Tour to Indonesia in 2012

March - April - May

We’d got an idea to go fishing to Indonesia. We called Yuri who organized fishing in Indonesia by Skype and arranged how to put the idea into practice and terms, later we discussed the idea with our friends.

August

We made a control call and met Yuri in St. Petersburg. There is no need to apply for visa in advance because one can by it at the airport for 25$. There is no insurance and vaccination.

October

We bought tickets and decided to stop in Dubai. Since it lasted for more than 24 hours we had to obtain transit visa. Those who fly with Emirates are sent to Dubai visa center in Nevsky prospect, St. Petersburg. However it turned out a somewhat deception. We had to apply for visa ourselves as well as for the airport transfer car. At the visa center we could only book the hotel which supported visa that could easily be done independently. After visiting the visa center I spent the whole day to fill in questionnaires for 5 people. I still do not understand why they haven’t done it in the center. I sent visa applications by the Internet and got visas in 2 days.

Emirates Airlines, stop in Dubai (October, 29, Monday)

We left St. Petersburg at 6 p.m. We were warned at the airport that we would need to check out our luggage since the stop lasted for more than 24 hours. The flight to Dubai took 6 hours: we were eating, drinking and watching movies.

The service was perfect. Whisky, red wine and other drinks flowed like water, the food was delicious. Moreover, there was a surprise. At the end of flight steward approached to Igor, asked his name and presented a tart saying it was a gift from Emirates Airlines friends. Firstly we hesitated to take it but then specified the place Igor set and found out that our friend working for Emirates Airlines knew about our trip and could have organized this surprise. So, we took the tart with us. We got documents for the hotel and taxi at a stand before the passport control. After passport control we bought alcohol (we had been warned it was the best way to deal with booze) and went to the hotel. Dubai lives Moscow time.

Igor and I had a great room with a large lobby where we spent time wonderfully and the tart was very useful. Our friends got a room for 2 people instead of 3 and lived so for 2 nights (it was the very booking of Dubai visa center in Nevsky prospect!).

October, 30, Tuesday

In the morning we had breakfast at an average buffet. Igor, Misha and I went for a 4-hour-long city sightseeing tour (43 $ per person). Sergei and Sasha went to look at the high-rise center. We visited the local museum, the embankment, I plunged my legs in the Persian Gulf. Our friends sent an sms offering to visit the highest building in the world – 828 m constructed in 2010 (erected during 6 years). They managed to buy tickets for 10 p.m. at 2 p.m. Maximum speed of the elevator is 10 m/c – it is the fastest lift in the world. Our lift to the 124th floor took about 2 min. The building includes about 140 levels. In front of the building visitors could enjoy “singing fountains” singing each 30 min from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. The performance lasts for 5 min. They are amazing but I’d call them “dancing fountains”. We boozed 2 gulps of remaining whisky for braveness and entered the elevator. It was quite wise not to take alcohol with ourselves. Igor had foreseen a very strict check compared to that at the airport, but here is was possible to put liquids and forbidden items to the locker. We took taxi to go back. The line for taxi in Dubai Mall consisted of 150-200 people but it moved as well as four rows of taxis. The taxi cost 6 $ per 5 people, the trip time - 20-25 min.

Jakarta (31.10.12, Wednesday)

In early morning at 7.25 we collected our people by taxi and went to the airport where we passed control. Since there are problems with alcohol availability at our destination we bought it in Duty Free. 8-hour-flight passed at once, stewards were even more friendly. The presented us cars and always served drinks. At the end a steward gifted 15- and 18-year-old whisky. Arriving in Jakarta we bought visas before the passport control (25 $). We got our luggage and met Yuri at the exit who provided us with 2 car transfers for the hotel. On our way we stopped to eat at the restaurant Padang. There was national cuisine – everything (fish, chicken, bull skin chips…) is put on the tables in plates. One pays for food he/she has eaten, the rest is taken away. It was very noise at the hotel so I could fall asleep only after karaoke ended. Local time has 3-hour difference with Moscow time.

01.11.12, Thursday

We entered the Internet in the morning, had breakfast and went to the shop to buy additional food staff, equipment and to change money. We changed 300 $ for 2.860.000 rupees. By the way, we were warned that the local exchange office takes only USD of new series HB, HE etc. emitted after 2000, even after 2006, unfolded, non-crumpled, otherwise, they are changed at lower rate.

We went for dinner – there was abundant choice including even monkey brains but nobody dared to try the dish. There were squids stuffed with minced egg, beef skin and something like jelled meat. The departure to the ocean was appointed at 1 a.m..

Island Peuchang, National Reserve Udzhung Kulon, Fishing (02.11.12, Friday – 09.11.2012, Friday)

Our trip to the ocean took about 7 hours, half a way by a good toll highway, the rest - somehow. At the dawn we start taking pictures. At 6 a.m. we saw multitudes of children went to school. Approaching the ocean we reloaded our belongings to a shuttle-boat and sailed to our hired boat Spinorog. We were sailing to the island of Peuchang for 3 hours drinking coconut drink, eating mango etc. In the isle we accommodated in the hotel of the National Reserve Udzhung Kulon, air- conditioned rooms cost 26 $ per night. Power supply in the island is provided by diesel generator – 240 W from 5.30 p.m. to 7.30 a.m. We left luggage and went bathing. I thought to bathe in cool water but the water temperature was 28-30 C.

During 7 days in the island we went for fishing every day: at night, in the afternoon, in the evening etc. and had a trip in jungles. A lot of trees with plank-buttress roots on the surface drew our attention. There were orchids and ferns on the trees. Sometimes we smelled tender odor of jasmine. We couldn’t but pay attention to banyan, a very old ficus tree with numerous huge crampons. Sometimes we came across different fruits, for example, nutmegs lying on the ground.

The location is very beautiful. First fishing took place at night. The boat was lit by numerous lamps and projectors, so it attracted a lot of pretty Volans who flew and lit, one could catch them by a landing net. There were runs of garfish with long noses, a sea snake. We caught a lot of silver fish with pink backs. A huge sea turtle swam by not paying attention to fishers. We caught some groupers (there are about 100 species), a filefish and a spike fish which we discarded, a lohan – a silver fish with large eyes which gradually changed colour to grey-and-red. We caught and discarded a beautiful octopus.

Once we a great king fish and barracuda, weighting 4 kg, and an arara of the same weight. There were many amberfish and banana fish. Tangery was roasted for us, minced fish rolls soup was made of barracuda. Squids were staffed with palpi, fish was cooked in flour, baked, boiled, stewed. We caught and cooked a whole large fish – a 25-kg arara. Maximum arara caught in the location weighted 34 kg, so the our’s was quite a large one. We were pleased with fishing along with the whole village whom we fed with fish.

10.11.2012, Saturday

We moved to Sumur. A plenty of tourists came to the island on Saturday. We said good bye to the locals while our captain Wo changed the pump in the boat. We travelled for the whole day and arrived at the hotel by 11 p.m. to have sought-after rest.

Excursion to Mini-Indonesia (11.11.2012, Sunday)

The weather was not favourable for us – we caught heavy rain when left cars. The park represent all Indonesian provinces and includes many museum.

It reminds Moscow All-Union Exhibition of Achievements of Economy. We visited the oceanarium, the museum of beetles and butterfly garden.

Excursion to Taman Safari (12.11.2012, Monday)

It is an enormous zoo not far from the town if Bogor in the mountains. Tickets for 9 people and 2 cars cost 1600000 rupees. We had bought a lot of carrot and banana beforehand. We entered a huge canyon where there were animals in wildlife. There were about 70 elephants, tigers, rhinos, aurochs, crocodiles etc. The park is private, thus, tickets are expensive but it is very beautiful and contains many animals.

I liked decoration of the canyon made as ruins where animals pass by. One cannot leave the car, only open windows are permitted, but when you come to predators through double gates one should close windows. The park workers keep vigilance. The park provides several performances for visitors – with elephants, dolphins etc. We enjoyed the birds performance.

13.11.2012, Tuesday

We visited a large souvenir shop in Jakarta. It was the only place where we could buy souvenirs. There is jewelry, batik, cold arms, pictures, carving, entomologic items etc. We had a farewell dinner at the hotel and started packing.

Bogor Botanical Garden – Rafflesia arnoldii (14.11.2012, Wednesday)

It was the departure day. On the way to the airport we went to Bogor Botanical garden for 2 hours (total area is about 100 hectares). It is known for breeding Rafflesia arnoldii. The plant came from Sumatra, it parasites on the roots of lianas of the Vitaceae family, especially on Tetrastigma. Rafflesia flower is one of the largest (up to 1-m diameter) and heaviest (about 8 kg) in the world. The garden was the very location for tests to identify the speed of its flowers development. It was found out that 3 years pass from seeding to buds formation, and 1.5 years – from bud formation to blossoming. Rafflesia blossoms only for 2-4 days. The flower has amazing dimensions as well as specific colour of meat with blood and the smell of rotting. The appearance and smell attract insects-pollinators. Numerous seeds are collected in berry-form fruit. They are considered to be spread by elephants and wild boars: viscous substance where seeds are located stick to animals limbs. Some consider seeds are spread by ants. The book “Life of Plnats (vol.5.1) tells about Rafflesia in detail. Many botanists dream of seeing the plant, including A.L.Takhtadzhian, one of the authors of the book who didn’t manage to see the plant.

Entering the Botanical garden my first question was “Where is Rafflesia?” The guard told we were 2 days late - Rafflesia has blossomed. I explained I needed to see the place where is had blossomed. He the plan and showed the place located in 1-km-walk. Trying to reach the destination we were stopped by schoolchildren who were delighted to see white foreigners and tried to speak English. We told them about St. Petersburg, our Botanical garden and the same plants but growing in greenhouses. Finally, we saw the nursery and asked a guard where to go – he showed straight and 2nd turn to the right. We found ourselves near a small railing al large flower of Rafflesia in black dots laid on the ground. There was not disgusting smell any more. We took photos from all angles. The flower dimensions are compared with 2 football balls. For more precise dimensions, please, see the photo where you can see a bud of a new flower (about 4 cm). The size of calyx lobes on the second day of blossoming reached 50 сm, the height – 20 сm. I was really impressed to see the dream of many botanists. Unfortunately, there were no souvenirs with the flower or the garden symbols. Only 20 left before the car departure, my husband and I rushed to the exit. We managed to visit another place where gigantic Amorphophallus paeoniifolius grow, they were bearing fruit. Fortunately, we arrived at the airport on time.