Crafting Java itinerary around Waisak

Old Sep 28th, 2008, 03:21 PM
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Crafting Java itinerary around Waisak

We'll be in Java during the week that Waisak (the full moon day celebrating Buddha's birth & enlightenment with thousands of monks & other pilgrims coming to Borobudur) occurs, so I'm considering crafting our itinerary so we're in Borobudur for the May 31 event (day 7 of our 8 or 9 days in Java). It doesn't work easily but I think it can work in 2 (and hopefully more) ways.
I'm bleary eyed from reading LP and your great trip reports and hope I've understood some of the vast data I've read. So
Draft Itinerary 1:
Day 1) Arrive Jakarta am, fly on to Semarang o/n Lorsari Coffee Plantation
2) Lorsari area- tour area & continue to revive from jet lag
3 drive to Dieng Plateau o/n in Wonosobo Gallery Hotel Kresna or en route if needed
4) touring Plateau area o/n Wonosobo
Days 5-7) Borobudur stay at Amanjiwa (if I can skrimp enough elsewhere) One day drive in to Yogy to tour
Day 7 evening is big procession for Waisak
Day 8 drive to Yogy & o/n Mercure or Hyatt or Dusun
Day 9 fly Yogy to Denpasar.
OR Draft Itinerary II
Day 1 fly Jakarta to Yogy o/n Yogy
Day 2 tour Yogy & o/n Yogi
Day 3 fly or drive Yogy to Solo o/n Lor-In Hotel
Day 4 drive Solo to Dieng Plateau o/n Wonosobo
Day 5 Dieng touring o/n Wonosobo at Gallery Kresna
Day 6 & 7 Borobudur
Day 8 drive back to Yogi (maybe different route) o/n Yogi
Day 9 fly to Denpasar
So, are these routes realistic (couldn't get info on distances & drive times thru my initial internet research.)? Which breaks up the driving better? Any hotel commentary?
If I had to prioritize interests, I'd say people and local culture come first, scenic beauty second and archeological wonders also second (I want it all, of course).
Thanks everyone.
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Old Sep 28th, 2008, 03:38 PM
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Robbie, when we visited central Java years ago, we were based in Yogya the whole time, and visited the Dieng Plateau, Borobudor, Prambanam, yogya, Solo and an interesting temple easy of Solo, all using Yogya as a base.

So you really don't need to stay in all of these different hotels. I'd say chose two: the Aman and one closer to Yogya. While our day to and from the Dieng Plateau was a long one, we still had time to stop at many places along the way. The distances aren't that far and the roads were really pretty good.

The drive from Solo to Yogya is about an hour at most. So I'd fly from Jakarta to Yogya, stay in/near Yogya, and tour the surrounding area from there. The days you spend at the Aman, I expect you'll want to stay at the Aman and Borobudor. Then fly onward to Bali from Yogya.
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Old Sep 29th, 2008, 07:07 AM
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I'm not sure why you're flying into Semarang to reach Losari. I'm pretty sure Solo is much closer.

I would also agree with Kathie that staying in one or two places is preferable. I visited Solo, including Candi Sukah, on a day trip from Yogya.

Also, where did you get the date for Visak for 2009? The date changes from year to year. I can't confirm the 31 May date. In Thailand, it's on or around the 9th of May in 2009.
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Old Sep 29th, 2008, 09:11 PM
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I found out the Waisak date by googling it. Five or six sites quoted the same date for 2009; I know it changes depending on the full moon. Perhaps I should check further.
Staying in Yogy will certainly simplify things. And I will gladly do that so long as there is no more than three hours of driving on any day's commute (DH's strong preference).
If Solo is only an hour or so from Yogy, then I can see how Solo could easily be done in one longish day. And I take it that one day is enough.
What about the Dieng Plateau. Would you do that from Yogy or drive and stay two nights?
Are there other areas would might recommend above the Dieng Plateau? Mt Bromo is recommended by many but I can't figure out how to work it in. It doesn't make sense to me to go east first and then west (or maybe that's not a big deal) and we don't have enough days (just 1 1/2) to do Bromo after May 31.
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Old Oct 1st, 2008, 10:25 AM
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Robbie, some "guess-timates" of drive times.

The DP is a 3 hr drive from Yogya, and about 2 hrs from Borobudur. Semarang is 1-1/2 hrs to the Losari. Losari to DP 1-1/2 hrs ?

Rather than visit the DP consider a visit to Gedong Songo. Same vintage for temples but GS is sited on a mountain with beautiful views where DP is set in a valley. GS is also closer to Losari. So airport to Losari. Relax and easy trips to GS and local sites during next two days. Transfer to a Borobudur hotel for Waisak and area sites and finally Yogya.

Driving to Borobudur from Yogya for Waisak may not be practical due to the crowds. Stay in a hotel in Borobudur. Hopefully rooms are still available there during the holiday.

The full moon is on May 9th so better confirm the correct date with your hotel.
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Old Oct 1st, 2008, 09:09 PM
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Good suggestion Becalm on GS. So I could fly in to Yogy or Solo, stay at Losari, visit, GS from there. I think that would reduce the driving times. I'll check with the Amanjiwa directly about the dates for Waisak.
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Old Oct 5th, 2008, 03:05 PM
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Robbie, I would definitely try to stay at Amanjiwo for Waisak. They'll be sure to have a whole string of cultural events in the preceeding days which will enhance your experience of the holiday. The Borobudur area is just not equipped to handle thousands of pilgrims, so unless you go for the very top end you're likely to miss a lot through sheer jostling.

I agree that a little less moving around would be in order. I go for three days at Losari, as many as you can afford at Amanjiwo and end up a night or two in Yogya. I wouldn't stay in Solo.

I'd encourage you to re-think Bromo. You can fly from Central Java to Surabaya. The mountain area is about 2-3 hours from Surabaya airport. Accomodations on Bromo are basic as best but sunrise can be a spiritual encounter with nature.

You can fly from Surabaya to Denpasar, or if you want to do some more touring drive from Bromo to the ferry that takes you to North Bali.
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