15 Highlights of Indonesia: Destinations and Experiences I Enjoyed Most

I’d love to share my ‘top 5’ destinations or highlights of my 8-week stay in Indonesia, but…it’s hard to narrow it down so much. So, I’ll instead share 15 in one post, including 30 photos…and hope you get a sense of what my experience there was. Enjoy!

Payakumbuh landscape, Sumatra

Payakumbuh, West Sumatra

1. Living in a Minangkabau Village

I spent three weeks living with a friend/English teacher Eti and her family, and while there, I got to experience a fascinating culture firsthand—one that still follows its ethnic traditions (derived from animist beliefs), is matrilineal (property and land are passed down from mother to daughter) and happens to be Muslim, too, and is thus, unique.

Eti’s family (minus her son)

While there, I attended weddings, a funeral and participated in everyday life. I got to know plenty of people and became part of the family and community. This was a special experience, the memories of which I will always cherish. Many of the people I met were real characters, too, including Mr. Tommy (seen below), who’s 86 and been married 7—yes, 7—times. He spent most of his life in Singapore (and that’s part of the reason for all the divorces), however, and recently returned to the community.

‘Mr. Tommy’–an 86-year-old who’s been married 7 times!

2. Volunteer Teaching

One of the main reasons for going to Payakumbuh was to volunteer teach. Once there, I realized I needed to focus on the teachers more than the students since their needs were greater in some ways (they need exposure to native speakers). It was hard work, but extremely rewarding. As a result of that experience, I’ve decided to start a small volunteer program for English teachers, as well as native speakers. I feel good about this.

3. Nature Walks/Hikes

There was nothing quite like my first walk among the rice paddies. They were truly gorgeous and I felt mesmerized by them. Each time I walked near them, I felt calm. There were the mountains in the area, too, that were also lovely. I was fortunate that some of my new friends took me hiking, so I got to see the village from up high. Loved it!

Mountain View, Payakumbuh–West Sumatra

4. The Food

West Sumatra is known for its spicy/delicious food—often referred to as “Padang food.” It’s well-respected and extremely popular throughout the entire country. I was lucky because my friend Eti really knew how to cook it, so I got to eat it every day. One dish I especially loved was beef rending, which is slow-cooked meat in a spicy coconut sauce. Served over white rice, there’s nothing quite like it. I now want to make it. Let’s see if I can make Eti’s recipe work here in NJ!

Viona, Eti’s daughter, making chicken rendang

Chicken rendang, West Sumatra (not quite done yet)

Lake Toba, Sumatra

5. The Lake

Lake Toba is lovely—no doubt about it—and sort of unique. Samosir Island (well, sort of an island since there’s a small isthmus that connects it to land), which sits in the middle of Lake Toba, is approximately the same size as Singapore (100 kilometres long and 30 kilometres wide) and the result of the eruptions of a ‘super volcano’.  It is known as an ‘island in an island.’

This is a place where most people come for a few days and stay longer, totally chilling out. That was my experience. Unfortunately, part of sticking around as long as I did (8 days or so, I think) had to do with getting sick there (cough and GI issues), and that slowed me down even more. In any case, this was where I got the most reading done.

View from my balcony on Samosir Island/Lake Toba, Sumatra

6. Batak Culture

I found the people who inhabit this region–the Bataks–fascinating and just slightly shocking. The reason? I’d been in a Muslim area for 3 weeks and seen numerous mosques and heard the call to prayer several times a day…I then found myself among Christians—mostly Protestants. And all over Samosir, you see churches with crosses and large and sometimes elaborate grave stones, at times, nicer than the owner’s house.

7. Quirky Adventure with the Locals

Quite a few of the Bataks, the ones I met, drank and smoked and yeah, had a lot of fun. These folks are known for being a little more direct, slightly aggressive and more expressive emotionally than other cultures found in Indonesia. I read somewhere that many of the lawyers in the Indonesian government come from here.

As in West Sumatra, I got to attend some very colorful weddings. The Batak ones were significantly different. Here’s a photo…

Many Bataks are musicians and play guitar and/or sing. Some play drums, as well. Most of the time, when I hung out with then ones I’d met, there was music that came about spontaneously. Since I’m also a musician (percussionist), I found this really enjoyable. At one point, I was shown how to play the Batak drums. What fun!

Batak drums, Lake Toba

Hendrik, Batak musician, playing guitar and singing

PS: the man in the photo above is one I felt compelled to photograph repeatedly. He was that photogenic! Click here to see a complete photo essay on just Hendrik.

There was one day that I’ll never forget—one that began with a wedding invitation and ended with attendance at two unique and sort of different wedding and ended with drinking ‘tuak’—aka, ‘jungle juice.’ Lots of laughs and fun moments.

Yogyakarta/Central Java

8. The Temples

I’d always wanted to see Borobudur and Prambanan and I finally got to see them. Although they were super crowded with tourists, they were still pretty damn amazing. I liked both temples for different reasons and was happy to visit a third temple, Candi Mendut, a small one that many people bypass.

Prambanan Hindu Temple

Borobudur Buddhist Temple

Candi Mendut Buddhist Temple

9. New Friendships

What made Central Java so cool for me was the fact that I was there with a new friend Sysilia (Chinese-Javan) and her two Javan friends. Spending time with them made my stay there even more enjoyable. I learned more about the culture and the food and had lots of laughs with them. PS: Shopping with them was fun because they, especially Sysilia, know how to haggle/bargain well!

PS: these girls got me hooked on ‘kecap manis,’ a sweet soy sauce that makes great food taste better and blah food taste quite good.

Linda (left), Estrin and Sysilia (right)–three girls who made my Javan experience extra special

10. Festivals/Parades

Yogyakarta was super busy because of a major festival. While this made the streets even more crowded and chaotic, it was worth it. There were some really cool parades and events and thus, lots of stuff to see.

Amed, Bali

11. Awesome Views

Amed is a not just one town, but an area with a number of fishing villages and a black sand beach known for its excellent snorkeling. It’s not super developed like South Bali and so, it’s more chilled out. When the sun sets, the sky turns all different colors and super dramatic. There’s something about it that’s super magical.

Amed sunset

Mt. Agung, as seen from Amed, Bali

12. A New Perspective on Bali

Because this area is not overrun with tourists, there aren’t too many touts (as I found in some places in South Bali). And that’s one reason why I’m happy to have visited Amed. I had certain ideas about Bali until I visited this area and made some friends there. I had some very positive experiences that I’m grateful for. Because of them, my perspective on Bali changed a bit.

New friend Emma (British), an ex-pat, and her sweet little boy (half Balinese), Dillon, who’s 7 months old

Students I met/taught after running into their teacher during my morning walk

Uluwatu, Bali

13. The Monkey Chant/Its Setting

One of several reasons I wanted to visit Indonesia was to see the ‘monkey chant–aka, ‘Kecak Dance’–live and in person. There are many places you can do this, many of which are in Ubud, but I decided to see it at Uluwatu. I knew it was a gorgeous setting and had been recommended by many.

Anyway, despite the fact that we were stuffed in to the performance area like sardines (they put in extra rows of chairs on the dance floor), I enjoyed the show. It’s mesmerizing to watch the men chanting like monkeys.

View from Uluwatu Cliff, Bali

Monkey Chant (Kecak Dance), Uluwatu, Bali

 Gili Meno Island, Lombok

14. The Beach

I’m so glad that I left Bali and headed over to this small island that’s part of Lombok. It was simply fantastic! The smallest and quietest of the Gili Islands, it was—for me—the real paradise. A true gem in Indonesa. Not only was it quiet (due to an absence of motorbikes), it was beyond gorgeous. The water was turquoise and the sand, white. It was lovely!

Gili Meno Island, Lombok, Indonesia

15. The People/Local Culture

What made Gili Meno even more special for me was the fact that the people—Sasak Muslims who happened to be fasting for Ramadan—were really nice. I stayed in a bungalow, owned by a local family whom I got to know.

The parents spoke some English (the dad a little more than the mom) and with help from Google Translator, we were able to communicate. I got to know them and felt right at home. Somehow this gave me the feeling of my trip coming full circle—meaning that I began with Eti’s family and ended with this one. This made me happier than you can imagine.

Emo and Topo, bungalow owners, Gili Meno Island, Lombok

Thoughts/Experiences/Reactions?

Have you been to Indonesia? If so, where did you go and what were some of the highlights for you? If not, would you like to? If so, what would you like to see?

By the way, there were some things that I wanted to do that I couldn’t get around to–such as seeing the orangutans in N. Sumatra (was sick at that point), visiting Sulawesi, etc. Perhaps next time. And yes, I do think I’ll be returning–maybe in 3 years.

Your Advice Needed

I have so much to share about this amazing country, but I’m not sure which posts to begin with. Could you, if you have a moment, look at the list below and tell me which 2 posts you’d be most interested in? Note: Some, but not all, would be the names of the posts; others are simply ideas.

Thanks!

Ideas

1. What It’s Like to Live in a Village
2. 5 Ways Village Life Puts You in the Moment
3. Indonesian Culture Shock–What It’s Like, How to Cope
4. ‘Jungle Juice’ Adventure–Partying with the Bataks
5. Eat, Pray, Run…from the Balinese Touts: 5 Tips for Dealing With Them
6. 5 Reasons to Visit Somewhere Other than South Bali
7. How Traveling to Indonesia Made Me a Happier Person
8. 10 Ways the iPhone Enhanced My Trip
9. The Role of Twitter and FB in Making My Trip Happen
10. Starting a volunteer program for teachers and native speakers
11. Profiles of locals I met (quirky never-married 56-year old living in a hut who loves C Eastwood…the 86-year-old who’s been married 7 times, etc.)
12. Photo Essays (many of them)….temples, rice paddies, children, pretty grannies, etc.)

Me in Amed, Bali, in the final week or so of my trip…

Thanks

As always, I thank you for reading (and commenting if you choose to). It’s your ongoing readership that keeps me motivated. I truly appreciate your time!