Traveling by train in Indonesia: Surabaya – Yogyakarta route

This first day on site will start under the sign of stress. In addition to the fact that we will struggle to find a bank to change our bahts and dollars (because we did not want to change too much before leaving hoping to have a better rate on site), we will get lost with our taxi, because we had not taken the paper indicating the address of the GH (fortunately we still had the name) when going to look for a bank…

And with all that, my camera was bugged that day, which scared me a lot since we had just arrived and I couldn't see myself starting this trip by going to a repair shop...

In the end everything will go well, we will find our hotel thanks to the kindness and patience of our driver (and my visual memory too…), this same driver will end up showing us a place where we can change our money (Finally not a bank… A travel agency, after having waited for the end of their lunch break for 1 hour…) and my camera will start working again as if by magic (and fortunately it didn’t bother me for the rest of the trip either)

Breakfast included.

Jitima will take care of taking the photos of the day while I rage inside...

Our driver trying to find out where our hotel is…

…that we found.

After collecting our luggage, the driver we had asked to wait for us found this agency for us to change our money. A big thank you to him!

We are already millionaires and ready to go.

On the way to the station, this will be one of the few photos I will have of Surabaya…

We arrive at the station.

The tickets cost us only 38.000 Rupiah for 2! Meanwhile people are waiting on the ground.

We walk to the end to find free seats.

If I didn't know it yet, having your photo taken is very appreciated here and a smile is more than common. This "roti" seller will make me happy for my little hunger of the moment.

We had chosen the upper class because the price was still worth the cost given the overall comfort (soft seat, space, TV) But to remove the interest of the TV which will ultimately be on half of the trip only kitsch local clips and a downside for the seats whose space will be taken up by our luggage due to lack of space for it (the space above the seats was too small for our big bags)….

So it was hard on the legs, for me anyway because Jitima wasn't too bothered given her smaller legs...

The passage between 2 wagons.

On the outskirts of Surabaya.

The toilet consists of a simple hole... hence the signs in train stations prohibiting the use of toilets on stopped trains...

On the road to Yogyakarta.

A small mosque in a village.

Somewhere in central Java.

Cabin crew on break.

When I got there, I thought to myself when I saw a couple of travelers that they were the first tourists we had met so far. Obviously, them too, because they approached us, not really knowing where to go. The four of us finally got into a taxi to take us to the local "Khao San Road". A few "meters" further (yes because in fact the journey is doable on foot...) we got off in a small street and there, it was a lot of canvassing, "looking for a room?" Well, of course, with our big bags, it was hard to say no...

Luckily, we come across a decent guy who starts by taking us through the narrow streets where all the little guest houses are concentrated. Decent, because the guy told us you go there, you look, if you don't like it, we'll go somewhere else.
So between those that were full, those that were too sad, ugly or other paraded and we finally landed in a final GH that was still average, without coverage (sic) but which had the merit of being clean, with a small TV (it's also a luxury) and an owner who speaks English rather well (which will prove useful).

Once settled in, the other couple being in a neighboring room, we went together to fill our bellies in a restaurant that we had come across during our visits to accommodations. The couple in question whose first names I unfortunately forgot (one was from Canada and his Asian wife too, but from New Zealand) were just starting their world tour, it was their very first days.