We went by train and I felt admittedly nervous. I've only been on trains abroad, and the transportation in Indonesia is rather sketchy. But I was up for a new experience so there we were. The train was better than I thought, probably because we rode on executive class, and the journey was smooth. I like how we got there, sat down, and depart - unlike flying, where there are so many things to do before you actually get your arse flown. The only downside I suppose was the length of the trip - although you can actually look at the view as compensation, but it sores your body after a while. We departed from Jakarta's Gambir station at 10.15 and arrived at Semarang's Tawang station at 16.40.
We took a sightseeing car trip but there were only few places that our chaffeur could point out. The appeal of the town is how old it is, and how little things have changed. Well, except for some growingly abundant advertisement billboards which ruins the sight of the town. There's even this huge billboard right in front of Toko Oen, a restaurant that's been purposely kept the way it was when it started in 1936. It was an outrage!
But oh, Toko Oen itself is extremely lovely, antique and comfortable. I could sit there for hours, thinking of how many people have been there in the 72 years of its operation, how many people ate the same food I did, and what's going on in their minds while they sat there. I love old buildings and Toko Oen is an indulgence of old time atmosphere! They even cover up the air conditioners with old style cabinets to preserve the nostalgic feeling. Lovely! Then we went to the Candi hill area, but unlike in the old days, we can no longer gaze down upon the city - newly built houses block the once lovely view. A bit disappointed, we headed back down and did what we always do in Jakarta - mallratting.
Out of curiosity, I went to Mal Ciputra. It looks EXACTLY like its twin in Jakarta, only it's half the size! Heck, probably even a quarter. It was like looking at a toy model! The inside is similar as well, it's nothing to write home about. But it's already one of the biggest buildings in town. It's just the uncanny similarity is so funny. I suppose there's another mall, DP Mall, but we didn't bother.
The most impressive tourism object that I visited was however the Sam Poo Kong temple. It was built to honour Zheng He [look it up] and it was way grander than my expectations. I was a bit reluctant to visit it, but when I got there I took a look at everything! I even almost took a picture wearing traditional Chinese costumes - I kind of regret I didn't. Next time I visit, I will.
There's another building I will visit next time I get around to Semarang: Lawang Sewu. Apparently it's famous for being haunted, and I had no idea until the chaffeur told us about it. People can actually tour inside for something called the Horror Tour! Needless to say nobody in my party was interested, and I didn't feel like doing the tour alone, so...! Anyone up for it?It was a great weekend full of new experiences, and I'd visit again should the chance arise. It also made me realise a lot of things, probably putting things in perspective, which is why I love travelling so much. See you again Semarang!
