Surabaya Explore guide+++

with this “copy note” hope that you can enjoy indonesian beautiful scenery, feel the tropical weather, widening your known about magnificent indonesian culture and art, see amazing sculpture, and also tasting new tasty culinary especially at “my Hero Town” :  SURABAYA (great articles i think…)

Day one
Surabaya maybe indonesia’s second largest city,but the best way to enjoy it is nevertheless on foot. Once you’ve settled in to your hotel, visit the northern part of town where some of the city’s most interesting sighs lie.

The district of ampel is home to surabaya’s arab quarter and a teeming maze of narrow streets hemmed by shops and stalls trading good from the middle east. Try a bag of sweet honeyed dates from one of the hawkers and then saunter around this perpetually bustling market. You’ll eventually end up at the masjid Ampel , a pilgrimage site for indonesia’s muslims. This 600 year old mosque is the final resting place of sunan ampel , one of those who first brought islam to java.
A short walk then leads to a district with a vastly different character. Surabaya’s Chinatown, along jalan kembang jepun, is a collection of historic wholesale stores, dutch era warehouse and Chinese temples, bursting with local color. If you see only one attraction here, find the hong tiek hian temple along jalan dukuh. Constructed in the 13th century, this is the oldest taois temple in Surabaya, and hosts an equally ancient form of entertainment , Chinese hands puppets known as “potehi” , performed non-stop for the benefit of taois deities. Then for a close –up look into slightly different side of surabaya’s past , make your way to plaza delta, where a submarine the decommissionette KSR Pasopati, rests on dry land . now a museum with its interiors perfectly preserved , this ship saw action against the dutch in the 1960’s and is now appround reminder of its city’s maritime heritage.

All this walking will have you hungry-take a taxi to the simple yet delicious resto K along jalan diponegoro for classic surabayan cuisine-excellent rujak cingur(fruit and vegetables salad with sliced beef lips), and nasi rawon(rice and beef soup).

Day two
Rise to an early breakfast and be on the road by 7am to escape southbound traffic jams for two hour drive to malang. thanks to higher elevation, this city enjoys a cooler climate, making it a popular weekend getaway. Stop for a popular helping of Bakso Malang, beef meatballs and noodles in apeppery broth, at warung my bakso, then headover to java dancer café n jalan kahuripan for a dose gourmet coffee. Stretch your legs while savoring dark, smoky java house brewed macchiato before you head out to explore the surrounding countryside.

From the central city, a westward drive leads through picturesque scenery of rolling hillside and ricefields, bordering both sides of the brantas river. Follow the main highway to the district of pujon and then make your way to the coban rondo waterfall.
Bring an umbrella or a raincoat, as the spray from the 60 meter high torrent covers everything with a fine mist. Relax at one of nearby huts , or take a dip in the stream, within view of the spectacular cascade. For an even more laid back diversion, head west for another hour to the charming danau selorejo, where you can kick back with aplate of crunchy malang apple and spicy fried nila fish.

Day three
The scenic return to Surabaya takes about half a day, but your morning drive takes you back centuries. Long before indonesia’s founding , the island of java was the seat of power for the majapahit kingdom , which one controlled a large part of the south east asia. The empire’s remains dot east java , and candi jajaghu and candi singosari , are within minutes of malang by a car.
Marvel at the endless scene of hindu mythology sculpted exquisitely in the rock. Even better lies ahead in the city of mojokerto, a 90 minute drive ahead. Once the centre of majapahit power , at the trowulan archaeological park, you’ll walk among 400year old relics from this era. Standing amid the manicured park grounds are temples like the massive tower , candi brahu, or candi tikus.


Later, enjoy nasi padang at minang agung , one of the few best restaurant in trowulan. Then drive the last stretch of road back to Surabaya airport, where your flight home awaits. A hearty helping of culture, countryside and history, surabya offers visitor plenty of room to play.(copied from mandala-airlines magz)