Indonesia

Land of Thousand Islands

Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago, consisting of 17,000 islands straddling the equator. 

We landed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, the capital, in the afternoon. In the evening, we visited Merdeka Square. At its centre stands the National Monument, built to commemorate Indonesia’s independence. The square, with gardens and open space, is a popular destination for sports and recreation. 
One morning, we found time to visit Jakarta Old Town, home to several important historical sites and buildings. We visited the Jakarta History Museum, displaying objects from the prehistory period of the city to Indonesia’s independence. Later, we relished Indonesian cuisine for lunch.
Close by, is the Wayang Museum dedicated to Javanese puppetry. It also displays collections of puppets and dolls from different countries. Nearby is the Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics. We also visited the National Museum of Indonesia, which has nicely preserved great treasures of the country’s cultural heritage.
We did not fail to visit Taman Mini Indonesia Indah. The park is a synopsis of Indonesian culture, with virtually all aspects of daily life in the country’s 27  provinces encapsulated in separate pavilions. I have always wondered why we could not have such a Bangladeshi showcase, with provisions for cultural entertainment and local foods.
We offered our maghreb prayer at Istiqlal Mosque _ the largest mosque in Asia. Interestingly, right across the  mosque is Jakarta’s  Roman Catholic Cathedral. 
After a few days in Jakarta, we left for Bali, one of my favourite destinations. Bali is a tiny island often referred to as ‘the island with 1,000 gods’. The predominantly Hindu island is a large tourist draw. 
Blessed with natural beauty, endless sandy beaches and silvery waves, Bali is renowned for its arts, temple architecture, rich Hindu culture, wood carving, music and vivid dances. Nothing in Balinese life is celebrated without a fusion of art and worship.
We were lodged at Kuta, the tourist mecca of Bali. We visited Kuta Beach, also known as Sunset Beach, every day and drowned ourselves to our delight. Vendors with baskets of fruits, drinks, clothes and toiletries frequent the beach. The fruit salad served fresh with a coating of tamarind and hot chillies was simply mouth watering and I developed a craving for it..
Nearby is Nusa Dua, gracefully integrating the beauty of the white beaches and clear water into the landscape. Needless to say, as a food connissieur, Balinese dishes such as nasi campur, sate lilit, gado gado and lawar, have always topped my list.
One afternoon, we drove for an hour to Uluwatu Temple,  renowned for its magnificent hilltop location. The temple is inhabiteyd by a large number of monkeys, who are extremely adept at snatching visitors’ belongings, including bags and cameras. Interestingly, I was also chased by the monkeys and was about to lose my spectacles. In the vicinity of the temple is the Garuda Cultural Park, where we enjoyed an hour-long Kecak Dance (monkey dance) performance. 
Another morning, we visited the panoramic Mount Batur, an active volcano rising above the surface of the beautiful lake, Danau Batur, close to Mount Agung.
We drove through horticultural areas and finally settled at a coffee plantation. The restaurant there sold Luwak coffee, the world’s most expensive coffee. It is made from the beans of coffee berries eaten, digested and defecated by civets. After  thorough washing, sun drying, roasting and brewing, the beans yield an aromatic coffee with much less bitterness. I must confess, it was one of the most refreshing coffees I have ever had.
We spent an entire day at Ubud, amidst rice fields and steep ravines which make it noticeably cooler than other destinations in Bali. Ubud is famous for its traditional dance performances, and we did not miss the opportunity. The neighbouring villages are well-known for unique bamboo crafts, wood and stone carving and batik. For miles, Ubud streets are littered with souvenir shops selling woodcraft, paintings and batik. Later, we enjoyed a great Balinese lunch in a village ambiance overlooking green paddy fields. Really mindblowing!
We spent sometime at Denpasar, the capital of Bali. The city has managed to retain its Balinese culture, while its temples still maintain their presence and influence. 
We also stopped at Tegalalang village. Its rice terraces are the most beautiful, featuring magnificient views of paddy fields, tropical trees and deep river valleys below. 
The weeklong trip to Indonesia was eventful and full of excitement. Lots of places of interest in Jakarta, exotic beaches in Bali, arts & crafts of Ubud, and above all, mouthwatering Balinese cuisine. Indonesia is not far and can be explored at affordable cost. 

Indonesia

Land of Thousand Islands

Indonesia is the worlds largest archipelago, consisting of 17,000 islands straddling the equator. We landed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, the capital, in the afternoon. In the evening, we visited Merdeka Square. At its centre stands the National Monument, built to commemorate Indonesias independence. The square, with gardens and open space, is a popular destination for sports and recreation. One morning, we found time to visit Jakarta Old Town, home to several important historical sites and buildings. We visited the Jakarta History Museum, displaying objects from the prehistory period of the city to Indonesias independence. Later, we relished Indonesian cuisine for lunch. Close by, is the Wayang Museum dedicated to Javanese puppetry. It also displays collections of puppets and dolls from different countries. Nearby is the Museum of Fine Arts and Ceramics. We also visited the National Museum of Indonesia, which has nicely preserved great treasures of the countrys cultural heritage. We did not fail to visit Taman Mini Indonesia Indah. The park is a synopsis of Indonesian culture, with virtually all aspects of daily life in the countrys 27 provinces encapsulated in separate pavilions. I have always wondered why we could not have such a Bangladeshi showcase, with provisions for cultural entertainment and local foods. We offered our maghreb prayer at Istiqlal Mosque _ the largest mosque in Asia. Interestingly, right across the mosque is Jakartas Roman Catholic Cathedral. After a few days in Jakarta, we left for Bali, one of my favourite destinations. Bali is a tiny island often referred to as the island with 1,000 gods. The predominantly Hindu island is a large tourist draw. Blessed with natural beauty, endless sandy beaches and silvery waves, Bali is renowned for its arts, temple architecture, rich Hindu culture, wood carving, music and vivid dances. Nothing in Balinese life is celebrated without a fusion of art and worship. We were lodged at Kuta, the tourist mecca of Bali. We visited Kuta Beach, also known as Sunset Beach, every day and drowned ourselves to our delight. Vendors with baskets of fruits, drinks, clothes and toiletries frequent the beach. The fruit salad served fresh with a coating of tamarind and hot chillies was simply mouth watering and I developed a craving for it.. Nearby is Nusa Dua, gracefully integrating the beauty of the white beaches and clear water into the landscape. Needless to say, as a food connissieur, Balinese dishes such as nasi campur, sate lilit, gado gado and lawar, have always topped my list. One afternoon, we drove for an hour to Uluwatu Temple, renowned for its magnificent hilltop location. The temple is inhabiteyd by a large number of monkeys, who are extremely adept at snatching visitors belongings, including bags and cameras. Interestingly, I was also chased by the monkeys and was about to lose my spectacles. In the vicinity of the temple is the Garuda Cultural Park, where we enjoyed an hour-long Kecak Dance (monkey dance) performance. Another morning, we visited the panoramic Mount Batur, an active volcano rising above the surface of the beautiful lake, Danau Batur, close to Mount Agung. We drove through horticultural areas and finally settled at a coffee plantation. The restaurant there sold Luwak coffee, the worlds most expensive coffee. It is made from the beans of coffee berries eaten, digested and defecated by civets. After thorough washing, sun drying, roasting and brewing, the beans yield an aromatic coffee with much less bitterness. I must confess, it was one of the most refreshing coffees I have ever had. We spent an entire day at Ubud, amidst rice fields and steep ravines which make it noticeably cooler than other destinations in Bali. Ubud is famous for its traditional dance performances, and we did not miss the opportunity. The neighbouring villages are well-known for unique bamboo crafts, wood and stone carving and batik. For miles, Ubud streets are littered with souvenir shops selling woodcraft, paintings and batik. Later, we enjoyed a great Balinese lunch in a village ambiance overlooking green paddy fields. Really mindblowing! We spent sometime at Denpasar, the capital of Bali. The city has managed to retain its Balinese culture, while its temples still maintain their presence and influence. We also stopped at Tegalalang village. Its rice terraces are the most beautiful, featuring magnificient views of paddy fields, tropical trees and deep river valleys below. The weeklong trip to Indonesia was eventful and full of excitement. Lots of places of interest in Jakarta, exotic beaches in Bali, arts crafts of Ubud, and above all, mouthwatering Balinese cuisine. Indonesia is not far and can be explored at affordable cost.