JAKARTA/BANDUNG/BALI - I could never have imagined standing on the top of a dormant volcano, peering down at the hot ash still rising from inside. I hoped this volcano, which was last erupted in 1959, wouldn't erupt again and swallow me up! Tangkuban Perahu is a dormant volcano, 30km north of the city of Bandung, the capital of the West Java province of Indonesia. It is a popular with tourists, who can hike or ride to the edge of the crater to view the hot water springs and boiling mud up close. I proudly took lots of photos, but was surprised by all the hawkers; it was rather like being back home at the Giza Pyramids. They were selling all sorts of things, including bags and even fruit. Bandung, Indonesia's third largest city and the country's second-largest metropolitan area, was recently visited by a number of media people from Egypt, invited by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. This visit aimed at providing us with product knowledge and experience of Indonesia's unique tourism destinations. These destinations combine nature, shopping and cultural heritage, with the main attractions being mountains, highlands, temples and beautiful beaches. In Jakarta, we visited the National Monument, a 132m-high tower in the centre of Merdeka Square, Centre Jakarta, symbolising the fight for Indonesia's independence. Its construction began in 1961, under President Sukarno, Indonesia's first president, and the monument was opened to the public in 1975. It is topped by a flame covered with gold foil. Near the Monument, many people were sitting in front of a big screen, watching the big match - Indonesia versus Malaysia - which happened to coincide with our visit. Unlike Egyptian football fans, Indonesian ones are quite calm, I noticed. We also visited the Jakarta History Museum in Fatahillah Square in the Old Town (known as Kota) of Jakarta. Built in 1710, this museum was originally the Stadhuis (City Hall) of Batavia. It opened in 1974 and many of its exhibits are ancient. There are also treasures dating from the founding of Jakarta in 1527 and the Dutch colonisation period, from the 16th century until Indonesia's independence in 1945. To give life to this old place, people can hire bicycles to ride round the square, where they can also do other sports there. The streets in Jakarta, the most populous city in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, reminded us of the streets of Cairo, as they're very crowded, especially in the rush hour. However, there are many ways to fight the crowds there, one of them being TransJakarta, a bus rapid transit (BRT) system. TransJakarta was built to provide a fast, comfortable, and affordable mass transportation system. To accomplish those objectives, the buses have been given lanes restricted to other traffic and separated by concrete blocks on the streets that have become part of the busway routes. People wait for the bus in the so-called TransJakarta shelters, which are different from ordinary bus stops. They are usually located in the middle of the road and are reached by elevated bridges. The doors of shelters open automatically when a bus arrives. "This busway line opened in 2004. It's a very good idea, but the roads are still not adequate for the ever-increasing number of cars," said Iwan Wijaya, the Information, Social and Cultural Counsellor at the Indonesian Embassy in Cairo. "The Government is now planning to build a monorail in the city. With no traffic lights to go through, the monorail will be a more conducive solution for coping with the traffic chaos," he told The Egyptian Gazette. Pedestrians and motorists do respect the traffic lights in streets that are full of motorcycles and tok-toks. But, unlike in Egypt, you do see women riding motorcycles. During the five-day visit, we spent a wonderful two days in Bali, the island which is home to most of Indonesia's small Hindu minority; it is also the largest tourist destination in the country. Before travelling to Indonesia, my friends told me that Bali is the most wonderful city you'll ever visit. And they were right. We visited Kuta Beach, a former fishing village in southern Bali. It's a long, sandy beach and many renowned surfers come here from Australia. We also visited Bedugul, a mountain lake resort area, which is home to the Pura Ulun Danu Bratan Water Temple and the Bedugul Botanical Gardens. We went shopping in the Kuta Art Market, famous for locally made Bali designs and international brands at affordable prices. Despite the long distance between Egypt and Indonesia, the relations between the two countries are very good. "In 2010, trade between Indonesia and Egypt was almost double that of 2006 [$1.07 billion compares with $514 million]. This year, the trade volume is predicted to be even bigger, as trade is flourishing between both countries," said Counsellor Iwan. He added that Egypt imports rubbers, textiles, furniture, coffee, cocoa, fish, automotive parts, shoes and electronics from Indonesia, while it exports phosphates, dates, cotton, beet pulp, oranges, lead, synthetic fibre, honey and fruit to Indonesia. "We enjoy good relations with the Egyptian's tourism and culture authorities. Both sides are working hard to boost our co-operation in the field of culture for the benefit of the younger generation,” he stressed, explaining that there are now around 4,000 Indonesian undergraduates at Al-Azhar University. Iwan added that Indonesia has performed traditional dance at the Cairo Opera House, as well as participating in many cultural events in different Egyptian governorates. Meanwhile, Egypt has participated in the Sufi International Festival held in Jakarta. "This cultural exchange is expected to broaden our knowledge of each other, as well as increasing the number of Egyptian tourists visiting Indonesia and vice versa.”
