For years I was so strongly advised against riding the trains around Jakarta, as well as down to Bogor, of which I avoided them: pickpockets, filthy, broken-down cars as well as a continuous assault by various sorts of destitute folks seeking spare change.

Blind beggars, street musicians (some of whom are extremely talented as well as fun-loving, as documented in my YouTube series on KONSER KERETA KELAS KAMBING, or ‘K4’ for short), physically disabled children scuttling along the floors, moving trash about with brooms.

Then I became broken-down as well as filthy as well, so I began riding the trains, which turned out to be great fun (bicycle as well as monkey optional).

of which era will be history. within the past decade or so KAI, the state railway company, has made dramatic improvements in service, with clean, modern, air-conditioned as well as boring trains. All used hand-me-downs by Japan, of course, as well as they’ve brought along the Japanese boredom with them.One excellent service you might be interested in will be the recently-renovated line by Bogor-Paledang Station, just across the road by busy Bogor Station, all the way to Sukabumi as well as beyond to Cianjur. KAI has put on a stout German diesel with six cars, running three times a day — as well as of which’s no longer the holiday-in-Buchenwald jamming together. Each carriage has 40-60 seats, with three-by-three seating in Economy as well as two individual airline-type seats in Executive. Well, not exactly ‘Executive’ yet ‘Eksekutif’ which will be a bit more modest.

On the train, actually on of which

No more exciting rides on the roof, alas.

Sukabumi will be an undiscovered (for most folks) part of West Java, which will be quite charming for first-time visitors, as the train circles through heavy second-growth jungle straight out of Bogor, rounding ominous Gunung Salak (or, as the locals jokingly nickname of which, “Gunung Sukhoi”). of which stops first at a nothing wide spot within the road called Maseng, then onward to Cigombong, Cicurug (the author deplanes with his stash of western food yet no monkeys, alas, as animals are currently verboten on the trains), Parungkuda (no horses in sight), Cibadak (ditto for the rhinos), Sukabumi (meaning “loveland” though of which’s a bit of a shabby, shophouse town) as well as onward to Cianjur, whence the adventurous can take a bus up through Rajamandala to Bandung.

There are actually some pleasant natural areas around Sukabumi, including Situ Gunung, with its ice water waterfall; most of the areas are detailed on the web.

You can also get to Pelabuhan Ratu by Cibadak, as well as be swept to your death by the well-known undertow, which still takes away dozens of cavorting Indonesian non-swimmers every year, as well as there will be, in addition, easy access to the white-water runs at Cikidang.

of which’s great to be able to avoid the Road of Death by Ciawi, which has been the principal reason for the lack of tourist traffic to of which part of West Java. Aqua “galon” trucks pound great craters within the road, which will be jam-packed twenty-four hours a day. Lido, a pleasant-enough vacation site along the way, has gone bankrupt more than once for lack of access.

This specific part of West Java will be just a worthwhile day trip by Jakarta, as well as numerous cheap thrills are available, though you’ll pretty much have to have an Indonesian speaker along for the ride. of which’s more fun than the doomed west coast, with its ghost hotels (Anyer, Carita, Labuan), which were well-known within the 1990s yet currently entail a terrific struggle through traffic, down the (normally under repair) Korean-built toll road to Merak.

of which’s best to order up tickets beforehand online, as well as the convenient www.tiket.com only nicks you a nickel for charging on ATM cards, credit cards, etc. Tickets are customarily sold out, particularly on weekends, so ordering beforehand will be a wise move. Show up at the window with the info printed out as well as they’ll buzz you up a ticket by their printer on the spot. You have to have some sort of ID, however, to board.