The day after our return from Desa Laguna we set out on the WHOOSH high speed train from Jakarta to Bandung. The WHOOSH is a fun and comfortable way to see the countryside, and got us to Bandung in time for lunch at Stone Cafe.
We had rented an AirBnb in a quiet neighborhood on the hillside surrounding the city, so we took advantage of the house’s private pool and relaxed in the afternoon before walking to a nearby restaurant for dinner. The next day was set aside for visiting Tankuban Perahu volcano. After breakfast we headed off in the van.
Unfortunately, the road up the side of the volcano is very winding, and so one of Angie’s nephews got car sick. He managed to rally, however, and we did the hike to Domas Crater on the side of the volcano. There is a 1.5 km walk through the forest to get to the crater, and everyone was feeling better when we arrived. We were helped along by our chipper guide. Several times he had us stop along the trail for photos, and as he took our photos he said, “Oh, this is AMAZING!” It was pretty fantastic entertainment.
This crater has active steam vents, and we enjoyed soaking our feet in the natural hot pools and tried a couple of eggs boiled in the water bubbling out of a vent. Our guide also walked us around the area and found some pieces of sulfur to take home with us. Since we didn’t get to walk around on Anak Krakatau, it was neat to see how active the mountain here is.
The next day, we climbed aboard the train to Yogyakarta. The Argo Willis Panoramic Train has a gorgeous view of the mountains, rice paddies, and villages between Bandung and Yogyakarta. We loved sitting and looking out at the view! And of course, when some of us got tired of just watching the view, there was the dining car. We and the kids hung out there playing cards and snacking to while away the hours.
In Yogya, we spent the next day at Borobudur Temple. Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple in the world, and is a stunning work of architecture. In order to preserve its surface, the Indonesian government now limits the number of people per day allowed to walk up it, and you have to wear special handmade sandals, upanats. The upanat design was inspired by a relief carving on the temple itself. They make a nice souvenir, since you get to keep them at the end of the tour. The temple is amazing, but it’s also HOT to climb on black stone in the middle of the day. We did really enjoy the views from the top, however, and felt lucky to be able to see this amazing work of art.
Angie’s sister wanted to learn how to make batik, so the next day we headed to the Museum Batik for a workshop. Everyone got to select a design, and then the instructors taught us how to use the canting to pick up melted wax and trace the design that the museum already had printed on cotton cloth. Using a canting is difficult to do without dripping extra wax on the cloth, so they had us practice with scraps before attempting our own. Most of us got the handle of it eventually, but we all had some minor errors that added to the character of our work. After tracing on the design, we dyed the cloth, and then it was left to dry. After the dye dries, the cloth is boiled to remove the wax, and the design can be seen as a white pattern on the dyed fabric. It’s a long process, but by the end everyone had a unique batik cloth to show for it!
After a long session of batik-making we were getting tired, so for the afternoon we decided to stop off at the Monggo Chocolate Factory before heading back to our villa to relax. The factory was located very near where we were staying, and it was a delightful surprise.
We’ve loved Monggo Chocolate ever since we discovered it on our first trip to Yogyakarta in 2019. It was fun to see where the magic happens! The tour is relatively short, since the factory is small, but it was cool to see how it is made and then taste the product in the shop. There’s even a cafe where you can try sweet treats that feature chocolate in its various forms. My favorite part of the tour was watching the candy bar wrapping. It is all done by hand! It was amazing how quickly and precisely the workers were able to wrap the chocolates.
After another lovely afternoon playing by the pool and a delicious dinner from the restaurant down the street from the villa, it was time to go home the next day. Unfortunately, there was a train derailment in the line between Yogyakarta and Jakarta (no one was hurt), so we had to figure out another way home. We were able to get the Argo Willis back to Bandung for another beautiful ride through the countryside, and then just made it in time to take the last WHOOSH train back to Jakarta that night. Then we had one more day before we had to go back to work, and four more days before the Joyces left for their home. We are so glad they got to join us for this adventure!
