JAVA

A journey to Java can be the trip of a lifetime, taken without foresaking the comforts of home. Young or old, Louis Vuitton luggage in hand or a pack on your back, visitors to Java will come away with an immensely rich and rewarding experience of a profoundly exotic land and culture. Java is more than a feast for the eyes it is food for the soul.
 
When travelling across Java, every day will bring a new experience for the intrepid voyager. Geography, climate and culture change every few kilometres, the only constant the smiles of the people who place hospitality above all other concerns.

Brooding volcanoes and verdant rice fields, regal splendor and captivating dance are all apart of Java. An endless tropical garden on the shore of an azure sea, Java is an incredible mosaic of sights, sounds and impressions: a pleasurable form of sensory overload.
 
Indonesia is a full participant in Southeast Asia`s economic boom, modernization and a burgeoning affluence have brought the highest standards of accommodation, transportation, communication, health and hygiene to Java`s shores. Facilities in Jakarta rival those of any world city, while a dense network of road, rail and air connections bring all of Java within easy reach. Although the modern world has come to Java, it has not conquered the Garden of the East. A few steps away from any hotel lies all the charm and enchantment of Java. Dance, art, drama and the ageless rhythms of daily life are unchanged or adapted to the contemporary world in new and interesting ways.

Jakarta

Contemporary and dynamic, Jakarta is Indonesia`s capital, the cosmopolitan heart of a growing economic power. But Jakarta is also one of Asia`s oldest cities, for centuries an important crossroad of commerce and a centre of political influence. The city was originally Sunda Kelapa, a trading port at the mouth of a major river leading from the populated highlands. Renamed Jayakarta - `glorious victory` -when conquered by a neighbouring coastal state, this settlement attracted the attention of the Dutch who were looking to consolidate their monopoly of the spice trade. The Dutch soon conquered the settlement, renaming it Batavia and establishing an important way station on the long haul between the Spice Islands of the eastern archipelago and Europe.
 
This commercial and military stronghold attracted settlers from throughout Asia. Indonesia declared independence from the Dutch in 1945. Now, as the Indonesian economy booms, Jakarta is once again attracting fortune seekers from around the world, giving rise to the complex polyglot culture of this fascinating city. The National Monument (MONAS), with its pure gold flame, is the symbolic hub of Jakarta. Built in the Soekarno era in the afterglow of Independence, it rises above the clamour and congestion of the city into the unbounded skies, capturing the aspirations and dynamism of a newly emerging nation.

The harbour area, with the remains of old Sunda Kelapa located at the mouth of the Ciliwung River, is the location for standard sightseeing. Though the main harbour has moved several kilometres east to Tanjung Priok, Sunda Kelapa is still a major port of call to sight the remnants of the once great sailing fleet that connected the remote islands of the archipelago.
 
A short walk to the south, the city Centre of old Batavia, Taman Fatahillah, has been converted into a museum complex showcasing both the history of Jakarta and the aspects of Java`s sophisticated artistic culture. As a break from the sombre didacticism of the museums, Cafe Batavia, a faithful reproduction of a 1930s chic cafe, has become a popular Jakarta nightspot, open 24 hours. Continuing southward, Jakarta becomes a city of spacious, traffic-choked boulevards and striking monuments.

The best way for short-stay visitors to appreciate Jakarta`s many attractions is to take a city tour; longer staying guests will also benefit from a quick orientation before setting out to discover Jakarta`s idiosyncratic charms in detail.

Yogyakarta

After a long land dispute dispute in 1755, Prince Mangkubumi established Yogyakarta in defiance of his brother, the Susuhunan of Surakarta; Mangkubumi, the Rebellious Prince built the `Kraton` Palace and took the title of Sultan, and the name of `Hamengkubuwono`, literally `the universe on the lap of the king`. Hamengkubuwono`s reign flourished, creating the most powerful Javanese Kingdom since the 17th Century. His son, Hamengkubuwono II, however was not as competent; British rule during his reign saw much of the Kraton ransacked and Hamengkubuwono II exiled to a remote corner of his empire.
 
For the Javanese, Yogya remains a symbol of resistance to Colonial Rule- it was the Republic`s capital in 1946, where under Dutch Rule, Indonesian Rebels used the Palace as an open haven to plot over their colonial masters. The Dutch were fully aware of the plotting behind closed doors at the Kraton, but were afraid to directly move against the Sultan, fearful of incurring the wrath of the Javanese people who viewed him as a God.Now however, Yogya remains as a cultural stronghold, filled with the artifacts of an awe-inspiring era. The Sultan is still to be found in the Palace now open to visitors, surrounded by his traditionally garbed Court and Courtesans. If this is not enough, Yogya`s cultural heritage makes it an excellent area to shop for antiquities and authentic Javanese crafts and jewellery.

Solo

A pleasant city with a lively character, Solo is also called `The City That Never Sleeps`. One can always find something to eat or buy, as vendors of all kinds and small foodstuffs remain open 24 hours. Home of two royal houses with centuries of power and influence over the city, Solo today remains distinctly Central Javanese with an elegance all its own. It is one of the major centres of batik and other Javanese fabrics, and souvenir hunters may find exquisite "objects d`art" and ornate trinkets in the local markets. Those interested in old Javanese culture and art should visit Solo for a wonderful cultural experience.

Surabaya

Up until the turn of the century the East Javanese capital of Surabaya was the largest and most important seaport in the archipelago. It still ranks second (after Jakarta`s Tanjung Priok), and with more than 400 years of colorful history behind it, one would expect to find much of interest here, though unfortunately, this is not so.
 
Surabaya`s rise to prominence began around 1525, when her rulers converted to Islam and then rapidly subdued all neighboring coastal states. However, in the final years of the 16th Century, the central Javanese kingdom of Mataram expanded eastward and joined a bloody and protracted struggle with Surabaya for control of the area. Dutch descriptions of the city in 1620 paint her as a formidable adversary surrounded by a canal and heavily fortified bastions measuring some 37 kms (23 miles) in circumference. And her army is said to have numbered 30,000. In the end, Surabaya succumbed (in 1625) only after Sultan Agung`s armies had devastated her rice-lands and diverted her mighty river.
 
In the mid-18th Century, Surabaya was ceded to the Dutch, and soon developed into the greatest commercial city of the Indies-the chief sugar port and rail head on Java. Immortalized in many of Joseph Conrad`s novels, this era was characterized by square-riggers in full sail, wealthy Chinese and Arab traders, eccentric German hoteliers and lusty seamen brawling over the likes of Surabaya Sue (who really existed).

Todays reality is mundane by comparison-Surabaya is a hot, sprawling city of almost 4 million. It is known as the "City of Heroes" because of the momentous first battle of the revolution, fought here in November 1945. Though the ragtag Indonesian rebels were driven from the city at this time by better-equipped British troops, they inflicted heavy casualties and proved to the world (and themselves) that independence could be and would be, fought for.

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