The Independence Day of Indonesia was officially proclaimed on 17th August, 1945. With this declaration the 5 year Indonesian National Revolution started, fighting against the Netherlands until they officially acknowledged Indonesia's independence, in 1949.
Indonesians take part in the Independence Day Celebrations with full enthusiasm. They begin the preparations for the Independence Day, weeks before the event. Skyscrapers, mainly the official buildings, shopping malls even residential properties are decorated with lights and large red and white bunting and people are requested to host the Indonesian flag. Happy, belated B-day Indonesia!
It's just not happening
I don't know where the days go, but August is almost gone. Since our great weekend at Ocean Queen Marc and I have been dying to do another trip but, like I always say "time flies when your having fun" and with all the fun we've been having socializing in August we ran out of weekends.
Monday, 18 August was a public holiday so we thought we'd take advantage of it and plan a trip away. The original plan was to go to Yogyakarta or Bali. We provisionally booked our flights but had to wait to hear if Marc needed to go on a business trip and whether he'd be back in time on the Friday. So, unfortunately when we did, it was to late and we couldn't find accommodation, being a busy Independence day, long weekend.
But being the travel bug that I am, I was determined to go away for the weekend and I made it my mission to plan a get away....somewhere, anywhere. But, after another week of research it looked like the weekend away was just not meant to be. I narrowed it down to either Bogor, Bandung or Krakatoa. Of course it turned out Bogor and Bandung was a no go too; All fully booked, and apparently traffic on a long weekend is always a nightmare (much like any other day in the city, I'm sure).
Still very determined (or is the word stubborn ass), and after seeing some fabulous photographs on the internet, of the beaches in Banten on the west coast of Java, with views of Anak Krakatoa (Child of Krakatao), it sure looked like the perfect long weekend destination and it's only a 2 and a half hour drive from Jakarta "perfect".
So once our driver agreed to work, and I managed to find accommodation it finally looked like the weekend might not be jinxed after all. Or was it...
To our disappointment, Anyer turned out to be a small village with the ocean on the one side and big factories in what can only be described as a large industrial area, on the other. Driving down the very narrow coastal road it was very obvious that we (ok, I) may have picked the wroooong weekend to get away.
But, I stayed positive, even when we passed 100's of people participating in an Independence Day parade. Groups in uniform marching to Kiri, Kiri, Kiri, Kanan, Kiri (Left, left, left, right, left) and serious loud speakers blearing every kilometer.
When I spotted the first sign of one of the resorts I looked at on the internet, I started to feel even less positive. And when we finally reached our resort I was well, certain that the weekend was jinxed after all. We decided to keep driving along, stopping off at a couple of the resorts along the road, but out of the 15 we stopped at, the only 2 that were okay, were also fully booked. But even if they weren't I still don't think lying around a pool with 100's of locals in their Independence day dress and buffet tables with more loud speakers set up all over the show was not really what we had in mind for our weekend break.
Most of the resorts have bungalows right next to the road, with nothing to really get excited about, as far as facilities go and there wasn't much of a "beach" to talk about either. O and no volcano in sight either, because of the thick smog. It was very funny actually; driving along I kept staring, trying to spot the volcano saying; "O, I think I saw something, O no...it’s not" to which Marc replied laughing "You're not in the Kruger Park babe, it's a volcano...not a wild animal" LOL ;-)!
Anak Krakatoa (Child of Krakato) is the main (only) attraction it seemed and we were advised not to take a boat trip to the volcano that day, because of bad weather that caused large waves. So, needless to say, we were home later the same day, enjoying the comforts/and 'quite" of our own home.
We are still planning a trip to Anak Krakatau, but next time we'll listen to the advice of the tour operators (ok, me again) and just do it as a day trip with a group. Or camp overnight on the volcano...that might be an adventure ;-)
Reading up on the devastating event of 1883, when Krakatoa erupted, I am reminded again that we life on the ring of fire! Hard to imagine.... Read more about it here.
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