Java — Day 8 and 9 ...

Train tickets and plane tickets in Java are very comparable so Vernon and I decided to fly back to Jakarta with AirAsia after that horribly dangerous bus ride from Probolinggo to Yogyakarta. Upon arrival in Jakarta, a shuttle from the Puspamaya Hotel picked us up as this was where we had booked a room for the night. Vernon had a 4:40am flight and this hotel claimed to be close to the airport.

The hotel wasn't too near the airport and since it was Valentine's Day, they were having a function making the restaurant and pool closed to regular guests. We were a bit disappointed to say the least. (see my review on TripAdvisor here)

The evening went quickly and Vernon headed out around 12:30am to catch his flight. I had an 11:00am taxi booked to the west coast of Java. (One way fare: Rp$800,000/NTS$1,900/CAN$77) The price was a bit steep but it being a Sunday, there were no trains and I didn't want to deal with the buses.

Day nine started with a cold buffet breakfast offered by the hotel. I sat in the restaurant drinking coffee and catching up on my thoughts of Indonesia. After that, I showered and packed up my things. I was looking forward to some beach time!

The ride over to Anyer took about two hours, mostly on a toll road. I had booked a few nights at a beach resort called The Acacia. (see my review on TripAdvisor here) The resort was nice but empty; I was their only guest on Sunday night.

The pool at The Acacia in Anyer

First thing I noted was the big sign out back of the resort stating, 'DO NOT SWIM. DANGEROUS.' This isn't something one wants to see when staying at a beach resort. The pool was nice and this is where I spent the day. The first thing I ordered was a beer which seemed to baffle the staff. My beer arrived ages later and it was warm. They did bring a glass with ice and apologized for not having any cold beer ... what?!?! I was beginning to regret my decision of going to Anyer over Bali.

Later in the day, the general manager of the hotel found me and introduced himself. He had come over from Jakarta when he learned that a foreigner would be coming for a few days. He promised to take me on a tour of Anyer (free of charge) the following day. The GM is from Singapore but has been living in Indonesia for eight years. I learned a lot from him about the two countries and had it not been for him, my time in Anyer would have been much shorter than it was.

The stretch of beach outside The Acacia

I took my first sunset walk along the beach and could tell by people's reactions that foreigners weren't seen too often around those parts. Many stopped me to ask for photos and smiles were all around. After my walk, the GM offered to take me out of the resort for some dinner and I accepted.

We drove about twenty minutes to a roadside restaurant. It was here that I tried Bull Balls Soup. I have to admit, it was delicious! We had other random bits and bites and everything was scrumptious! I ordered an apple juice and I love that it came freshly made.

We had a few beers together back at the resort before I retired for the night. I was still a bit hesitant about staying in Anyer but remained positive and looked forward to the personal tour the following morning.