Lonely Loneliness

Bali/Java — travel in summer 1999

Question:

I went to Bali a couple of years ago to collect Gamelan instruments and stayed in Ubud for a week. It is small enough island that you can get to lots of places from any central town like Ubud. The standard books — Moon, Lonely Planet, are excellent and will tell you what you need to know. Besakih Temple is the "Vatican".  The temples on or near the volcanic lakes north of Ubud are also great.  There is also a temple in every town (with a Gamelan, which means orchestra) and there is a temple in every house. The Gamelans are made in special towns full of metal shapers; other towns are devoted to carving wood or stone. You can stay from $20 a nite (probably even less with the drop in the currency last year) to over $600.  I went in the $50-100 range and stayed at the Tjampuhan Hotel, which is converted from the 30’s house of Walter Spies, the German who """created""" Balinese art as we know it today.  Wonderful place. New issue of Arthur Frommer’s travel magazine has stuff on where to stay cheap; they rate it as one of the world’s great travel bargains. I can’t guess as to the effect of being part Chinese.  Bali is not as intense as Java, where the big problems have been.  I would find a Balinese friend before I go and have them show you around.  That would certainly not hurt. In may case, I rented a car and driver for about $60 a day.  He was great, and was avail 24 hours as I needed him.  Best part was visiting his house in the jungle. I now have over 1700 pounds (according to the shipping manifest) of Gamelan instruments at my house here in Texas. contact me for more info best Gary Hoover Austin, Texas

Response:

I was in Yogyakarta in November and found it safe.  Many tourists have been scared off by stories of riots in Jakarata being generlized to all of Java and Indonesia.  The tour guide we hired at Borobadur said they have had an 80% drop in tourists since June 98.  He and many others are very gentle people who make their living from serving tourists and are really hurting from this loss. I walked around much of downtown Yogyakarta at night and had only good experiences.  There are many students who are from all over Indonesia there at the universities who want to mee foreigners who they can practice English and other languages with. I saw several gamelan bands and shadow puppet shows in and around Yogya; most had almost no tourists there. I stayed at Bladok Losmen near city centre. It was clean, pleasant and well run.  Single room was $5 US per day. Met people running a project for street kids in the south end of the city. They run an organic foods restaurant to help fund the street kids project. Really good people. It is Milas Restaurant on Mantrijeron street. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – As an art lover, I recommend to skip Kuta/Legian area and go straight to Ubud/Gianyar and Klungkung areas where you can visit not only the museums and touristic performances, but also the creaters’ atliers for instance in Pengosekan (south of Ibud) and Kamasan (village of the traditional Balinese painters), plus the Museum of Classical Balinese Paintings in Klungkung.  Hope you explore the sophistication of the Indonesian people and arts, whenever you might decide to go there. Kika, thanks for your post.  It seems that this trip to Indonesia keeps getting whittled down every time I try and make plans or consider going there.  I want to go to Irian Jaya, but that is not safe.  Then Java is rather questionable, leaving just Bali.  I really want to stay off the beaten path, and although I’m confident that this is possible on the island of Bali, part of my hopes were to explore the Javanes gamelan music that I love so much.  This may be a trip that will need to be postponed yet again for a better time (I’m considering going to Morocco, and have been tentatively asked if I could assist in recording an album of Moroccan musicians there!).  I’m sure I’d like Bali, but it just seems like there are increasing limitations to what I can do in Indonesia.  And obviously, I’m posting this opinion from a really selfish point of view, since the political situation in Irian Jaya and Java are quite sad indeed.  Thanks again for your post. — Ken/Eleven Shadows I’d still rather go to Java than to Morocco. If you are into Gamelan music (i.e. have a more specific travel objective than the average sand, sun & beach tourist) you should actually be in Java and show your interest and support. Technically, Java is still – somehow – safe. The biggest problem is currently some opportunistic petty criminality (from pickpocketting to car hold-ups), but that’s things that can be handled and overcome by certain personal care and vigilance (like most seasoned travellers have, anyway). Maybe, and only because it is currently absolutely unpredictable, you may want to stay clear of May & June ‘99, but also this is only speculation. Have fun

Response:

I’d still rather go to Java than to Morocco. If you are into Gamelan music (i.e. have a more specific travel objective than the average sand, sun & beach tourist) you should actually be in Java and show your interest and support. Technically, Java is still – somehow – safe. The biggest problem is currently some opportunistic petty criminality (from pickpocketting to car hold-ups),

Well, my fear in traveling there is that I am of Chinese descent.  I’ve gotten forwarded some emails from my Dad in the last day or two since I posted this stuff.  We have a relative who lives in Java that I am not very close with, but his emails are scary!  He keeps hearing or reading about the mistreatment of Chinese Indonesians there.  Because of this information, I am really starting to hesitate in going to Java at all, and quite honestly, while I realize that Bali is beautiful and interesting, my real desire has always been to go to Java.  Soooo, I don’t have to make reservations until something like March or so, but it’s making me rethink the whole trip in favor of Morocco, which also really appeals to me. — Ken/Eleven Shadows Eleven Shadows * ES songs on Real Audio * Music Reviews * Travels: Peru-Ladakh-Kashmir-India-HK * Tibet * Real Audio Radio Shows http://www.theeleventhhour.com/elevenshadows

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – As an art lover, I recommend to skip Kuta/Legian area and go straight to Ubud/Gianyar and Klungkung areas where you can visit not only the museums and touristic performances, but also the creaters’ atliers for instance in Pengosekan (south of Ibud) and Kamasan (village of the traditional Balinese painters), plus the Museum of Classical Balinese Paintings in Klungkung.  Hope you explore the sophistication of the Indonesian people and arts, whenever you might decide to go there. Kika, thanks for your post.  It seems that this trip to Indonesia keeps getting whittled down every time I try and make plans or consider going there.  I want to go to Irian Jaya, but that is not safe.  Then Java is rather questionable, leaving just Bali.  I really want to stay off the beaten path, and although I’m confident that this is possible on the island of Bali, part of my hopes were to explore the Javanes gamelan music that I love so much.  This may be a trip that will need to be postponed yet again for a better time (I’m considering going to Morocco, and have been tentatively asked if I could assist in recording an album of Moroccan musicians there!).  I’m sure I’d like Bali, but it just seems like there are increasing limitations to what I can do in Indonesia.  And obviously, I’m posting this opinion from a really selfish point of view, since the political situation in Irian Jaya and Java are quite sad indeed.  Thanks again for your post. — Ken/Eleven Shadows

I’d still rather go to Java than to Morocco. If you are into Gamelan music (i.e. have a more specific travel objective than the average sand, sun & beach tourist) you should actually be in Java and show your interest and support. Technically, Java is still – somehow – safe. The biggest problem is currently some opportunistic petty criminality (from pickpocketting to car hold-ups), but that’s things that can be handled and overcome by certain personal care and vigilance (like most seasoned travellers have, anyway). Maybe, and only because it is currently absolutely unpredictable, you may want to stay clear of May & June ‘99, but also this is only speculation. Have fun

Response:

Bali is probably more than safe enough but I wouldn’t do Java just for a holiday.  I’d go if I had go back for business or to visit relatives but I wouldn’t risk it just for a holiday. jk

Response:

your note was of interest to me. Having lived in java  for 3 years (1952-1955)  as  advisor to the Indonesian Air Force, the problems with respect to the chinese  population unfortunately, was very similar even then.

Response:

As an art lover, I recommend to skip Kuta/Legian area and go straight to Ubud/Gianyar and Klungkung areas where you can visit not only the museums and touristic performances, but also the creaters’ atliers for instance in Pengosekan (south of Ibud) and Kamasan (village of the traditional Balinese painters), plus the Museum of Classical Balinese Paintings in Klungkung.  Hope you explore the sophistication of the Indonesian people and arts, whenever you might decide to go there.

Kika, thanks for your post.  It seems that this trip to Indonesia keeps getting whittled down every time I try and make plans or consider going there.  I want to go to Irian Jaya, but that is not safe.  Then Java is rather questionable, leaving just Bali.  I really want to stay off the beaten path, and although I’m confident that this is possible on the island of Bali, part of my hopes were to explore the Javanes gamelan music that I love so much.  This may be a trip that will need to be postponed yet again for a better time (I’m considering going to Morocco, and have been tentatively asked if I could assist in recording an album of Moroccan musicians there!).  I’m sure I’d like Bali, but it just seems like there are increasing limitations to what I can do in Indonesia.  And obviously, I’m posting this opinion from a really selfish point of view, since the political situation in Irian Jaya and Java are quite sad indeed.  Thanks again for your post. — Ken/Eleven Shadows Eleven Shadows * ES songs on Real Audio * Music Reviews * Travels: Peru-Ladakh-Kashmir-India-HK * Tibet * Real Audio Radio Shows http://www.theeleventhhour.com/elevenshadows

Response:

Dear Ken, I was recently in Indonesia this past summer, just 3 months following the riots and demonstrations.  If you are planning to go to Bali and stay mainly there, you will have no problems.  As far as Bali is concerned, it is "business as usual" for travellers.  If I were you, I’d stay as far away from Kuta Beach as possible, unless you surf.  The surf there is amazing, but beyond that, Kuta has become a  very commercialized centre and is about as gaudy as Pattaya. I would go up to Ubud, and spend the majority of my time there.  LP is right in that it is the culture center of Bali, and besides that, the food is excellent.  In particular, I would go to Casa Luna.  It is by far the BEST restaurant I have been to in Indonesia.  I used to take the shuttle bus from Kuta to Ubud (1 hour, Rp10 000= USD 1) just to have lunch, and to use the internet there. If you do make it into Java, I would suggest making a beeline to Yogyakarta. When I was there (August), Solo was quite bombed out.  In fact, the guest house I was staying at was just 1 block form an intersection where2 months before, over 50 cars and motorbikes had been torched in protest.  There was a very palpable tension in the air, and rebuilding had just begun. I suggest Yogya because about an hour away is Borobudur and Prambanan. Borobudur is a 9th century Buddhist monument, which was restored about 10 years ago.  It is breathtaking at sunrise, with Mt. Merapi (active volcanoe) in the background.  If you do go, stay at The Borobudur Guesthouse in Borobudur, rather than taking a tour from Yogya, because you can never get there in time for sunrise, and the gates do not open until 6AM, after sunrise.  If you stay at the guesthouse, the owners have a way of getting you in for sunrise, and they are extremely friendly. By the way, don’t be too worried about your personal safety (which is not to say you should have your guard down).  I was often mistaken for being Japanese, mostly because of the perception that they are wealthy enough to travel.  The other thing is that much of the animosity is directed against local Chinese, and they can pretty easily pick out a traveller, by dress etc.  I would however, strongly advise against going to West Java because of the activity there, but chech the US Travel Advisory for latest updates. Have fun with your trip!

Response:

Actually, I keep hearing from others that Bali is quite safe, but Java is not. But these people are probably not taking into consideration that I am of Chinese descent, and that is what worries me.

This past summer anyway, I met an awful lot of Indonesians of Chinese descent who had fled Java and were waiting out the troubles in Bali. They all seemed to be having fine times of it. miguel — Hit The Road! Photos, tales, and tips from around the world: http://u.nu

Response:

Kevin, The safety situation in Java and Bali seems quite diverse in different regions,  considered the newsgroups,  my own experiences, and the comments from my friends in Indonesia who are Javanese, Japanese and Chinese Indonesians. As a northeastern Asian female, I’ve been exposed to two different kind of racial problems when I travel to or study in Indonesia.  In touristic places, most of all in Bali,  there are quite a few people incl. airport immigration officials who perceive foreigners as "rip-off" target.  However, a Chinese Javanese friend of mine who now lives in Bali finds himself much more relaxed since the interracial tension is much less serious according to him. When I stayed in a Eastern Javanese city for 4 months last year, I as well as some other Japanese female students had quite often been subject to minor nuisance,  being mistaken as Chinese Indonesians, but the Japanese guys hardly ever had such experiences. From recent phone calls with my Javanese and Japanese friends again in Eastern Java, I understand the interraconal and inter- religious tension is much less apparant in places other than the "hot spots" such as Jakarta, Timor or Ujung Pandang, safe enough for the Japanese female students there. As for myself, I’ve been postponing my return to Indonesia, esp. to Java, but if you are a male travelling only to Bali, maybe it’s OK because tourism in Bali is a vital source of income for the nation and the region, and therefore the safety is quite severely watched over by the society.  Although dissappearance of money or personal belongings may likely happen, I minimize such risks by never bringing/carrying much. Yet I still prefer non-touristic places, even if the racial prejudice is more deep-rooted and the activity range for women are more restricted esp. in the Islamic societies, because the interpersonal relationship between locals and the foreigners is equal.  This means you have a far greater chance of making good friends with the sincere locals as a person, not as a foreigner (in Bali, they call foreigners "guests"). I’ve also been often helped and treated very kindly in Java, and in Bali, too. As an art lover, I recommend to skip Kuta/Legian area and go straight to Ubud/Gianyar and Klungkung areas where you can visit not only the museums and touristic performances, but also the creaters’ atliers for instance in Pengosekan (south of Ibud) and Kamasan (village of the traditional Balinese painters), plus the Museum of Classical Balinese Paintings in Klungkung.  Hope you explore the sophistication of the Indonesian people and arts, whenever you might decide to go there. Kika

Response:

I am interested in traveling to Bali, and perhaps other parts of Indonesia during July-August of 1999.  I actually have a great interest in going to Java, but am not sure of the safety, especially since I am of Chinese descent (even though I am American).  I was wondering if anyone could give me any feedback on this. Personally, from what I have heard from the news and my Chinese friends (including one who’s cousin barely escaped with their life), I would not go to Indonesia if I were you. Bali is probably ok, though, unless things take a dramatic turn for the worse in the meantime.

Actually, I keep hearing from others that Bali is quite safe, but Java is not. But these people are probably not taking into consideration that I am of Chinese descent, and that is what worries me.  There has been a lot of animosity aimed at ethnic Chinese there (and some of it is quite understandable, if not justifiable), and *that* is my concern.  And as for Grahame, who echoed similar sentiments and suggested other parts of SE Asia, such as Laos, well, that may be a good possibility as well!  I’ve traveled a reasonable amount throughout Asia in the past, and Indonesia has always been really high on the list of places to go. But every time I try and go there, something happens!  Grrrrrrrr!!!!!! <g Morocco is the other place I want to go, but that’s not very close to SE Asia, now, is it?? <g  Thanks for the comments! — Ken/Eleven Shadows Eleven Shadows * ES songs on Real Audio * Music Reviews * Travels: Peru-Ladakh-Kashmir-India-HK * Tibet * Real Audio Radio Shows http://www.theeleventhhour.com/elevenshadows

Response:

I am interested in traveling to Bali, and perhaps other parts of Indonesia during July-August of 1999.  I actually have a great interest in going to Java, but am not sure of the safety, especially since I am of Chinese descent (even though I am American).  I was wondering if anyone could give me any feedback on this. As far as places to visit in Bali, what would you recommend?  I have heard that the Pejeng region around Ubud hass some of Bali’s most ancient monuments and relics, and are somewhat similar to the Ellora/Ajanta caves in India (which are spectacular!).   I’d be interested in other recommendations for places to visit that are beautiful, have interesting art and music, and that some very beautiful architecture as well.  And again, fi someone could comment on the safety of someone of Chinese descent traveling to Java or other places in Indonesia, it would be greatly appreciated!!!  Thanks in advance!!! — Ken/Eleven Shadows Eleven Shadows * ES songs on Real Audio * Music Reviews * Travels: Peru-Ladakh-Kashmir-India-HK * Tibet * Real Audio Radio Shows http://www.theeleventhhour.com/elevenshadows

Response:

Ken, I’d be pretty careful. I following the situation pretty closely and have a lot of contacts and I really think that there are so many amazing places in SE Asia that unless you really, really want to see Indonesia, then I’d go to e.g. Laos. Of course it could change for the better by July/Aug (then again it could get worse). I wouldn’t be making any definite plans to visit until closer to the time when the on-ground situation is better known. cheers, Grahame

I am interested in traveling to Bali, and perhaps other parts of Indonesia during July-August of 1999.  I actually have a great interest in going to Java, but am not sure of the safety, especially since I am of Chinese descent (even though I am American).  I was wondering if anyone could give me any feedback on this. As far as places to visit in Bali, what would you recommend?  I have heard that the Pejeng region around Ubud hass some of Bali’s most ancient monuments and relics, and are somewhat similar to the Ellora/Ajanta caves in India (which are spectacular!).   I’d be interested in other recommendations for places to visit that are beautiful, have interesting art and music, and that some very beautiful architecture as well.  And again, fi someone could comment on the safety of someone of Chinese descent traveling to Java or other places in Indonesia, it would be greatly appreciated!!!  Thanks in advance!!! — Ken/Eleven Shadows Eleven Shadows * ES songs on Real Audio * Music Reviews * Travels: Peru-Ladakh-Kashmir-India-HK * Tibet * Real Audio Radio Shows http://www.theeleventhhour.com/elevenshadows — Grahame Rowland

Response:

I am interested in traveling to Bali, and perhaps other parts of Indonesia during July-August of 1999.  I actually have a great interest in going to Java, but am not sure of the safety, especially since I am of Chinese descent (even though I am American).  I was wondering if anyone could give me any feedback on this.

Personally, from what I have heard from the news and my Chinese friends (including one who’s cousin barely escaped with their life), I would not go to Indonesia if I were you. Bali is probably ok, though, unless things take a dramatic turn for the worse in the meantime. How about Cambodia, you can risk your life there and not be especially singled out as an ethnic Chinese? — Spehro Pefhany                                    "The Journey is the reward" Fax:(905) 271-9838                      (small micro system devt hw/sw + mfg)

Response:

Filed under: Interpersonal relationship

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