Jakarta to Bali: Traveling Across Java

Beautiful scenery on the way across Java.

If you’re looking for an amazing travel experience, look no further than traveling across Java from Jakarta all the way to Bali. Along the way, you can visit the botanical gardens of Bogor, climb the biggest Buddhist temple in the world at Borobudur, and trek into a volcanic crater to see the famed blue fire at Kawah Ijen.

Indonesian Independence Day

Merdeka Square will be packed on Hari Raya Merdeka.

Indonesia celebrates Hari Kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia (Hari Merdeka for short) every year on August 17th. This post goes into detail about the background and customs associated with Indonesia’s independence day.

10 Reasons to Learn Indonesian

Making friends with our homestay family.

Why should you learn Indonesian? I give you ten great reasons to start learning Indonesian in this post. When you’re ready to get going, we’ve got plenty of resources for you. You can start out with some of our great beginner posts, such as…

Beginner Video Series

Learn the days of the week in Indonesian!

If you’re new to Indonesian, we’ve got a great beginner video series for you. This post has all the videos with descriptions, and you can also find them all over on our YouTube channel. Master the alphabet, learn the days of the week, find out how to introduce yourself, and more!

All Alone at Borobudur

Had to take a selfie for this one.

When we traveled to Borobudur temple, we got completely lost and ended up arriving much later than expected. Things weren’t all bad, as we were able to buy passes to stay up on the temple for sunset. Next thing you know, we were all alone atop the world’s largest Buddhist temple. It’s still one of the coolest travel experiences I’ve ever had.

Indonesian Culture – Angklung

We’re all this together.

There’s lots of amazing music across Indonesia. The angklung is a traditional bamboo instrument that is a major part of Sundanese culture. Learn all about it in this post, and then check out this short video from an angklung performance in Bandung:

Tentang Indonesia (About Indonesia)

The open road… or sea…

Learn all about Indonesia and practice your Indonesian reading skills in this post. There’s a helpful vocabulary list at the end of the post as well.

10 Things I Love About Bali

Yep, this is still Bali.

There’s a lot to love about Bali. I love the place so much I quit my job in China and moved there for a year to study Indonesian. Find out exactly why I love the Island of the Gods so much in this post.

My Experience Studying in Bali

It’s been a good semester.

If you’d like to learn more about the Darmasiswa Program that I took part in to study Indonesian in Bali, you’ll want to read this post. There’s also a short video you can watch to see what life was like in Bali.

Indonesian Lesson – My Family

Keluarga saya besar!

Talking about your family is something you’ll do very often, so I introduce my family in Indonesian in this post to give you some help. You get a nice vocab list at the end of the post as well.

Two Weeks in Flores

Just a sampling of what you can do in Flores.

Flores is a beautiful island in the eastern part of Indonesia. Those looking to explore a more off-the-beaten-path side of the country will love a trip here. Read about my epic 2-week adventure there in this post.

The Art of Wayang Kulit

The puppet master controls all.

One of the most famous performing arts in this spread out archipelago nation is wayang kulit, or shadow puppets. Learn all about this traditional Indonesian performing art in this post.

Experiencing Nyepi in Bali 

There’s lots going on for Nyepi.

The Balinese New Year – known as Nyepi – is an incredible holiday to experience. From the colorful melasti ceremony to the freaky ogoh-ogoh statues, it’s a very exciting time to be in Bali. Learn more in this post and check out this video from the ogoh-ogoh competition in Sanur:

Looking back on all these posts and videos has been a great walk down memory lane. Indonesia will always be one of my favorite places in the world, and I’m so happy I was fortunate enough to live there for a year to study the country’s fascinating language and culture. If you’ve never been to Indonesia, I can’t recommend it enough. The country is beautiful, the people are friendly, the food is delicious – I could go on and on. I’d like to thank Transparent Language for giving me the chance to share my experiences living, traveling, and studying in Indonesia. I’d also like to thank all of the readers of this awesome blog. If you enjoy my writing and videos, you’ll still be able to find me posting for Transparent Language over at the Spanish blog (I live in Mexico now), as well as on my personal website at Grateful Gypsies. Terima kasih banyak, dan sampai jumpa lagi!