Tribesmen, Puppets, and a Monkey on Your Back
Written: Aug 12 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: scuba diving, friendly people, multi-cultural, cheap. monkeys on your back
Cons: spread out/too much to do on one trip. monkeys on your back.
The Bottom Line: Indonesia offers a spread out, multi-cultural atmosphere, with thousands of tiny islands and a few large ones, sprinkled with big cities, villages, Rainforests, and friendly people.
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| dunceisme's Full Review: Indonesia |
Introduction
As many of you know, I lived in Indonesia for six years. During my time there, I traveled to all over the country, and experienced its good and bad qualities. Indonesia was a wonderful place to grow up in as a child and teenager, but it is also a great place to visit; I am looking forward to returning there soon. From feeding the animals in Bali's monkey forest, trekking through the Rainforests, eating fresh satay from the street vendors, and scuba diving with the most species of tropical fish in the world, Indonesia is a country with much to offer. I try to offer my opinions in a humorous, yet informative manner. I enjoy having a monkey on my back ... you may object.
Recommended Tourist Attractions
In this section I will discuss the well-known Indonesian tourist attractions that I recommend. If you already know about these places, feel free to skip down to the section where I review the lesser-known attractions.
Bali
An entire review could be written on Bali, and many have been written right here on epinions, so if my little blurb leaves you wanting more, please check out some of the reviews specifically on this wonderful little island. I have been to Bali several times, and have participated in activities there ranging from scuba diving, to shopping, hiking, and visiting religious sites. What strikes me the most about Bali, especially coming from Indonesia, is its culture. It is very culturally different from Indonesia's main island, Java, where Indonesia's capitol, Jakarta, and millions of Muslims can be found. The majority of the people in Bali are Hindu, but Balinese Hinduism is very different from the Hinduism practiced in the largest Hindu country in the world, India. (As you may have noticed from reading my other opinions in destinations, I am interested in Asian religions!) Loosely related to Hinduism is the Ramayana, a play that you can see performed in Bali (and other parts of Indonesia) with shadow puppets or stage actors. Nearly all of these performances are done in Indonesian, but the general story line and attempts at humor are still fairly easy to understand. I would highly recommend viewing the Ramayana (in either form) while staying in Bali. For the swimmers, snorklers and scuba divers, Bali offers many points of interest. The beaches, especially Kuta, are great swimming spots. For scuba diving, you can pretty much just dive from the shore (get a map first that will show you where to go from there!), or you can rent a boat or get on a day-long dive trip that takes you away from the island's beaches and makes several stops. Perhaps the best part of Bali, besides the free-love feel, is the shopping. You can pick up trinkets, clothes, and large hand-crafted furniture for very cheap prices. My favorite place to go in Bali is the monkey forest. Buy some bananas, hide them , and be surprised as you walk in the forest and have dozens of monkeys following you around. If you do not hide the bananas, you will quickly have a monkey on your back ... literally, from right out of the trees. If a monkey on your back appeals to you, by all means, wave around your bananas.
Jakarta
For an in-depth review of Jakarta, please see my opinion on it here: http://www.epinions.com/content_33251823236, or view one of the other opinions written on the subject. Briefly, I realize that as the capitol of Indonesia, the idea of Jakarta is well-known to most to people, almost as much as Bali. You may have heard it is a polluted and congested city, and while this is true, I would still recommend Jakarta for its cultural feel (Islam), its cheap knick-knacks, and its friendly people. There is more, but I don't really want to plaigiarize myself! Possibly the best parts of Jakarta are on the outskirts of the city, where it isn't polluted or congested, but pretty, quiet, full of culture and wildlife. One moment you are in the city, hearing horns honking and smelling exhaust, but the next you could be under the canopy of the Rainforest hearing only the unique animals that are housed under it and within it.
The Recommended of the Lesser-Knowns
Manado, Suluweisi
Each of Indonesia's five main islands (Java, Suluweisi, Irian Jaya, Sumatra, and Kalimantan) has a different feel from its counterparts. As you probably know, Indonesia is an archipelago made up of over 13,000 islands, sprinkled with five large ones, one of which is Suluweisi. What all of these islands means is there is a whole lot of ocean in between, and with that there is some good scuba diving. Bali has some of that, as I described above, but the best I've experienced in Indonesia is in Manado, Suluweisi. Eels, sea snakes (yikes!!), parrot fish, and other fish can be found along the reef shelf a small boat ride from any Manado hotel accommodation. In addition to diving, there are also tourist attractions in Manado, perhaps most notably of which are the caves found throughout the city where Indonesian slaves worked during colonization. In addition to these attractions, the entire area is really pretty (especially if you've just come from Jakarta!).
Irian Jaya
Irian Jaya is, I believe, the largest island in Indonesia. Its border is about half of one island, as the other half is Papau New Guinea. Irian Jaya is the most untouched land in Indonesia, and one of the most ancient civilizations still thriving in the world today. The vast area, which is filled with tropical rainforest, is still largely untainted by the forces of destruction. Irian Jaya's people, who are hunters and gatherers, are also fairly unknown to the outside world. If you are coming from Jakarta you will at once notice the change in population density. Jakarta is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and Irian Jaya has the lowest population density in Indonesia. The way of life of its tribespeople will probably be similar to what you imagine ancient humans lived like. The tribespeople wear almost no clothing, hunt their food, live in huts, and practice animism as a religion (Indonesia as a country is 90% Islam). Most of the species of plants and animals that can be found in Indonesia are housed right on this one island.
Conclusions/What I would not Recommend
There are few places that I would not recommend you visit in Indonesia; there are, however, many more places that I would recommend you visit. I am just afraid my opinion will turn more into a book than helpful advice on the country so I will end it soon (for everyone's sake!). If you are looking for a village-like atmosphere, I would not recommend Jakarta or any other large city in Indonesia. You will just be overwhelmed by the people and there is not much in the way of tourism in the major cities. If you are in the mood to experience a little bit of everything in Indonesia, I would recommend at least one stop on the major islands, with the addition of Bali (you have to throw in some partying somewhere in the trip). I hope my opinion has been helpful to you. There really is a lot more I could say so if you have any specific questions on anything I mentioned -- or something I did not mention at all -- please comment here or e-mail me.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
dunceisme
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Location: Chicago, Illinois
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
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