May 13

Our inaugural tour of Indonesia is off! We’ve begun our exploration in Jakarta, so read along with our Indonesia tour diary.

Our local guide, Abe, took us on a tour of the historical city of Batavia, the original Dutch colonial town. Indonesia, as a country, is brand new, only created in 1945. It’s the fourth most populous nation in the world, uniting thousands of islands that were formerly their own kingdoms. It’s a multicultural, multiethnic country, and is far more modern and organized than you might expect.

This tour has been on my wish list for at least 8 years, but due to it being a vast and complex destination, I could not find the right way to do it. Finally, I found the right itinerary to get an introduction: Java and Bali, including Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Ubud, and a final day at the beach. There is so much more to explore, and I’ve got my eyes on Sumatra, Borneo, and Komodo for future additions to this core itinerary.

I’ve been really surprised to be the only tourists here. Bali is very popular with westerners, of course, but we seemed to be the only tourists around in Jakarta. Everyone has been wonderfully kind and curious about us. Apparently they don’t get many Americans here.

Follow along for the next 10 days and get to know a gorgeous new country with me.

INDONESIA

Today we are in Jakarta, Indonesia, learning all about this colonial trading port and how Indonesia became a country.

Did you know that Indonesia is made up of almost 18000 islands, is as long as the US is wide, and exists with three distinct geographic regions? It’s a complex and beautiful place that we will attempt to unravel this week. Come along for a look at Jakarta and get a feel for its Dutch backstory.

May 15

In today’s instalment of our Indonesia tour diary, we visited Borobudur, one of the largest Buddhist structures in Asia. It’s the premier archaeological site in Java, and is over 1000 years old.

While I’d loved to have made a nice tour of this site for you, things don’t always go as planned. We all agreed that I’m not Adventures with Sarah for nothing. Seconds after I took these shots, the main spire just a few feet away was struck by lightning

If you’re looking for some relaxation today, join us for 7 minutes to walk through a traditional Javanese village. A villager, Bodie, explained their lifestyle and how they use the plants around them for all of their daily needs. We also got a chance to be a part of the village band.

May 17

Our days on Java have been an absolute delight. From the busy city streets of Jakarta, we headed out on a scenic train ride through rice fields and tropical scenery to Yogyakarta. This sprawling city was once the capital of Indonesia, and is set along a line of ancient temples. We visited temples, enjoyed a village walk, saw the Indonesian ballet, learned to make batik art, and rode in a becak, a motor powered rickshaw. We stopped into a massive department store for traditional clothing and bought some fun and very reasonable pieces to take home.

The food has been great, but as in many of my tours, we took lunch at McD’s one day because it’s funny. Hey, don’t judge. The apple pies are the bomb.

Java is only one of more than 17,000 islands though, so we’ve moved on to Bali for the second half of our tour. More Indonesian fun to come!

May 18

Today we are in Bali, and we took a drive up into the mountains to visit a village. After a walk in the countryside, we prepared a beautiful lunch of traditional food—bean soup, fish skewers, and a big cooked veggie salad.

Enjoy a peaceful few minutes with us in the lush mountains of Bali, Indonesia.

May 19

Indonesia Tour Diary – Adventures in Bali: Dinner with the Prince

Bali is a part of modern Indonesia, but it still retains some of its old aristocracy from pre-colonial days. There are nine royal families that still live in palace compounds on the island.

We were invited to dine at the palace of the prince in Sukawati, who was an absolute delight. We enjoyed music and traditional dancing along with a Balinese feast, but the highlight was our host’s wit and wisdom. Enjoy a peek at our royal dinner.