After negotiating the ferry we realised we weren't going to get any further than Cilegon so we spent the night there. They initially lied to us about having a cheap room, but then changed their mind when we started to leave. The next day we took two connecting buses to Ujung Kulon. They wanted 50,000 for the second bus but we paid the 30,000 we should have done in the end (I suspect it might have been cheaper).
Ujung Kulon National Park: Beautiful place. The little village of Tamanjaya is very pleasant and it has a very Sumatran feel to it. We stayed in the place recommended by LP and I have to say that I dont agree with their assessment that the owner is an expert on local knowledge. I am beginning to think that LP is getting very sloppy and there is certainly room for a real backpacker guidebook. Oh well just have to carve our own route. He was not an expert and seemed instead intent on selling us his tour. I guess most tourists just accept the local advice, but I want to see what I want and not what I am told to. He wanted us to trek for 3 or 4 days to Peucang Island (guide is 100,000 a day) and then take a boat back (1.5 million). I guess the boat is where they make their money. Peucang Island looks nice enough, but the boat is too expensive and we were here for wildlife. Its famous for rhinos (Almost impossible to see and the guide had seen them once only when kayaking near the island beginning with H). So that wasn't worth the money. Peucang Island has macaques, wild boar and deer (woohoo as exciting as Way Kambas). We were here for gibbons and Javan leaf monkeys. These are within a day trip walk of the village, so we agreed to take a guide for 100,000 and take a day trip. The food here is good if overpriced and we paid 100,000 for the room. Still well under budget for the days we stayed here. The park permit is valid for 7 days. We went on the initial trek skeptical of seeing monkeys, but we saw gibbons (briefly after a chase), javan black leaf monkeys and crab eating macaques. I have no idea where the silver leaf monkeys are and neither do the guides seemingly. We saw hornbills (that sounded like pterodactyls over our heads) and loads of giant fruit bats, including around the hotel. Amazing. The park itself is very beautiful. We saw lizards and crabs and beautiful butterflies. This is why we came here. Its a 30km round trip walk to the ranger post and you can make it a triangle with a right hook at the beach (but its only worth walking 2km in this direction as we saw gibbons there once and beyond that the path is too muddy). No need to stay in the park. No need to spend loads for the boat. We enjoyed it so much we repeated the trip the following day for another 100,000 and this time saw nothing in the morning, but groups of gibbons 3 times after lunch on the way back (again proving that animals love the trails when people are not usually on them). We saw loads more macaques and more black leaf monkeys (Much faster than their cousins). Well worth the visit and one of the highlights of the trip. We also took a visit to the hot spring (which is more a trickle, but the walk across the rice fields to get there is really nice). Its a nice end to a day when you have finished monkey watching. This park is great and along with Gunung Leuser and Kerinci have been highlights of our trip. To get out was taxing as they wanted more money, but most of the other buses were fine until we got to the last town before Bogor. They wanted 25,000 and sent everyone and his dog to convince me that was the price. I had a feeling it was 20,000 and stuck to my guns. I was proved right when I saw everyone else paying. They really try their luck here in Java. It gets exhausting after some time.
Bogor: Overrated. Really overrated. We were anticipating some mountain town, but its over 1 million people and a suburb of Jakarta. Can't say anything notable happened here apart from getting a haircut. The 'gardens' are a joke for the price. More like a public park and really badly taken care of. If you haven't seen green for a while, its an ok escape, but otherwise its quite forgettable like the town.
Jakarta: We were afraid for Jakarta before we went there as people had told us it was super polluted and I feared yet another Manila. Thankfully it proved unfounded apart from the canal (which stinks like shit and is even worse when the rain comes). I found Jakarta a pleasant city (caveat is I like big cities) and the Transjakarta is a useful transport system, like the Transmillenio I was used to in Bogota. We stayed in a great hotel right next to Harmoni bus station down a side alley. Will be really good when fully renovated. The city has some really modern buildings, cinemas and restaurants with nothing standout. Kota old town is quite cute with the main square, although the port is totally rundown and swarming with naked beggar children sliding in the rain. Very disturbing. It doesn't have a lot of charm but its worth a day. The view from Monas is really nice, even if you run the risk of dying of boredom waiting in the queue for the lift. The carrefour has baguettes and camembert and brie so we could have a nice picnic in the room. I was helping Bee prepare for her IELTS exam in the evening and she came close, but hopefully they let her in. We met up with Jessica, who can't travel with me due to my overbearing personality. That happens with a lot of people. I am an acquired taste and you have to be a strong character. We saw her friend sing in a nice little cafe that did a weird interpretation of Philly Cheesesteaks. Then I got very, very sick and had gastroentiritis for 2 days. That meant I didn't do much. Cannelle went to see Jessica and eventually when I was well enough we headed off to Depok to stay with Julie who we had met in Bukittinggi and sort out the nightmare visa situation. Jakarta is a nice city to just kick back with some urban life for a bit, but we were soon to discover that Java is just one giant urban monster.
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