:: Surabaya City - East Java Travel Guide ::
surabaya (formerly Soerabaja)
is Indonesia's second-largest city, and the capital of
the province of East Java. It is located on the northern
shore of eastern Java at the mouth of the Mas River and
at the side of the Madura Strait. Known as the city of
heroes, because of its heroic role in the history of
Indonesia. In 2007, the population of the city is
approximate
ly
5 million.
The name of Surabaya is come
from the word Sura, means shark and Baya, means
crocodile. With over 3 million people, unpretentious
Surabaya may be the second-largest city in Indonesia,
but it's a little lacking in
sights. However, many people
come here on business, and Surabaya is also a gateway
city for Mount Bromo and the island of Bali. The city's
attractions tend to be more apparent to those who make
it their home rather than to short-term visitors.
With the tropical climate, you need to wear casual
clothes. T-shirts, shorts, sandals or shoes. Remember,
don't wear eye catching accessories
in public places. During the rainy season
(November-April), be prepared for occasional flash
floods and traffic jams, even though it's not as bad as
Jakarta.
The national language Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian) is
the medium of government, commerce and education. Many
locals also speak the regional language, Javanese
(Sometimes with Suroboyoan dialect.) There is a
surprising amount of English visible in Surabaya on
advertising and signs, and English is the most widely
understood foreign language.
To call elderly people, use 'Pak'(short for 'Bapak') for
men and 'Bu' (short for 'Ibu') for women. To call young
adult people, use 'Mas' for men and 'Mbak' for women. To
call children, use 'Dik' (short for 'Adik') for both
gender. 'Permisi' is excuse me, 'Terima Kasih'/'Makasih'
is thank you, and 'Maaf' is sorry.
Surabaya is a progressive capital undergoing rapid
change. Former negative reports about the city from
foreign visitors are thus clearly
unwarranted
today. In fact, Surabaya now enjoys the reputation as
being the cleanest city in Indonesia, equipped with
every modern facility and offering a standard of
accommodation to suit every taste and budget. Places of
interest for the tourist require Kalimas harbour and
Kampung Arab in the old part of town, the Mpu Tantular
Museum, as well as one of the largest zoos in south east
Asia.
Surabaya is located at the centre of the northern coast
of East Java Province, bounded to the north and east by
the Java sea, the district of Gresik in the west, and by
the district of the Sidoarjo in the south. The
topography is mainly flat at about 3-6m above sea level,
but in the west, two low ridges from west to east have
an elevation of about 20-30m above sea level. The lower
hill slopes have tended to be occupied by low income
groups because of the low cost of site development. The
high ground has become popular for high income group
settlement, now that there are good access road and
water supply.
The tropical climate has two main identifiable seasons.
The dry season generally lasts from May to October, and
the wet or rainy season from November up to April. The
heaviest rains normally occur between December and
January. wind velocity normally ranes from 3 to 20 knots
and is relatively constant throughout the year. The mean
annual rainfall is 1,321 mm, and the highest monthly
mean rainfall is about 260 mm, usually in January. The
lowest temperature, usually in February, is about 25.5
celcius and the highest temperature is 33.0 celcius in
October. The average annual temperature is 27.8 celcius.
Surabayas dominant roles, both national
and
regional, have changed little since it emerged as a
major administrative and trading centre of the East
Indies in the early 18th century. The development of
urban Surabaya since this time has therefore been
related to study growth to meet increasing demand,
rather than any change in role or function. Since the
governments 1960s city policy, Surabaya has functioned
as an industrial, commercial, maritime, education and
government city. This multi-function policy has required
Surabaya to provide land for industrial areas and
infrastructure support facilities.
Commercial trading in Surabaya has an important role for
the development of Eastern Indonesia, and especially for
East Java. The primary trade activities covering the
large area from the port in the north to the city center
is wholesale trading of products.
HOW TO GET THERE
By plane
Surabaya's Juanda Airport (SUB) is one of the busiest in
the country, with very frequent flights to Jakarta and
other major Indonesian destinations, as well as some
direct international flights to destinations including
Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Bandar
Seri Begawan. A new, fairly spiffy terminal opened in
2006, with all the facilities you'd expect (ATMs, car
rental, etc), and international and domestic flights now
depart from the same building.
Officially, you're supposed to buy fixed-fare taxi
coupons from the "Prima Taxi" stand for the 18 km trip
into town, around US$5-10 depending on your exact
destination. In practice you may be able to get a driver
dropping off passengers to pick you up. If you're going
further away (eg. Mount Bromo), it'll be cheaper to a
rent a car with a driver instead. There is a sketchy and
infrequent Airport Bus service to the Bungurasih bus
station on the southern outskirts of the city.
By train
Surabaya has two main stations, Surabaya Pasar Turi and
Surabaya Gubeng. Seats in eksekutif (first class) and
bisnis (second class) for any intercity journey can be
reserved up to 30 days in advance at any major railway
station in Java.
Trains using the northern main line from Gambir Station
in Jakarta take at least nine hours to arrive at Pasar
Turi, while trains using the southern main line take no
less than 15. Air-conditioned trains are available on
both routes, though. The Argo Bromo Anggrek, Sembrani
and Gumarang trains use the northern line, while the
Bima uses the south line. All these trains have
air-conditioned eksekutif accommodations.
Trains from Bandung and Yogyakarta use the Gubeng
station. The Argo Wilis travels at daytime, allowing
passengers to enjoy the scenery in the western part of
the route. The Sancaka travels to Yogyakarta via Solo
twice a day and takes approximately 6 hours. Railway
connections to Bali are made by the twice-a-day Mutiara
Timur express to Banyuwangi, transferring to buses
before the ferry crossing to Gilimanuk. Don't forget to
buy salak bali.
Slow and packed local trains to Malang depart from Kota
station (also known as Semut) and pass through Gubeng
station on their way south.
By sea
* PT Angkutan Sungai Danau dan Penyeberangan/PT
ASDP: daily ferry service from Ujung Kamal, Madura to
Tanjung Perak, Surabaya.
* PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia/PT Pelni: passenger
ships from Makassar to Tanjung Perak, Surabaya. Other
routes are available. Website: PT Pelni.
By road
Surabaya has frequent bus connections to all parts of
East Java, and to major cities in other parts of Java
and beyond. The main bus terminal is at Bungurasih,
about 10 km south of the city. There are frequent
departures to Malang and to Probolinggo (for Mount Bromo),
so just turn up. Long-haul bus journeys are best booked
in advance.
Another option is to go by minibus (known in Indonesia
as travel). A number of companies run door-to-door
minibus services to major destinations in Java,
including Malang and Yogyakarta. These services are both
more convenient and more expensive than public buses.
Seats can be booked in advance through company offices,
and also through many hotels and travel agents.
Other transportation
'Becak' is a traditional transportation in Surabaya, but
you probably won't use it, since 'becak' aren't allowed
in major streets. 'Bemo' or 'Angkot'(Angkutan Kota) or 'Mikrolet'
is a public transportation that uses cars that are
modified and painted. But it's hard to get around with
this transportation, because their route is a bit
confusing. And there are pickpockets too, sometimes you
can found "street hypnotist"(Ind : Gendam), man (or
maybe men and sometimes women), that use hypnotic method
to rob your pocket. they can make you unconscious (and
un-aware to yourself) so they can command you anything
(from give your money until give your ATM pin number)
Some victim report that they still feel confuse
(un-aware), until 2-3 hours after 'gendam'-ed. but other
people says that high self-confidence and self-conciousness
can prevent this gendam. Gendam usually found in angkot
which pass trough traditional market (Kupang, Keputran,
Wonokromo, Gembong, etc.) 'Angguna' (short from :
Angkutan Serba Guna; multi purpose transport), it's like
a cab, but without Air Conditioner. it makes them
cheaper than taxi (the most interest thing is, you must
BARGAIN the price). you can found it in the whole part
of town. the maximum passenger is 4 persons, with a
space in the rear of the car, that used to put some
goods and things, it have 3 doors (there is only one
door at rear seat).
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