A fan/local perspective on the recent visit of American reality TV/game show "The Amazing Race" to Indonesia.
After years of visiting neighbouring countries (e.g. Malaysia) multiple times, "The Amazing Race" finally touched down in Indonesia earlier this year for two legs - Episodes 2 & 3 - of the current 19th series. (It is not known how much a personal appeal to the Indonesian Tourism Ministry to get TAR impacted this).
Want to watch it? YouTube is your friend:
"The Amazing Race" Series 19, Episode 2
*Please note that it is about 43 minutes in length, and may take a long time to load in Indonesia due to the slow broadband Internet speed.
One part of Episode 2 the author was looking forward to see was how racers dealt with their international arrival in Jakarta, especially:
Welcome to Indonesia
1. How the different teams dealt with the famously long queues at the visa on arrival and immigration counters while in a "race".
Damri Airport Bus
2. Working out transport arrangements for getting to the main train station, Gambir, in Central Jakarta. Would they get accosted by various touts offering "Taxi, Mister" even on camera/international TV? Would they get stuck with a taxi driver who either didn't know the way or didn't have any small change when they arrived? Or would they all just travel together on the DAMRI Airport bus to Gambir?
Justin and Jenny
3. More generally, how would the racers go when they clearly had little knowledge of Indonesian geography and culture? Only one team, Justin and Jennifer, managed to say "Yogyakarta" remotely correctly.
Unfortunately, this part was not included. The only footage at the airport showed racers jogging down the arrivals hall past the money changer and visa on arrival counters, suggesting some kind of expedited arrival arrangements had been made in advance. Suddenly, all competitors were at Gambir (some 35km away), waiting for their overnight train to Yogyakarta. Alas, being an overnight train, competitors didn't see the many interesting sights and pretty scenery along the way.
(There are many flights to Yogyakarta, too; probably the choice of overnight train was made so competitors completed all the subsequent tasks during the day-time).
Racers' first task: Travel by taxi to Goa Jomblang.
Goa Lomblang, near Semanu, Yogyakarta
The author's first thought was "What? Where's that?" To put it in perspective, Goa Jomblang isn't just not a Lonely Planet highlight of Indonesia, it's not even in the travel guide at all. It's not on Google Maps of Indonesia. Heck, it's not even on Indonesian maps of the Yogyakarta/Central Java region. About the only webpage about it in English is this article in local newspaper "The Jakarta Post". Apparently, it's 57km south-east of Yogyakarta City, near Semanu.
At Goa Jomblang, racers had to spelunk/rapel/abseil down into the cave, where they collected a Javanese mask and kris (Javanese ceremonial sword), then climbed a bamboo ladder back up to the top.
Andy and Tommy
Despite being hot, tired and possibly jet-lagged also, the racers were most impressed by Goa Jomblang. Professional snowboarder Tommy Czeschin was seemingly lost for words in his enthusiasm, describing it as:
like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Jakarta
despite being in the province of Yogyakarta, over 500km away. Perhaps Tommy didn't sleep so well the night before...
Racers' next activity: return by taxi to Yogyakarta City and choose between two menial tasks:
Liz (or is it Marie?) Busts A Move
- Shake Your Money Maker: Wear a Javanese costume (including mask) and dance at a busy Yogyakarta City intersection while the other team member plays a gamelan until they have earned Rp30 000 ($3.40) in tips.
Kaylani and Lisa
Unfortunately, unlike some tasks there was no timer on how long each team took to earn the required amount of tips. Some would suspect the female teams - especially former Las Vegas showgirls Kaylani & Lisa and blonde twins Lisa and Marie - might have finished the task more quickly. However, perhaps the Javanese masks and costumes "levelled the playing field", so to speak.
- Ticket Taker: Both team members wear a uniform and work as a motorcycle parking assistant ("Ticket Taker") at Mal Malioboro until they have earned Rp15 000 ($1.70).
If you're wondering why such a job is necessary, it is two-fold. The parking assistants manage the parking area and stop people parking just anywhere. They also help prevent theft of/damage to motorbikes while parked. Another fringe benefit: it gives unskilled workers a job. The price is usually Rp500-1000 per motorcycle, and double that for cars. In addition, motorcycles are cheaper to buy and operate, a key consideration for many. This is one reason why there are far more motorcycles in Indonesia than cars, so the motorcycle parking assistant is a common feature of Indonesia's shopping malls.
Surprisingly, there didn't seem to any locals giving funny looks or thinking, "Why is the bule parking my motorbike?", let alone a crowd of amused onlookers. The latter seems to happen fairly frequently in other episodes, especially in non-European and developing countries. Or perhaps people were choosing to not let their true inner feelings be known, in Javanese style.
Zac and Steve in action as Motorcycle Parking Assistants
Regardless, I am sure the dancing buskers and caucasian parking assistants added colour to many motorists' day, and would have been more interesting to watch/listen to than the average busker/parking assistants that populate many major Indonesian cities.
Curiously, there is no mention of the donations or the visit by "The Amazing Race" on the orphanage's webpage, just the usual selection of photos of buildings and the students engaging in self-development activities. Maybe the orphanage does not wish it to be known locally that they received a large donation, in case local donations dry up. Another possible explanation is that receiving donations from an American TV show could also be a little controversial for some people; last year, a few local Muslims protested a Church helping Muslims who had fled their home during the Merapi eruption.
Many teams didn't read the fine print that they were also to donate all their other money to the orphanage, and so had to make a return visit.
The racers' final task: Travel on foot to the Sultan's Palace (a.k.a. Kraton Yogyakarta Hadinigrat), Yogyakarta.
Sultan's Palace, Yogyakarta - not the "Temple of Jakarta"
As well as the home of the Sultan of Yogyakarta (also the Governor of the province of Yogyakarta), and a major tourist attraction of the region. The official website is in Indonesian, so you might want to either view it with Google Chrome (which can auto-translate it) or use another website like this one. Admission is less than $1, and for a little extra you can get a tour with one of the Sultan's fearsome bodyguards:
Don't mess with these guys
Would you like to follow the trail blazed by contestants in "The Amazing Race"? It's not difficult.
You can take the train to Yogyakarta from Jakarta (like the racers did) or Surabaya, East Java.
Alternately, you can fly from Jakarta, Surabaya or Denpasar/Bali. Flights between Jakarta and Yogyakarta are the most frequent; Surabaya is the closest.
Here are some customised Google Maps to help you find your way, after you arrive:
Yogyakarta Province/Region
Places marked: Yogyakarta Tugu train station, Adi Sucipto Airport, Goa Jomblang, Salakmalang Village, Borobudur Temple, Mt Merapi
Yogyakarta City
Places marked: Yogyakarta Tugu train station, Mal Malioboro, Panti Asuhan Putri Aisyiyah, Kraton/Sultan's Palace, Fort Vredeberg
Some places on the Google Maps appear in Episode 3, to be discussed in a future post.
Coming Soon: The Amazing Race in Indonesia (Part 2) - Bule, Bikes, Borobudur
Indiana Jones and the “Temple of Jakarta” is brought to you by Indonesia Matters, where you can book flights in Indonesia, and features listings of Indonesian hotels, like Kuta hotels, Sanur hotels, hotels in Jakarta and near Jakarta airport, and more.
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