Indonesia Travel

Waingapu is an enjoyable, dusty, spread-out town: urban enough to boast a few modest hotels and warungs, but so close to the countryside in spirit and location that roosters put paid to any chance of a lie in. It became an administrative centre after the Dutch military ‘pacified’ the island in 1906 and has long been Sumba’s main trading post for textiles, much-prized Sumbanese horses, dyewoods and lumber.

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Superbly positioned along a stretch of sweeping bays, Senggigi is Lombok’s principal beach resort. Accommodation here is generally excellent value for money, as luxury hotels have slashed rates in an attempt to draw in tourists following several tough years. Unless you visit in peak season, expect quiet restaurants and empty shopping malls but plenty of attention from the street hawkers.

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You might have to pinch yourself upon arriving in Berastagi: the town is too busy with daily life to pounce on tourists. What a blissful relief from the guide overload you’ll find elsewhere in Sumatra.

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A juxtaposition of thatched clan houses and a typical high street of concrete stores, administrative buildings and houses bristling with satellite dishes, Waikabubak is an odd but fascinating place. At about 600m above sea level, it’s a little cooler than the east and a good base for exploring the traditional villages of western Sumba.

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Sanur is a slightly upmarket sea, sun and sand alternative to Kuta. The white-sand beach is sheltered by a reef. The resulting low-key surf contributes to Sanur’s nickname ‘Snore’, although this is also attributable to the area’s status as a haven for expat retirees. Some parents prefer the beach at Sanur because its calmness makes it a good place for small children to play.

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This small fishing village 32km from Pangandaran is one of the most relaxed places to kick back in Java and has one of the coast’s best surf beaches, sheltered by a rocky promontory. Accommodation favoured by surfers can be found 1km beyond the fishing village at the headland beach. Surfboards can be rented for 35, 000Rp per day and lessons are available; entry to the town costs 1500Rp.

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Perched on the gentle slopes leading up towards the central mountains, Ubud is the other half of Bali’s tourism duopoly. Unlike South Bali, however, Ubud’s focus remains on the remarkable Balinese culture in its myriad forms.

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The mighty Sungai Mahakam skirts Samarinda like a giant muddy flood. Here the river is a highway in its own right, peppered with houseboats and fishing vessels, boats lugging timber and tugs pulling demonic loads of coal. Along the banks, the city follows the water via a green esplanade, with two spectacular mosques dominating the view. Although it’s another important trading port, Samarinda has retained far more of its Indonesian character than Balikpapan, and visitors will get a dose of East Kalimantan culture in between the business blocks. Meandering through the stalls of the lively Citra Niaga market will fill the nostrils, ears and eyes with all the heady activity of Southeast Asia. Samarinda city maps and regional maps can be found in the Gramedia bookshop in the Mesra Indah shopping centre.

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Kalimantan’s largest and most beguiling city rests gingerly over a labyrinth of canals, its taped-together mosques and houses perched on stilts or bundles of floating logs, and its residents up to their floorboards in water. Beyond, Banjarmasin’s terra firma is a furore of traffic and trade, but the façade is wafer thin and the city’s charm will envelop you quicker than the dust kicked up by the two-millionth ojek. A spread of attractions in and around the city can occupy several days, and absorbing Kalimantan’s best urban culture in the markets both on and offshore is a must.

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The big attraction here is the wreck of the US cargo ship Liberty – among the best and most popular dive sites in Bali. Other great dive sites are nearby, and even snorkellers can easily swim out and enjoy the wreck and the coral. Tulamben’s beachfront is quite different from other beach resorts – heavy, black, round boulders and pebbles make it unappealing for sunbathers or casual swimmers. Services beyond the hotels are few.

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