Surabaya 2008

If we ever go to Bandung or Jakarta, it is located next to West Java. Surabaya is located next to East Java. Below is a little sketch of a map of Java Island to give you a brief overview:

Through the map description above, so you can see the position between Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya. West Java and East Java have their own uniqueness. Surabaya is the second-largest city in Indonesia after Jakarta. Surabaya is said to have originated from the mythical story of the battle between sura (shark) and baya (crocodile) and eventually became the city of Surabaya. If you have studied history in high school about the Majapahit government, this is where the center of government is located. I found out from a tourist bus driver who said that Surabaya was the starting point, discussion and strategy to fight the Dutch and achieve Indonesian independence. In many cities or states in Indonesia, I find the people of Surabaya among the most courageous to go forward. They seem to have their own stand. As we have seen demonstrations and so on in Jakarta, Surabaya is seen as not taking sides or interfering in activities that take place in Jakarta. They are them in their own way. In addition, some residents of Surabaya are also those from the island of Madura, the majority of whom are Muslims and strongly adhere to the teachings of Islam.

Ok, I went to Surabaya in October 2008. AirAsia flight tickets are usually between RM300-RM450 depending on the time of the promotion. Tickets are a little expensive because Surabaya is located quite far compared to Jakarta and Bandung which are located in West Java. The flight took almost 3 hours.

Regarding Surabaya, there were a few funny things when I first wanted to go there. At first, I thought that maybe the temperature and weather are as cold as Bandung. Ouch, I was wrong apparently. The weather is the same as in Malaysia, but a little hot. Meaning, my feet will easily sweat if I often do a walking tour in the city. Maybe it’s because I’m overweight, hehe. Or probably the weather there really that hot?

There, we followed a tour package of 10 people, all of whom were friends and relatives. So, it’s nice that we can do what we want in the tourist bus. Actually, our group wants to attend a cooking course in Surabaya. Except for me as I’m not interested in cooking, I only know how to eat. So, after the airport, we all headed to the cooking school located on the outskirts of Surabaya. After listening to a simple briefing from the chef, we headed to the hotel and put our bags in the room. Do you want to know the name of the hotel? Hotel Ibis Rajawali. This hotel is very nice for me. I put a rating of 4.5/5.0. Hotel Ibis is one of the hotels or associate hotels with Accor Group. If you want to book a hotel, you can book from this site, Accor Hotels. Accor Group is reliable and you don’t have to worry about anything related to hotel reservations. I suggest that after you have sat in the Ibis Hotel or any hotel under the management of Accor Group, try to register a membership with them. You can get a discount later. The hotel provides a free breakfast every morning. The breakfast was very delicious and until now I still remember the delicious omelet made on the spot for the hotel guests.

Details:

Jalan Rajawali No 9-11
60175 – SURABAYA
INDONESIA
Tel. : (+62)31/3539994
Fax. : (+62)31/3539995

Map to Hotel Ibis:

GPS coordinates for Hotel Ibis: -7.236392, 112.736976

After checking in at the hotel, we went out around the city of Surabaya while looking at historical places. So the day was already dark, the tourist bus stopped at a restaurant called Javana where I couldn’t be sure what kind of food it was, whether it was Sundanese or not, which was definitely not Padang cuisine. What is written at the entrance is “Grilled Fish and Seafood”.

Hmm, actually while writing this post, I really don’t remember in detail about this visit to Surabaya. The main reason is that I dislike tours that have to follow a fixed itinerary or tour package. But what can I do, people are sponsoring my vacation here. Sustenance should not be denied and I cannot complain more. Later, it’s like being ungrateful. I’m sorry, my writing doesn’t seem to be in the mood. I try to write as much as I can. But I want to tell you, my mood is a bit low not because the holiday to Surabaya is not the best, but actually as great as traveling to Bandung. Probably moody because I now have a sore throat, while drinking this sour water, my writing is a bit cluttered.

This holiday package in Surabaya, apart from the city, we will also visit a district called Malang. The name of the place is Malang. Strange? It means unfortunate. But it’s just a name. Malang is a district located south of the city of Surabaya. If you have friends who have studied medicine in Indonesia, Malang is a place where many famous medical universities are located. The tour guide we hired was Monas Tour and Travel. I really recommend this tour guide because they are very friendly and funny. This tour guide is reliable and takes great care of the safety of tourists.

Tour guide address:

Monas Tour & Travel
Jl. Dharmahusada Utara 6
(031) 596 5696
(031) 596 5096

Regarding the tour to Surabaya, I will continue in the second part which I will fill with more information and pictures, stay tuned… !!

UPDATED NOVEMBER 13, 2016: Sorry, the second part will not be continued because most of the information is already obsolete.