In Reply to: does anyone here actually go to... posted by baligirl666 on Sunday, 14. August 2005 at 15:43 Bali Time:
Go to borobudur and Prambanan temples..they are mind blowing.
The joja/solo area has much history and culture to explore,Batik,kratons,waterfalls,volcanoes ect
If you want to go back in time Pelabuhan ratu is as close as you will find in Indonesia to an 80's kuta.
Cimaja,batu karas,Pacitian area are nice mellow coastal spots with some greatr scenery.
For shopping the big citys are excellent in particular Bundung and Joja,in some places like Solo ever street seems to have the same shops for example there is a street in solo with about 10 shoe shops one shop in particular has thousands and thousands of super cheap shoes,I took my sister and mum there and they where in heaven.
Personally I find Jakarta horrible,expensive by indo standards,and almost impossible to breath,with little culture and the worst of the west,and always feel as everyone is out to rip you off.
The real bemo's in Java are excellent and cheap jump on jump off style just throw a few thousand on the dashboard usaully a rough guide is about 1000rrp per ten minutes,always keep small notes.
watch what the locals pay or ask if you can speak bahasa indo.
Private hired Bemos/cars/vans can be relly expensive in java and relly hard to get a good price,less competition even with my Javanese wife we can still pay stupid prices,generally the newer the car the more you pay.
For example the normal price from Jakarta to Cimaja beach a few hours south is 350,000rrp-550,000rrp.
Buses and trains are the way to go with a few hours trip sometimes costing under 20,000rrp.
Quite safe if your sensable not traveling on trains at night,or flashing your wealth around,and being careful of pick pocketers.
The young boys in Java like to busk on buses..500rrp coins is a fair donation 1000rrp if there good,will make them relly smile.
Becak's the local 3 wheel bike things are good for the novelity factor,but unless your a good barterer you can often pay more than what a cab would cost,always agree on a price first,and if you dont give them less than you think as they will ask for much more,but also remember they are mostly very poor,comming to the citys to work for a week to provide for there family often renting the becek and sleeping in it at night.