On a random weekend in June, I joined a friend on a journey to visit some family.  Armed with little more than a bag of donuts, we headed West to the Provincial capital of Central Java.  The six-hour train ride brought us to the city of Semarang.

I expected this city to be cool, beautiful and peaceful due to the miles of rolling hills, rice patty fields and glimpses of ocean and mountain along the way.  And…my expectations were met…and then exceeded.

This “village” had clean, crisp air, winding roads and no big buildings, unless you found yourself “downtown.”  Everything felt spread out and spacious, basically the opposite of Jakarta, which was quite refreshing.

After an evening of driving around the area, enjoying the local parks and eating beef sate, it was time to hit the hay.

The next day was full of adventure.  The first stop was Bandungan.  This was a mountain top, local tourist trap, and it was stunning.  The entrance fee granted visitors access to the mountain-top network of 9 Hindu temples.  Once inside, we could choose to pay an additional fee if we wanted to choose a temple route and explore on horseback.  Of course we chose the longest horseback route, because…why not?  The temperature was perfect, the scenery was breathtaking and I lost count of how many photos I took.

Later in the afternoon we headed to the Sam Poo Kong temple.  This is really a Chinese temple complex and it shouldn’t be rushed through.  At the entrance you are greeted by lots of paper lanterns hanging from trees near the seating area.

The other buildings are massive and spread out in three directions.  Although visitors can’t go in the buildings, it’s easy to admire the color, the design and all the beautiful decorations.

Just before sunset we went to see Lawang Sewu.  This is a historic building and Semarang’s most famous landmark.  It’s known as “Thousand Doors” and it is thought to be haunted.  This big complex was once the home of the Indonesian railways, but during WWII, Japanese occupation of the building led to dungeons of interrogation and gruesome atrocities.  It’s no wonder there may be some pissed-off spirits!

I’m so grateful for all the amazing things I’ve gotten to see in such a short period of time.  I’ve only scratched the surface, so I’m sure a repeat trip will be in order before too long.