Pacitan to Malang
(A
tour diary by my son and co-rider Max)
The next leg of our
trip took us from the small town of Pacitan to the large city
of Malang in East Java. We started early from our hotel because
this was the longest part of the entire tour (200km) and we didn't
know exactly how long we would take.
The first part of the
days driving (65km to Balong) was great, leading us along the
banks of a small river through small hills and past tiny villages.
We had to stop once for about 15 minutes because the road had
been covered by a landslide, but otherwise the area was pretty
much devoid of other vehicles.
In Balong we turned
onto the road to Tulungagung via Trenggalek for another 75 km.
This was also very nice, leading at first through rice paddies
and later through the pass between the smaller seaside hills and
Mt Willis.
In Tulungagung we ate
at a  Warung
Padang (footstall) and then drove another 50 km to Wlingi. This
bit was not very nice because of a lot of traffic and clouds hiding
Mt Kelud which should have been visible during the last part of
this section.
After Wlingi the road
led us between the foothills of Mt Butak and Kesamben and Karangkates
reservoirs. This was quite nice, even though we didn't see as
much of the reservoirs as we would have expected by the pictures
from the map.
After arriving in Kepanjen
we turned North for the final 18 km to Malang, which were full
of traffic and not very nice. In Malang we met Walter and Jenie,
friends of ours, who recommended the hotel Splendid Inn.
After checking in there
we had dinner in the famous old dutch restaurant Toko Oen, which
is very close to the hotel.
 Our
friend Walter, whom we had met here during his holidays, is also
a motorbike fan. He has a 750 Tenere which he drives around the
desert in Saudi Arabia, where he lives and works at present.
He and his Indonesian
wife Jenie showed us a beautiful beach south of Malang which was
absolutely deserted.
The drive there was
also very nice, first through teak plantings and later through
real rainforest.
 
|
Tour
highlights:
|
| Pacitan
|
|
 Pacitan
is a small village on the southern coast of Java and one
of the few locations where you can go for a swim.
You
can find a couple of hotels and losmen if you want to stay
for the night. Try one directly on the beach.
(Bring
your own bulb if you don't want to read in the dim light
of the standard 25Watt light bulbs you find almost everywhere
in small indonesian hotels)
|
| East
of Pacitan |
|
 Get
ready for hours of beautiful twisty roads through the hilly
areas east of Pacitan.
|
| Malang |
|
 A
interesting city with many nice places to stay and eat.
Try the old colonial restaurant Toko Oen in the center of
town, opposite the Sarinah department store. Toko Oen is
an anachronism from colonial days, with tea tables and comfortable
basket chairs. It has Indonesian, Chinese and Western food,
and also delicious home-made ice cream. This is one of the
most relaxing places for meal.
|
| Beaches
south of Malang |
|
 You
can find several nice beaches 40-60km south of Malang, battered
by wind, deserted and beautiful.
They
are perfect for a day of rest and small side trips while
staying in Malang. Most beaches are only reachable by bike
or car; a journey through farmers villages over rough landroads
and limestone hills.
Ngliyep
is attracting most visitors, especially on holidays like
Labuhan (in October). Be aware of dangerous currents. This
is the place of Myai Ratu Kidul; the color green angers
her and a huge wave takes away innocent swimmers.
At
Sendangbiru swimming is safer. Here, boats can be
hired for a trip to the island reserve Sempu.
The
beach of Balekambang is a popular place; in the sheltered
bay are two small islands, connected by footbridges. On
one of them is an Balinese temple, in which every March
the Jalanidipuja-ceremony is held.
|
| Bromo
and Semeru |
|
Another
great area to visit from Malang or Surabaya/Probolingo are
the Bromo and Semeru volcanos.
A
nice and interesting place to stay is the PPLH Environmental
Training and Information Center in Travas.
We
skipped the Bromo crater during this trip, as we had been
there already a couple of times.
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|
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