Semarang, Java (Indonesia) and a bit of Surabaya

The port of Semarang on Java is backed by mountains but not so tall as those on Borneo.  We had just crossed the equator, and I was hoping for an excursion to cooler surroundings, so we picked a visit to some ancient Hindu temples located at altitude.

We began the trip in buses, but as we ascending to higher altitude, the roads became narrow and winding, so we switched to minivans instead.  The roads ultimately became simple paths between well-tended farmer's fields.  Upon reaching a final parking lot, we had another choice: walk the remaining distance or go horseback (lead by guides).

When a farmer dies, his fields are normally split between his male children.  With multiple children, the resulting fields are getting smaller and less able to support a family. 

Dawn and I, plus three others, chose to walk the remaining distance to the temples.  As you can see, most people chose to ride horses, each led by a handler.

These are ancient monuments with some effort being made to reconstruct the dislodged stones piled to one side.

These monuments/temples are meant to worship ancestors in the Hindu religion.  Dawn has an eye for close-up photos; thus, you will see her in some of my photos.

The mountain top, although not too high, was obscured by clouds.

This is a volcanic area, and there are fissures belching forth steam and hot water.  A sulfur smell was present.  There was a commercial hot bath building at this site.

We visited six different parts of Indonesia during a weeklong period. We started with the island of Java and the ports of Semarang and Surabaya.  Java is one of the most densely populated places on earth, 157 million on one island.  We were advised to take anti-malaria medication in preparation for visiting Indonesia.

First, we went on a bus tour to mountain-side Hindu Temples in the highlands above Semarang.  Our final goal was a site at between 3,500-4,000-foot altitude, so the temperature was milder than the coastal lowlands.  Interestingly, altitude also corresponds to economic levels.  We were told that Hinduism promotes that the higher you are, the closer you are to your god.  We could see this for ourselves as our bus ascended the mountainside. At one point we had to switch from buses to much smaller vans.  At the end, we were transversing crude farm paths used to reach hillside crops.  As we ascended, the living conditions improved from shacks to more substantial homes, but few looked to be fully completed and well maintained.

In port at Surabaya, Java.  Due to smog/fog at sea level and surrounded by city, you could see little beyond the ship.

A major statue, looking out to sea, at Surabaya port, but we get only an outline due to poor visibility.

The following day, our ship was tied up at a dock in Surabaya.  It is a large industrial/port city.  The smog was quite visible.  Depressed from viewing such widespread poverty, Dawn and I elected to visit the city's largest shopping mall (2nd largest in the entire country of Indonesia).  Even with massive poverty, there are wealthy people in every country, and this mall serves that wealthy segment.  Perhaps the largest mall I have ever visited (excluding Dubai).  At least five levels with multiple wings branching off.  It would be easy to get lost.  I am sure that we did not see all of it.  

When you buy clothing, I am sure that you have noticed that much of it is sewn in Southeast Asia.  We found quality clothing at very favorable prices.  How much more can we fit in our suitcases?  The clerks were amazing; they all spoke clear English as one of their languages.  I would guess that working here is a favored job.

The island of Java, part of Indonesia, is home to 157 MILLION people, the most densely populated island on earth.  Indonesia, with a total population of 287 million persons distributed on a large number of islands; more than 17,000 islands total, is the 4th most populated country on earth (just below the US at #3).

It is so depressing to see people living such meager lives.  Driving to our various destinations, we couldn't help but see the hand-to-mouth conditions that many people here live under.  Our tour guide used the word “struggling” to describe the majority of the population.  I have no desire to flaunt that we enjoy a better life than the people here.  They are fellow humans with the same feelings and hopes as us.  During our entire tour, we were constantly fending off vendors and beggars (not much different except that some held objects in their hands while others simply held out a hand.)

Questions on many subjects were asked of our local guides: religion, government, education, healthcare.  People everywhere seem to have the same concerns.  Just don’t try to tell me that all cultures are equal.  The reason some of these countries are so poor is because of their backwards cultures and corrupt governments (the two are related).  Of course, we need to worry about the same issues here in the US.  Too many of our citizens do not understand or care how our federal government properly functions, even as it affects almost every aspect of our lives.