After promising ourselves we would try to explore a different part of East Java at least once every month, we chose Blitar as our first destination. On a Friday afternoon we set out from Surabaya and arrived at Hotel Sri Lestari 5 hours later. This hotel that belongs to the Tugu group is less impressive than the Tugu we know from Malang, but the staff is kind and attentive and after freshening up in our Tugu suite (no swimming pool, though), we had a delicious Indonesian dinner.

The next morning we wanted to explore the beaches on the south coast. We headed in the direction of Pantai Popoh but before that, we wanted to visit the Boyolangu temple and the meditation caves (Goa Selomangkleng). Signs are almost non-existent so we had to ask around. Just like the temples around Trowulan, Boyolangu is set in a small, well-kept park. Some kilometers later the caves were much harder to find until 3 lovely ladies stepped from their shared motorcycle and offered to show us the way. We climbed up the hill and came upon a giant rock with rectangular recesses decorated with carvings depicting stories from the Ramayana. Popoh beach gave us our first view of the Indian Ocean. We walked along the sea shore and sat on the edge of the town pendopo for a picknick . This made us the attraction of the day for the many curious Indonesian youth who approached us.

To get to our next beach, Pantai Prigi, we drove back up the mountain and descended again. The landscape is lush and green and the temperature agreeably cool, due to the fresh sea breeze. In Prigi we discovered a hotel called Pondok Prigi with cottages for rent. It looked promising, with a large lawn in front facing the sea. A good place, we thought, to spend a relaxing weekend with friends and do some fishing and barbecuing while the children play in the grass. Along the way we also saw the marble quarries that the Trenggalek region is famous for.

The next day we visited one more beach, Tambakrejo. While we were looking at the fully clothed families playing in the sea we were soaked by an unexpected wave. Fortunately there was a small mandi across the road where they laughingly allowed us to douse ourselves with clean water and change into dry clothes. As we still wanted to see the Panataran temple complex, we did not have time to visit the house and grave of Indonesia’s first president, president Soekarno. The Hindu temples at Penataran are certainly worth a visit. Its largest structure reminded me a little of the Borobudur with its different levels and story-telling carvings.

On our way back to Surabaya we stopped for a break at the Karangkates water reservoir. Thinking we would find a peaceful park area, it turned out to be a favorite spot for motor-cross aficionados who were racing around the reservoir, over a bridge and into the mountains and back, to the delight of the many young ladies watching them. After another stop at hotel Tugu in Malang for a refreshing swim and nice dinner, in order to avoid the Sunday evening rush-hour traffic into Surabaya, we arrived home impressed by the beauty of a part of Java where tourists seldom go and with a list of things we need to go back to see. Now if only the roads could be a little better…