Tawangmangu Town Centre
Saturday, 27 February, 2010
4:30 am
My whole body was still reeling with ache after the seemingly not so arduous climb to the summit of Mount Lawu. Can’t sleep again, so I started packing early. After the day broke, took some photographs of the surrounding areas.
7:30 am
Breakfast was served. Fried rice with omelette. Preparing to check out. With no fixed itinerary, I wondered where to wander. But first got to log on the Internet.
9:20 am
Checked-out. Went to the handphone stall by the roadside where I bought an Indonesian prepaid card, to get it registered. I could not register it using my handphone, somehow after certain part of the texting, I could not send it. Once done, I went to the Internet cafe at the bus terminal. I updated this blog but then the upload speed was miserable. So no pics to upload. It cost me Rp 3500 for an hour.
Afterward, I roamed around the area and took some photographs.
Tawangmangu Bus Terminal
11:20 am
Left Tawangmangu for Solo by bus. It was not an express service, so a lot of stoppages and the fare was only Rp 7000 this time, hmmm. Once at Tirtonadi bus terminal in Solo, I rested in a small roadside stall to have a glass of coffee plus some nuts. After four days being pampered by the cool weather of Tawangmangu plus the shivering few hours stranded on the mountain slope, I was greeted by the sweltering heat of Solo.
I then took a becak (trishaw) to Jalan Imam Bonjol. It surprised me when the becakman asked me where was Jalan Imam Bonjol. I then told him to ferry me to a very popular location, Alun-Alun. It was not his day, a short distance later, one of the tyres punctured. I gave him Rp 3000 and took another becak. This time the becakman was much older than the previous one. Solo is a small city albeit much bigger than Tawangmangu. So what looked like a veteran becakman should know the streets in Solo like the back of his hand…but, it was another surprise. He too asked me where was Jalan Imam Bonjol. As before, I asked for Alun-Alun.
I intended to give him Rp 10,000 for the trip but out of curiosity, I asked him how much? He replied Rp 12,000. I told him the bus fare from Tawangmangu to Solo was only Rp 7000. He then settled for Rp 10,000. I then leisurely walked to Jalan Imam Bonjol.
2:45 pm
Checked-in at Hotel Mawar Melati. Got myself a room with no air-conditioning for Rp 65000 per day. Rest.
6:20 pm
Went out to have dinner at a Padang Restaurant. Then to Matahari Shopping Centre to see whether I could get a prepaid wireless Internet broadband service. So many stalls selling handphones and its related services but non on Internet services that I could find. Oh well, I then took a becak ride to an Internet cafe near the hotel. Spent three hours just to update this blog.
11:20 pm
Back at the hotel room. Could not sleep. So, I continue writing and it is now 1:40 am, Sunday morning.
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