Travel Features
Java, Bali and Lombok: where gods and humans meet
By Georg Alexander
Oct 10, 2006, 19:00 GMT

Denpasar, Indonesia ­ This year has been difficult for Indonesia's tourism industry.

A powerful earthquake shook the island of Java in May and killed about 6,000 people in the region around Yogyakarta, and in mid July a tsunami killed more than 350 people on Java's southern coast.

It's no surprise that news like that has discouraged some people from visiting the country. But anyone who does make the trip will discover a world full of secrets where humans and deities come together.

From a distance the sarongs appear like flowers on the paddy fields. Women farmers cut the rice stalks with a small knife concealed in their hands.

'The women hide the knife in the cup of their hands so the rice won't see it and be afraid,' explains tourist guide Wayan.

In Indonesia, rice is looked upon not just as a cash crop, but also as a gift from the gods. Farmers on Java and Bali believe rice has a soul that must not be injured as that could anger the rice goddess, Dewi Sri, and endanger the harvest.

In a society where spirituality plays such a big role, it's no wonder that every rice paddy and every path has its own shrine or small temple.

Bali has an estimated 20,000 temples and religion influences the everyday lives of the people.

Several times a day the gods have to appeased, demons and bad spirits kept in their places.

No day on Bali begins without a sacrifice. Even in the tourist metropole of Kuta early in the morning women place tiny baskets made of banana leaf with gifts of flowers and rice in front of businesses, cafes and on junctions.

Most people on Bali are Hindus in contrast to the rest of Indonesia where the Muslim religion dominates. However, the forces of nature are treated with great respect there.

The form of Islam that predominates on Java is not strict and an ancient view of the world of spirits coexists with the 'new' religion.

Although Bali has thousands of temples, the most important Hindu and Buddhist temples are to be found on Java.

If it is at all possible then try visiting Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument in the world, at dawn. The monument has survived several natural catastrophes including the earthquake in May.

At 5.30 in the morning it is bright enough to climb the steps to the temple. As the heat of the day slowly builds, a foggy mist covers the area, clinging to the sides of the valley.

In the foreground stretch the temple walls and the 72 large and countless smaller stupas, symbols of Buddha's enlightenment. The magic and symbolism of this place in the early morning turn the visit into a spiritual experience.

As if that was not enough, the 2,911-metre-high Mount Merapi rises into the tropical sky in the east. Merapi is one of the most active volcanoes in Indonesia and smoke rises constantly from its peak.

Indonesia is situated on the Pacific 'ring of fire', a fault in the Earth's crust where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions frequently occur. For millennia Java's population of 130 million people have lived with this risk.

Merapi had been largely quiet for a long time and it was not until May when the volcano became more active that people began to fear the worst again.

Despite their differences in religion, the inhabitants of Bali and Java have much in common such as Gamelan music, dance and shadow puppetry. Both islands are blessed with natural beauties and culture.

But Bali is no longer the paradise it once was since two car bombs killed 202 people in Kuta on October 12, 2002.

The attack was blamed on the Islamic terror network Jemaah Islamiya. Since then security has been stepped up and hotels placed under tighter observation.

But three years after the first attack, militant Islamists struck again killing 19 people including four tourists in October 2005.

Many people on Bali fear tourism has suffered as a result. Today, more tourists come from Malaysia and South Korea.

'Not every guest is the same,' says one hotel manager. 'Visitors from neighbouring Asian countries prefer inexpensive hotels and leave less money on the island than Australians and Europeans.'

When tourism suffers on Bali the same can be said for Java and Lombok. Bali is a launching pad for many tourists intending to spend some time on the neighbouring islands.

Europeans seldom fly direct to Yogyakarta or Lombok even though the latter has done much to improve its image in the past few years, as a kind of Bali before mass tourism arrived, with more beautiful beaches and more peace and quiet to offer.

Internet: www.tourismindonesia.com