JAVA IS HOME to 141 million people, slightly more than Russia, which is over 120 times larger. More than half of all Indonesians live on this 1000km long island, which hosts ancient Buddhist and Hindu monuments, mountains, beaches, royal cities, volcanoes and more.
Just off its northern coast is Madura, where the annual bull racing festival takes place.
Java is the most crowded major island in the world, home to 156 million people.
The stinking, sinking capital Jakarta houses over 10 million, and swells by day as workers come in.
But the island is rich in cultural treasures, as well as forests, volcanos, beaches and wildlife.
In 2024, we visited some of those royal cities and ancient temples.
In 1992, I spend a bit of time on the island of Madura.
Located off the coast of Surabaya. Indonesians say of Madura "makanannya pedas, orangnya juga pedas." The food is hot, and the people are fiery too.
Madura is also famouse for its bull-racing. A jockey charges the lungs as he prepares to race.
Jockeys have next to control over the bulls, holding on and hoping they go straight and fast.
Standing on a pole, holding the tail of two angry bulls, and charging at full speed. What could possibly go wrong?
A jockey holds on for dear life to the tails of his bulls, bouncing along on his chariot without wheels.
Bull racing attracts big crowds and big prizes. Events move around the island at the end of the dry season.
Most of Madura's people work in fishing and farming, or engage in cottage industries. A woman works gold on the streets.
Madura is accessed from Surabaya, which is a bi-polar, chaotic, multi-cultural port with links to Indonesia and the rest of the world.
Some the great Javanese kingdoms were located near Surabaya, including the Majapahit Kingdom.
Islam also arrived in Java here, and brought and end to the Hindu reign.
Kampong Ampel is also known as Arab Town, and at times resembles a middle-eastern suq.
It's a relaxed and friendly area, fascinating to wander around.
Food in Surabaya also reflects its status as a melting pot. Chinese, Arab, Malay, various Indonesia regional cuisines.
We took the bus(es) to Trowulan to see the remains of the Majapahit era. I'd recommend renting a bike.
Although the temples are not huge, there is some fine work on them.
The Majapahit era lasted from 1292 to 1527, and received tribute from as far as Sumatra and New Guinea.
The museum is near the major temples of Trowulan, and contains a huge array of statues and carvings.
I'm not sure if the storeroom door is normally left open, but that is a lot of Ganesh!
Solo, also known as Surakarta, is the lesser known cultural heart of Java.
Compact, friendly, plenty to see, do and eat- I prefer it to its rival, Yogyakarta.
The Pura Mangkunagaran Royal Palace is simple, but elegant, and if your timing is better than ours, has traditional dance shows.
The peak of the Surakarta Sunanate's prestige and power were during the reign of Pakubuwono X (1893–1939).
The other Royal Palace, the Keraton is a walled compound with large gardens and fading museums.
Unusual museum pieces include these bits which go on the pointy bit of boats, and concealed daggers used by princesses to "preserve their honour."
A stroll away is the Masjid Agung, completed in 1763.
It's simple design reminded me of some Kyrgyz mosques.
Like, Yogya, Surakarta is a major textile and batik centre. The two cities have their own distinct styles.
Take the time to wander through Kampung Batik, and also to see the privately run batik museum.
There are a number of interesting temples within day-tripping distance by motorcycle from Solo.
The squat, pyramid-style Candi Sukuh sits on a hill 900m ASL, and provides good views of the surrounding countryside.
Much of the stone work is high quality, and some of it is.....memorable....
....love to know the meaning behind this one.
In the same general direction, and also Hindu, Candi Ceto is reminiscent of Balinese temples.
Descending the hills from the temples, we discovered rabbit sate. Very good.
Food is generally very good in Java. Altough Semarang was a bit overrated, this incredible spread was worth the trip.
Unfortunately, we had to fly out of Jakarta, seen here choking in pollution in 1993.
To Jakarta's south, Bogor connects directly to the airport. The gardens here are truly sanity-saving, which is probably why the President still resides in this house.