For the final two weeks of my study trip, I’m in Java, which is an incredibly important island as it is the host of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta (although not for much longer), and as such is quite politically powerful within Indonesian government. I’m spending a week in Yogyakarta, which is something of a study haven, and outside of that I have some time in Jakarta (already done), Malang, and Surabaya (yet to come).

Jakarta was much more interesting and enjoyable than I was expecting. Most online itineraries for Java will have you ignore the capital in favour of getting somewhere else as quickly as possible. “It’s just not for tourists,” these sites will say. Actually, I found it was quite fun and actually wish I’d stayed there a bit longer. I had one full day there which I spent going to MONAS (MOnumen NASional, or national monument, from the top of which you can see views of some of the big city), Istiqal Mosque, and the Cathedral in the centre of town. I didn’t have time, sadly, to go to the National Museum (though, I wasn’t sure if it was indeed open), the National Gallery, or any of the other smaller museums that are around. There’s also a traditionally preserved Dutch colonial-style town and a big Chinatown that are supposed to be quite interesting to explore, as well as the Portuguese harbour. So in short – there’s way more available than what online will suggest, and I really think you can easily spend 3 days there no issues. It just means I will have to return at some point.

Jakarta itself felt like Kuala Lumpur, which I visited earlier on this trip. Both are big, rapidly developed South East Asian cities. There’s a mix of big skyscrapers and smaller housing, tourist areas, expat areas, public service offices, and people just living life. Food options range from street stalls to proper restaurants, and the accommodation options are similarly as widespread. Some friends of mine, Dana and Ollie, moved out to Jakarta last year, and I can see why they would enjoy living there – even if there aren’t that many touristy things, as a place to live it seems quite fun. There was also less traffic and pollution than I was expecting, though every now and again I would smell sewerage (which I hadn’t smelt anywhere else on my travels so far). Basically, I think Jakarta is very underrated by travel blogs.

Yogyakarta, on the other hand, seems maybe slightly overrated, but I am once again coming at this from a study perspective and less of a tourist perspective. I think my time of a week here is somewhat awkward: it’s slightly too long for all the touristy things, and too short to begin to adapt to what life could look like here. Obviously there are many beautiful things around Yogyakarta (this weekend I spent exploring Prambanan and Borobodur temples), and there is lots of food around. But of course, Yogyakarta seems to have fallen into the Ubud trap from Bali, where certain areas are designed to cater to tourists, which isn’t what I am here for. I have yet to explore the actual city though, so stay tuned for my update next week on what I thought of that.

If you know of any must-dos in Malang or Surabaya, please let me know!