Indonesia
Day 1: Little do we know that our very first day in Indonesia will hold a momentous experience. After a very long journey, we land in Medan at Indonesia's second-largest airport. We head onto the highway through the suburbs of Medan, the provincial capital of North Sumatra, and continue on the Sumatra Highway to Binjai. We then travel through extensive rubber and oil palm plantations to our destination in Bukit Lawang , one of the main access points to the incredible rainforest of Gunung Leuser , one of Indonesia's oldest national parks. Before entering the park, we are happy to stretch our legs along the riverbank in Bukit Lawang. Leuser National Park is known as an orangutan sanctuary . During our hike, we actually spot a mother orangutan with a baby in the trees. Our tour guide has carrots with him, shows them to the mother, and then it happens. The orangutan mother comes down from the tree with her baby and takes the carrots from our hands. It's an indescribable experience... to have such close contact with the mother and her baby. But it gets even more amazing. They're still eyeing us, and we make a few monkey noises, which they respond to. We also gently wiggle the branch where the little monkey is hanging, rocking him back and forth. He clearly enjoys it. We play like this for a while, and then suddenly the mother retreats back up the tree. We continue playing with the little monkey on our own; every now and then the mother looks down at us. She seems to trust us completely and is really enjoying her free time. So we happily continue playing babysitter and are deeply impressed by this encounter and the incredible trust the orangutan mother shows. As I said, a truly special moment in our lives.
Day 2: We return to Medan and from there to our destination for the day, Lake Toba. On the way, we visit the Hindu temple Kuil Shri Raja Rajesvari Amman . In Medan, we'll stop for a short city tour and visit the Catholic church Graha Bunda Maria Annai Velangkanni , the Istana Mainum Palace , and the beautiful Masjid Raya Al-Mashun Mosque. We leave Medan for Lake Toba on the Trans-Sumatra Highway, making a final stop in Pematang Siantar. There, the statue of Dewi Kwan Im is worth a visit. In Parapat, we reach Lake Toba , one of the world's greatest natural wonders. The lake is the largest crater lake on Earth, formed by the Toba volcano in an eruption considered the largest volcanic eruption (Category 8) of the last two million years. On the shore, we transfer to a boat and travel to the central island of Samosir , where colorful Toba Batak villages nestle along the water's edge. Our hotel for the next few days is also located on the island in the crater lake.
Day 3: Today's journey is dedicated to exploring the Lake Toba region. We'll cruise by private ferry past beautiful bays with white sandy beaches and picturesque villages, making our first stop in Ambarita . It's a typical Batak village with some of the traditional houses featuring curved gable roofs. The village's "special highlight" is the courtroom and execution site , located in the shade of a sacred tree in front of King Siallagan's house. Here, criminals were brutally tortured and ultimately beheaded. A shaman would then distribute the body parts to the villagers for them to eat—yes, you heard right, the Batak were cannibals. Our tour guide recounts these family traditions with full awareness of the cannibalism. Incidentally, the king always ate the heart... Bon appétit! Afterward, we continue to the village of Simanindo , located at the northern end of the island and known for some of the finest traditional Batak Toba houses . In particular, we visit the house of King Sidauruk , which is now a museum and offers the opportunity to see the Toba Batak folk dance. We are included in the dance and shout the typical Batak greeting: Horas, horas, horas. From there, we take a boat to the village of Tomok . Inland, we hike past numerous souvenir shops to one of the island's most famous sights: the 200-year-old, boat-shaped sarcophagus of King Sidabutar , surrounded by his descendants. Back at the hotel, I can't resist taking a dip in the lake. After all, who can say they've swum in the largest crater lake in the world?
Day 4: Today we have to return to Medan. After breakfast, we leave our lovely hotel and board the ferry to Parapat again. After enjoying some final beautiful views of the lake, we make our first stop in Rumah Bolon Pamatang Purba . It's a former residence of the ruling Partuanan Purba family, featuring beautiful Batak-Bolon houses . A truly special experience is our visit to a family in a village. We are allowed into an inhabited Batak house and are impressed by the openness and warmth of the people, who live in very simple circumstances. Shortly before our next stop in Berastagi, we see volcanic activity at Mount Sinabung from the car window. This doesn't seem to worry our guide too much, so we still manage to admire the Church of St. Francis in Berastagi with its unique Batak architecture. We learn that the church is closed due to volcanic ash in the air. We're starting to feel a bit uneasy and are glad to be back in the car heading towards Medan.
Day 5: The second island awaits. We fly to Java, arriving at the airport in Java and then continuing on to Yogyakarta . Unfortunately, our luggage hasn't arrived, so we have to wait for the next flight, which will have our belongings with it. This also means we lose some time visiting the Prambanan Temple . Our guide is fantastic and lets us take photos in peace before it gets too dark. We simply catch up on the interesting explanations about this impressive temple complex later. Prambanan is certainly one of the largest and most ornate Hindu temples in Southeast Asia. It's the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia and a must-see for visitors.
Day 6: Early start for the Borobudur tour. Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple complex in the world. This gigantic pyramid was built between the 8th and 9th centuries by the Sailendra Kingdom and consists of an estimated 1,600,000 blocks of volcanic rock, dredged from the river and assembled by thousands of workers. The temple depicts the path to heaven and Nirvana in the form of 1,500 intricately carved figures stretching over 4.8 kilometers of wall surface. It is indescribably impressive. From the complex, Mount Merapi , one of Java's most active volcanoes, can be seen on the horizon. Afterward, we will visit the nearby Pawon Temple and the Mendut Temple , which are connected to the ritual history of Borobudur. Back in the city, a visit to the Sultan's royal palace, with the unwieldy name Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat, is a must. On the way back to the hotel, our tour guide has another surprise in store. We're visiting a producer of Kopi Luwak , the "cat coffee." This special coffee is made from the digestion of coffee cherries by a specific species of civet cat... so, coffee made from cat droppings.
Day 7: Today we continue our journey by train. From Yogyakarta, we take the Sancaka train to Surabaya . After arriving in Surabaya, we transfer to a car for the onward journey via Pasuruan to the village of Tosari on the lower slopes of the famous Bromo mountain.
Day 8: The alarm rings inhumanly early, as we want to experience the sunrise over Mount Bromo . Getting up very early is indeed necessary to secure the best positions along the fence for taking photos . So, half in the night, in freezing temperatures, we squeeze into a rickety SUV, buy some bottled fuel from a roadside vendor, and head to the viewpoint. To our surprise, we aren't the first ones there. We park the Jeep on the side of the road, walk to the viewpoint, and find some free spots along the fence. However, the space on the wall is so narrow that I have to push the Jeep from behind towards the fence to keep it from tipping backward. So, we stand there, shivering and tired, vaguely glimpsing the volcanic cones in the darkness, waiting for the sunrise. At that point, it's all pretty awful. But then it happens. As soon as the first rays of sunlight appear, the panorama is simply breathtaking. The light and the volcanoes are one of the most beautiful photo opportunities we have ever captured. It's finally getting nice and warm, so we're feeling more and more alive for the next item on the agenda: the climb to the crater. Our ancient Toyota takes us almost to the base of the volcano. From there, we can climb the steps to the top. It's the first time we've ever actually heard and smelled an active volcano. It's quite loud at the crater rim; there's a deep rumble, and the air reeks of rotten eggs. Very impressive. In the afternoon, after an early start, we can relax a bit before flying to a very exciting island.
Day 9: We arrived safely on the third island, Sulawesi , the previous evening. Our tour guide, Firdaus, with whom we are still friends, cheerfully picked us up from the hotel to start the day. We were headed to Torajaland , where everything is completely different... Before embarking on the long drive, we visited Fort Rotterdam in Makassar , a Dutch fortification originally built of clay. The drive through the beautiful landscape was lovely. At the entrance to Torajaland, we also saw the first, amazing Tongkonan houses . These wooden houses, typical of the region, with their oversized, curved gable roofs, look fantastic. They are assembled using only tongue and groove joints, without any nails, and some are already 500 years old.
Day 10: We spent a fascinating day in the land of the Toraja. Our tour through the villages took us to the various Toraja burial sites , where we experienced their very different approach to life and death. For the Toraja, death is merely a transition, and the soul always remains close to the deceased. Therefore, the body is embalmed, often kept in the house for years, and treated like a sleeping family member. When the funeral takes place, a multi-day celebration with hundreds of guests ensues, culminating in the slaughter of dozens of animals. We had the opportunity to participate in such a celebration, which was, on the one hand, incredibly joyful, with the deceased being carried to the ceremony site accompanied by singing and great enthusiasm. On the other hand, the slaughter of water buffalo and pigs in front of the guests was a very intense experience. It is also quite remarkable that every few years, the deceased are exhumed, cleaned, and dressed in new clothes, and reunited with the family. Back at the hotel, we were somewhat disturbed, but different countries, different customs. There are probably tribes in this world that perform even more martial rituals.
Day 11: After breakfast, we drive back to Makassar Airport. The landscape of Sulawesi continues to impress us on the return journey. In the evening, our flight departs for Denpasar, Bali.
Day 12: We've arrived in Bali , and from Denpasar/Sanur, we're heading first to the legendary Tanah Lot Sea Temple . The "sea temple" can only be reached on foot at low tide. The temple itself is off-limits to visitors, as it's only accessible to Hindu worshippers (Bali has a predominantly Hindu population) and is guarded by priests. Tanah Lot, along with the rice paddies, is the most photographed subject in Bali (especially at sunrise and sunset) due to its unique location and beauty. Speaking of rice paddies... Bali has them in every shape and size. If you're planning to visit Tanah Lot and head north, a stop in Blimbing is worthwhile. There you'll find some beautiful rice terraces . On our first day in Bali, we noticed that the island felt "somehow cramped and overdeveloped" and wasn't particularly scenic. Our guide overheard our thoughts and, as a Balinese, confirmed our impressions. He said that those in the know now avoid Bali and prefer to go to the neighboring island of Lombok . Apparently, it's not too touristy there yet. In the afternoon, we end the day relaxing on the beach in Lovina .
Day 13: The tour of Bali continues with today's destination, Ubud , known as the center of Bali's art and handicrafts. On the way, we visit the 200-foot-high Git-git Waterfall with its lush tropical surroundings. Later, we continue through Bedugul and visit the Ulun Danu Temple , which beautifully "floats" on Lake Bratan . It is an important temple complex of Balinese Hinduism with a very pleasant atmosphere. Before reaching our destination, Ubud, we stop in the village of Celuk with its gold and silversmiths and in the village of Mas with Bali's talented woodcarvers.
Day 14: In the morning, we embark on an interesting guided hike through the rice paddies of Ubud , in the shade of palm trees and along a small river. We meet rice farmers at work, learn about the medicinal properties of local plants, and are spontaneously offered a fresh coconut. The trek ends at Ubud Sari , where we enjoy a one-hour full-body massage—a wonderful morning in Ubud. After lunch, we visit Goa Gajah , or the "Elephant Cave" temple on the Petanu River, a former hermitage and sacred bathing site. The day concludes back in Ubud.
Day 15: After breakfast, we drive to the village of Batubulan to enjoy the mythical Barong and Kris dance performance . This is a must-see when visiting Bali. Afterward, we visit a nearby village where we gain insights into traditional Balinese life . Later, we continue to Kintamani for lunch with spectacular views of volcanic Mount Batur and Lake Batur , the island's largest lake. After lunch, we visit Besakih Temple , Bali's largest and most important temple complex, situated on the terraces of Mount Agung. The entire complex consists of over 200 buildings, with the holiest temple precinct at its center, where Trimurti is worshipped. In Hinduism, Trimurti is the conceptual union of the three cosmic functions of creation, preservation, and destruction, embodied by the great gods Brahma (creator), Vishnu (preserver), and Shiva (destroyer). The temple's great importance to Hindus is quite evident during a visit. Our tour of Indonesia is coming to an end, and we are now looking forward to our beach extension in Bali.
Days 16-21: Back in Sanur, the day begins leisurely at our beach hotel. We reflect on the past few days. Our conclusion: Indonesia is a very interesting travel destination. It has so much to offer culturally and scenically, and each of the four islands is unique. As mentioned above, Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi were incredibly exciting regions, while Bali felt somewhat overdeveloped, cramped, and hectic—just too touristy. Furthermore, the significant tidal range often meant the water was gone, somewhat limiting our swimming options. However, our hotel had a fantastic pool where we could spend time and enjoy our wonderful memories of this trip.