Semarang, Indonesia

For the next several cruise ports, we will be scheduling our own private tours as it’s a bit cheaper, can be crafted to our interests, and due to the extreme heat and humidity, is easier to get to air conditioning
when we need it. An English-speaking guide is guaranteed, but we’re finding that translating the
translator takes a great deal of energy. Today’s guide was a petite woman whose age was indeterminate but who not only had good information for us, but peeled back another layer to let us see her life.

Our first destination was the Old City, a left-over city-scape that each area of Indonesia has so I’ll
mention it just here and not in further Indonesian cities. As we’ve seen in most ancient civilizations,
there are histories of hard-fought occupation, battles for independence, civil unrest, opportunistic
rulers, trade interests, etc., not all in that order.  Indonesia was colonized by the Dutch in the 17th
century, and fought for its independence after World War II. In short, Indonesia became a parliamentary
democracy, but was taken over by a military dictatorship in 1965. Indonesia faced political and social
challenges, such as the independence of East Timor, the rise of radical Islam, and the devastating 2004
tsunami.

The scars and memories of each are evident; our job is always to link the story to its assigned structure:
monument, building, area, or placard, then to sift for you. Thank you for taking time to travel with us.
Back to the Old City. There are historical buildings and streets that can be imagined in Dutch times, and
the government has nixed anything but piecemeal restoration that is exorbitant in itself. We saw the
inside of the Protestant Church whose organ hasn’t worked since 2000. A market “gallery” is inside a
building nearby where merchants sell some fine batik fabrics and hand-stitched clothing or artifacts.
When our guide saw my interest in fabrics, she quietly suggested we visit her booth in another area.
Ahh, an entrepreneur! Keep reading…

List of church's recent local pastors

Pulpit

The beautiful organ that does not work.

She next took us to what we would probably call a mall, what she called a market, and was a cross

between those two concepts and a department store. Up to the food court where we met her husband
who was manning their relatively new food booth which sells kabobs. Then to her booth where Jen
tried on a wrap-around batik skirt. Not really her style but it got a lot of attention from various vendors.
Not sure they see many anglos in this part of the market.

Next stop was Semarang's most famous landmark, Lawang Sewu (Thousand Doors). It’s famous here because Semarang just happens to be where the railway was built. According to Lonely Planet
guidebook, it “comprises two colossal colonial buildings that were one of the headquarters of the
Indonesian railways during the Dutch era. We were given a “local” guide to take us through the
structures. More translating the translator. The structures are sparsely used with only the occasional
exhibit (mostly about the railway system) on view. Nevertheless, the empty corridors, where clerks and
engineers once worked, have their own interest, with features including stained glass and a magnificent
marble staircase.” Our photos will tell this story.

Sculpted Sign

Colonial Building

Lawang Sewu, 1000 Doors

Meow!

Another landmark was Gedung Batu (literally “Stone Building”). I’ll let Lonely Planet tell you more:

“This huge Chinese temple complex comprises three main temple buildings and many smaller structures that date back to 1724, although built on earlier foundations. Most of the elegant, red-painted
structures are Indo-Chinese in style, with tiered pagoda-style roofs. The temple was originally built in
honor of Admiral Cheng Ho, the famous Muslim eunuch of the Ming dynasty, who led a Chinese fleet on seven expeditions to Java and other parts of Southeast and West Asia in the early 15th century. Cheng Ho, who first arrived in Java in 1405 and is believed to have helped spread Islam, is now honored as a saint called Sam Po. Styled as a cave and flanked by two great dragons, this sanctum gives the temple its popular name.”

You’ll see Cheng Po in further cities…

Lunch was at a nice restaurant which had a number of uniformed patrons (police? military? government

officials?). There was a table reserved for us and a set menu. Soup, beef, chicken, chips. Very nice and
very tasty.

We left lunch for what was going to prove to be our last stop, a large mosque (Mesjid Besar) outside of
town where up to 5500 people can kneel toward Mecca. We took an elevator up to the top of the tower
to overlook the large city. In the complex, two local men stopped us to ask if they could take their
picture with us, a surprising turn around. On the second and third levels of the tower are a museum that
is interesting even though not in English. The tall rocket-style features are actually mechanical
umbrellas that open for shade or shelter. I would have liked to have seen that…

Ancient mosque instruments