Java travel guide

For a Javanese metropolis, Surabaya is a pleasant surprise. Low on anything that could be considered as a tourist attraction, Surabaya's charm lies in the contrast between the modern downtown with wide tree lined streets, and the crowded old city with narrow lanes and crumbling colonial houses. The old city consist of the Arab Quarter and Chinatown, and along other nondescript neighbourhoods. Some of these residential alleys are no wider than an arm span and packed with kids, grandmas, filled laundry lines, parked rickshaws, and dirty dishes. There are small markets and the locals are as friendly as ever - for not many bule (foreigners) come here.

Tangkuban Perahu is an dormant volcano, which last erupted in 1983. It's perhaps one of the most visited volcanoes in whole Indonesia, mainly because you can drive all the way up to the crater rim. From here you have nice panoramic views over the massive caldera, along with an insane amount of souvenir shops and hawkers, who luckily mostly pray on local tourists. Adding to further frustrations, Tangkuban Perahu is hard to reach with public transportation, the entrance fee is rather steep, and if you want to see the nearby bubbling mud hot springs of Kawah Upas and Kawah Domas, you are forced to use expensive locals guides. If you do visit Tangkuban Perahu, go in morning before the mist rolls in, and keep in mind the crater rim lies at 2084 m, so it can get quite chilly.