Despite all the excitement of Jakarta,
pretty soon you might have to leave it - maybe just for a short trip to Bogor
or to Bandung, or to get away from Java completely, be it north to Sumatera or
Kalimantan, or east to Bali, Sulawesi, or even as far as Irian. Within Java,
or even as far as Sumatera or Bali, you can easily hop on to a bus. Bus rides
to Sumatera can be very comfortable.
The Parahyangan, an old reliable train to Bandung, is an old favorite of mine
(they have a newer and faster one running right now). Four hours, just perfect
to recoil and recap from all your hectic pace in Jakarta, and enjoy the green
scenery along the route, sometimes over deep ravines and gorges. Maybe because
I tend to travel during hungry hours, I also find the Parahyangan's "Nasi
Goreng Mata Sapi" (Fried rice with a sunny-side up) combined with iced-tea to
be such a delicious experience. Give it a try...
Island hopping is best done by airplane. Garuda, Sempati, Merpati, and Bouraq are the four major domestic carriers. Garuda serves the primary cities (and international destinations) as well as Sempati, Merpati and Bouraq have their own niche. If you want to fly direct from Bandung to Denpasar, for example, you have to use Merpati. Using Garuda, you must have a stop over either in Jakarta or in Surabaya.
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