pay 300,000 IDR per person. If you feel like it, you can take a hike around the rim of the crater. We're not interested. If you want to visit the active crater, you have to pay an additional 100,000 IDR per person. Of course, we want to see it. However, we forget to ask if the guide is included in the price when buying the tickets. Since we got off the train, one guide has been persistently following us and claiming to be official, showing his clipped-on badge. Eventually, we give in and he leads us about 1.2 km along a shady forest path to Kawah Domas, the active crater. The activity is evident in numerous spots where steam or hot water emerges from the ground. There are two pools where you can take a bath or get a massage with allegedly healing mud. Of course, for an additional fee :-) Maike takes up the offer and ends up covered in mud again.

While we wait for the treatment to finish, the guide tells me that he doesn't receive any money from the operators for his services. Well, well… Of course, we are moved by his story and give him each an additional 10 € before saying goodbye. When Deni later hears about it, he is outraged and says that the guy is a liar and we paid way too much. Lesson learned.

Afterward, we drive to the Cimahi Waterfall. Deni says swimming is possible there. It's not as hot as it is in Jakarta, but still warm enough to cool down. So we bring our swimwear as we make our way down to the valley through the deafening noise of countless crickets on about 400, sometimes slippery, steps. The tropical vegetation all around is breathtaking. But then comes the disappointment. Every spot where you could leave your belongings is wet from the mist sprayed by the waterfall. Sitting down is not an option, and to go swimming, you would have to balance on the smooth rocks to reach the pool. Nah, it's not meant to be. Somewhat disappointed, we begin the ascent, which we had pushed out of our thoughts until now. We reach the top faster than expected, but parts of the group will pay for it with muscle soreness. To make up for it, we have Deni drive us to an outlet center, where we have a coffee and do a little shopping. Although we didn't do that much, the day was still exhausting, so we cancel all other activities and return to the hotel. Later, Maike and I have some extremely spicy noodles for dinner, while Anne has to pass because of digestive issues.

That's it for Bandung. The next morning, we continue our journey to Yogyakarta by train. When we check out of the hotel, there is a folklore band playing in the lobby. When I take a photo, I am strongly encouraged to join in. I don't need to be told twice and become part of the ensemble for a few minutes. Despite all my efforts, I obviously can't keep up with the masters, so I'm glad when Deni arrives and wants to drive us to the train station.