Java is also repository of a massive collection of a million years of vocal history. Daily news to spread speedily from mouth-to-mouth and is deliciously entertaining. It is worth getting someone to translate for you.
The Best Bus System in The World
Java is a race-track to eighty million motorcycles. And the world's best bus transportation system.
The Bus Transportation is divided into four categories. Plush air-conditioned cruisers, Executive Buses, Economy Buses and ankots(Covered mini-vans). They connect the whole island and ply in all villages; towns and cities.Ankots and Economy buses are staffed by a driver and conductor. They provide the ultimate in customer-service. They will die for their customer. Sadly, sometimes they do. Service on board Singapore Airlines pales in comparison.
Ankots and Economy buses stop anywhere for their customers. Even in the middle of a busy road or in the centre of an intersection. If they can't for some reason, stop, run alongside, and the conductor who hangs out of the back door, will sweep you up gracefully into the vehicle. Many Economy buses and ankots provide a mini live band for customer entertainment (I swear this is true). Customers pay a humble two cents for this. Iced drinks, snacks, newspapers and cigarettes are sold on board. You can even sometimes buy something as extraordinary as a Javanese speaking parrot.
There seems to be millions of buses. Especially Economy buses and Ankots. There is one born every minute. As a result transportation for a traveler is excellent. A wait for a bus in a town or city rarely exceeds five minutes. A great way to meet Javanese.
More personalized transportation is available.” Ojeks,” or motorcycle taxis are available to take you anywhere and especially where buses can't go. The fare averages around 50cents with including free use of the helmet. Traffic rules don't apply to “ojeks” therefore they take the shortest distance between two points, even if it means going against the traffic or leaping over road dividers.
Tourist Services
The Javanese are entrepreneurial. Travelers may avail themselves of numerous services in all towns and villages. The most advertised on lamp-posts, walls and with banners are hair salons (you could have a choice of up to ten every two kilometers), “cuci-sofa” (Sofa cleaning),”baduts”(party clowns) and “ketow-magic”(car repair by magic). Weary travelers may look out for “pijat” (massage) signs, also easy to come by as are “baby-sitters”. Doctors, dentists, traditional cures, modern pharmacies, local medical shops and magical cures are always within easy reach. “wartels”, little places where you can make telephone calls while enjoying a bowl of noodles and “warnets”, little places with internet facilities are plentiful, Costs for any of these services are cheap.
To blonde your hair in a village will cost no more than two dollars. A massage that puts you right in an hour, just one dollar. Baby-sitters, negotiable. Tipping is expected and ten percent will suffice. Transactions are always in cash.
Shopping
Things unique and possibly appreciated back home are available all around often direct from the craftsmen themselves. Superb colonial Dutch and Javanese antiques abound. Very intricate shadow play figures, Javanese doll-puppets with moveable arms, drum casings made of mahogany(eventually exported to Europe and United States), full-sized rocking horses, excellent teas and coffees, local tonics for almost every ailment, local Viagra in capsules or tonics, silverware and jewelry, pearls from the Java oysters and dried and okay-to-keep indefinitely or ready-to-eat dried and spiced fish. You can take home a crate of treasure for what you would pay, for a night in a four star accommodation in Bali.
You won't see much, if any advertising of Java. Most traveler or tourist information on Indonesia tends to focus much on Bali and attractions mostly manufacturer by the Ministry of Tourism (I guess it's their job) and travel agents. Java remains, most often, as an accidental encounter. Major airlines fly to Jakarta. From where you can bus, fly or take a train to the best of Java.
