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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Mar 11, 2019 10:00 PM Singapore - Merlion in restauration!
Air Asia flight to Singapore was one hour delayed in the evening - then I took the subway to the Chinatown station - (2,60 SGD - this also take an hour). So it was almost 10 pm Singapore time when I arrived to Galaxy Pod capsule hostel. For 38 SGD you can have here big enough plastic box with a mattress, linen and towel. TV and wi-fi are also inside, but I was too tired to use them. In the morning in the cafe downstairs they serve buffet breakfast, which is also included in the price (boiled eggs, toasts, cornflakes and drinks).
After breakfast I had some 3 hours time to take a walk around Singapore city centre. Every time I am here I see new, bright skyscrapers. It is imposing! I found new place on the esplanade, near the open-air theatre to catch the best panoramic view of the downtown - see the picture. Even in the morning you will see on the bank of Singapore River the crowd of the tourists. Today they were disappointed: the famous statue o Merlion - the symbol of Singapore is covered for restauration! Instead they can see only a miniature in the nearby garden.
Once again I took the walk along the Singapore River enjoying the views of White Victoria Theatre and National gallery. Ufff.... The temperature was around 32 deg and high humidity when I was walking back to Chinatown to check-out from the hostel and to go by subway to the Chiangi airport. My epic jourey to Pacific and Asia is almost over. It was so diverse an fantastic!
In the night I will be flying to Warsaw (13 hours direct flight) and then - to my Gdansk.
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Mar 10, 2019 10:00 PM Semarang - the capital of Central Jawa
Do you know what they invented here? - High deck city buses. on every bus stop they built 1 m high platform and passengers are boarding the bus from this platform. Buses are clean, have a/c and they have the conductors. Imagine also that they are very cheap - one ride including transfers costs only 3500 IDR - like quarter of dollar!
Today I was walking around Semarang enjoing the scenery - they have two big squares with some colonial buildings, the old city, where they are restoring houses around the imposing Dutch church and the dirty Chinatown with a nice temple which is like an peacefull oasis in the quarter of dusty, dirty and noisy streets. There are canals in the part ot the city smelling badly - but this is also the real Indonesia!
After 3,5 hours walk in the steamy heat I returned to my guesthouse just to pack and to take a pleasant, clean bus to the airport. It is sneaking through different quarters so allow an hour to reach the new airport.
It is time to say goodbye to the hot, smiling Indonesia. I am flying to Singapore!
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Mar 09, 2019 10:00 PM Sailing to Jawa
-This is last sailing of the slow ferry to Jepara, the ship goes to the shipyard, so do not miss it! I did not! The sun was rising over Karimunjawa when I bought the deck ticket for 76000 IDR and embarked the junk ship... The all seats were already occupied, but soon one family went to lay down on the mate on the deck and they ceded a seat to me... Bye, remote Karimunjawa! The sea was calm, but we still were sailing around 5 hours. In Jepara I took the pushbike rickshaw to get from the port to the poor and hot bus terminal. Minibus to Semarang appeared soon and we started 3-hours drive to the capital city of Central Jawa. Imagine old, dirty minibus with wide-open windows stopping at almost every corner. Soon it became full and overcrowded. Indonesians are allowed to smoke in such a buses and they do! Very hard experience for 50000 IDR - that's the cost of the ticket to Semarang... I was really happy to get of the vehicle at 3.30 pm. City bus took me to the center of the city where in the side, narrow alley I found my 9-dollar guesthouse... Nobody speaks English here. My room has just the matress on the floor and adjacent Asian "ski style" toilet. No sink, no shower. I believe I will survive till the morning :)
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Mar 08, 2019 10:00 PM Heading to Monkey Point
It is still sunny on Karimunjawa Island, but very hazy - so the air is not so clear, with the temperature higher than 30 and high humidity....
Local boat operators offer day snorkeling tours to the smaller islands of the archipelago charging 250000 per person but I decided to walk insread along the southeast coast. There is a paved but narrow road heading to Monkey Point (some 5 kms one way). At this point the road had a dead end, so there is little traffic, which is nice....
First beach I visited was Pancuran or Sunrise Beach - very nice and cozy place, but it requires step descent on the muddy path, so take care. On the road they built a gate where in the season they charge entry fee - 5000 per person. It is similar situation on the other beaches. The amount is not high, but if you stay few days visiting different beaches it could be quite a lot... I am lucky to be before the season...
The eastern coast road goes up and down so I was already sweaty when I reached the shocks of Bobby Beach located near a big area of the white sand. Bobby sells the beer for 50000 a bottle and has few "monkey houses" located on the trees for his clients. Onward north the road became overgrown by tropical vegetation - soon I reached Monkey Point in the little, narrow bay - very remote and picturesque place which acts as a graveyard for few little boats... It is on the picture.
In the afternoon I was climbing to the Joko Tuwo - the viewpoint overlooking the Karimun settlement. It was still hazy, but I saw in the distance the ferry waiting in the port - tomorrow in the morning I will be sailing back to Jawa!
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Mar 07, 2019 10:00 PM Sun over Karimun
Best wishes for our ladies on the occasion of International Womens Day! Lovely sun was shinning since the morning on Karimunjawa Island. That's what I was waiting for! I took my cameras and started the walk to the best beaches of the island. Sunset Beach (Tanjung Gelam) - some 5 kms north from the Karimun township is the closest. But you have to walk there some 2 kms off from the main road. Yes! It is great - picture postcard views... White sand is divided by some stones like on Virgin Gorda or La Digue. What a colors of the water!
Then I returned to the main road spending some time in the primary school than and started walk to the Annora Beach on the eastern side of the island. It is completely different but also nice.Love Hill is nearby, primitive Kumloco Beach is 300 m further south. Next beach on my today's trail was Batu Putih - - far north before the airport. This is narrow and shady beach - very few people there, but mosquitoes are active. Than I turned south tho Barracuda Beach. Nobodycare about this place - it has narrow sand and a kind od shipyard under the palms whete they build wooden boats.
So, I saw today the best beaches of Karimunjawa. At the end it was not easy to return back to Karimun - They do not have public buses here. I was walking a lot, meeting lovely local people in many places. The ladies picking the fruits offered me a bunch of rambutans. Finally I reached my guesthouse by few one-by-one scooters. i returned tired,, but with a great pictures....
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Mar 06, 2019 10:00 PM It rains sometimes also in the paradise....
Well known Lonely Planet guidebook listed Karimunjawa as the one of 10 top attractions of Indonesia. That's why I am here. Also because I love the small islands - do you know my "islands of the world" web page? http://www.kontynenty.net/wyspy.htm
Today on Karimunjawa it was not raining in the morning so I took a walk to the old port, where the fishing and tourist boats dock now. It is not a season on the island - I aaw only 5 or 6 other tourists... This gives me a chance to stroll in the narrow alleys around the port and enjoy the people, who live there - sometimes in the very poor conditions. But this part of the township has also the special atmosphere. The beautiful mosque with green minaret is also in this part of the settlement. I was alone there - no problem at all to take the pictures. Local kids are great - always ready to be photographed. I visited also a little local market opposite the hospital where you can buy as a souvenir for your wife the muslim scarf wear by local ladies - it costs only 35000 IDR - less than a can of beer! :)
It was raining again in the afternoon, but I believe that tomorrow the will appear so I will go to photograph those beautiful beaches.
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Mar 05, 2019 10:00 PM To Karimunjawa Island
The alarm clock was not necessary - at 4.30 am they were calling from the mosques of Jepara. I took a shower and big cup of coffee and walked some 200 m to the port gate, where in the solid pavilion they sell ferry ticket. The window is open at 5.30 or even earlier.... -One ticket economi, of course (I don't want to sit in a/c!) for orang Polandija (a man from Poland). The one way ticket costs 76000 IDR. But at the next desk you have to pay also 25000 tourist tax. Nowadays there is also fast ferry - it costs 200000.... Then you can walk on the pier to the ship. Oho, this is not a new model! When I was boarding through the car deck it was completely packed up with cars, scooters and piles of different goods. Eventually I climbed to the upper deck where are the rows of seats for the passengers. It is hard to say it is clean area but the local people put on the floor the mats, cartoon or vven newspapers and sleep... No glass in the windows so you can enjoy the landscape - at the beginning colorful fishing boats docking nearby, later - only the grey sea. No sun today!
We departed 25 minutes before the schedule - because the ship was completely full - they said...
Do not trust the locals when they say it will be 4-hours journey. We were sailing 6 hours and on approach to the island we found ourselves in the wall of fogg, wind and heavy rain. I was waiting half an hour to disembark, but no chance for dry landing... I weared on me and the backpack my waterproof poncho, but the wind was too strong to protect me.
Now it is already the evening and I am drying my clothes in "Sama Sama guest house" Let's hope that tomorrow the paradise island will show the other, nicer face :)
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Mar 04, 2019 10:00 PM A long way to Jepara
Sometimes local people want to impress the foreigner and they are giving information which is not updated or just false... This was a challenge today: to reach the destination I travelled by two microbuses then by ojek, then by taxi, then low-cost airline and two city buses and finally by car- the local version of Uber. Due to false information (I was looking the bus station in Cilegon which does not exists) the traffic jams and lack of reliable timetables I almost lost the connections. But all is done! It is evening and I am in the little port of Jepara. My homestay is near the little dock, where ferry is landing. There is also a monster turtle in the nearby park, housing aquarium - see picture.
Tomorrow in the morning little ferryboat is leaving from the port to the island of Karimunjawa, I hope to be on board! No ferries on Thursdays - that's why it was so important to reach Jepara today...
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Mar 03, 2019 10:00 PM Hati hati! I have been on Krakatau!
There are places spread out around the world which are for passionate travellers like the icons. I was reading about Krakatau as a boy... Reading and dreaming... The day arrived only today...
Carita Beach - a popular Indonesian resort with many hotels and condominiums acts like a main gateway to the Krakatau. I found Carita Beach almost empty. Why? On December 22nd 2018 there was eruption of the infamous volcano. High tsunami wave caused by the eruption hits the Carita coast destroing many light buildings staying in the first line after the beach. Some acommodations are not repaired till now, but the other are OK, but stay empty. Why? Because Indonesians are afraid that the next tsunami will come.
I do not scare, so already in the evening I started to search for the the boat and for the group to join. No other dreamers, for single ride they requested 4 mln IDR! Today in the morning after heavy bargaining they accepted 2,5 and we departed at 9.30 am.
It took us 1.5 hours by speedboat to reach the the group of volcanic islands. Yes, I landed on Krakatau beach. But the shape of the island was very surprising to me. Than we were sailing around Krakatau to see yellow boiling water blowing from the crater and the confluence of two color waters - like on Amazon. Ufff... The return sail was very bumpy and I returned wet. But so happy!
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Mar 02, 2019 10:00 PM Sunda Strait
At 7.30 am I was already walking the streets of Tanjung Kerang hunting for the blue minibus do Rajabasa. It cost 5000 per ride. Then in Rajabasa an the poor bus terminal red junk bus heading to Bakauheni was waiting for me. I paid 22000 for 3 hours ride on the bumpy road to reach the end od Sumatra Island. There is huge ferry terminal - ferries to Merak on Jawa departs every hour. 5 lines to the ticket desks in the building. To buy a ticket (15000) cash or credit card are not enough - you have to have to paid money to the local bank, receive the plastic card and go to the ticket desk. Smart clerk seeing foreigner tale a cash from.me (plus 2000 for him) and used his own card. Such a little business. .
Rusty ferry departed with 20 min delay. We were saili g the strait 2 hours. enjoing the views of little, rocky islands. I found new friends aboard :) This side of Jawa Island is hilly with many industrial instalations on the coast...
In the port of Merak, where we disembarked bus terminal is located just near the ferry. Bu no bus to Carita! Young student helped me to use a local.version of Uber. I should be in Carita before dusk
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