Semarang

The city's name is said to derive from the Javanese words "asem" and "arang", which could be translated as "scarce tamarind." Orientation Semarang lies on the province's northern coast. Semarang's topography is marked by a narrow coastal plain, rising sharply inland. The city sprawls up from the coast, and the higher areas see some of the highest rate of residential development, due to the slightly cooler climate. The sea is slowly reclaiming the coastal lowlands during the monthly rob or high tides, causing flooding up to more than a kilometer from the coast. Climate The coastal location can make the climate uncomfortably hot and humid. It is not unusual for temperatures to be above . In contrast to many Indonesian cities, Semarang still has a fair amount of greenery. Locals will tell you that areas that used to be (by their standards) "cool" are no longer. The climate is hot and humid, except on the slope - where it is slightly more pleasant - towards Ungaran, so wear light-coloured cotton clothes, such as T-shirts and knee-length trousers for comfort. Visitor information In 2007 the government started to promote Semarang as a tourist destination, starting with the Semarang Pesona Asia (Semarang, Asia's Enchantment) branding.

By plane For international arrivals, if you need a Visa on Arrival, proceed to the left side of the immigration queue, otherwise, go straight to the immigration counter. Buses from the airport Line 5 (Koridor V) of the TransSemarang Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system passes through the airport between 05:30 and 18:30 with a headway every 10 minutes. TransSemarang BRT Airport bus runs between 18:00 and 24:00. For the city centre (e.g. Simpang Lima or the City Hall Balai Kota), take the bus towards Tawang railway station and transfer to Line 1 (Koridor I) in Karangayu. Tickets cost Rp4,000 which includes transfers to any of the other lines. Keep your ticket for checking. Taxis from the airport There is a taxi counter outside arrivals, to the left. Cross over the drop-off lane. Prices are fixed per zone and roughly double the price of normal city taxis because the airport cooperative has a monopoly. A cheaper option is to turn right out of arrivals and walk to where incoming taxis drop off travellers at the departure area, and take one that has just dropped its passengers off. A city taxi to Simpang Lima or the city centre area should cost about Rp70,000. By train There are two main railway stations, both on the north coast mainline connecting Jakarta with Surabaya: Semarang is well-connected to Jakarta, Bandung and Surabaya by train. The economy and executive class train Joglosemarkerto travels in a loop across Central Java, through Yogyakarta, Solo, Semarang, Pekalongan, Tegal, Purwokerto, and back to Yogyakarta, as well as in the reverse direction.

By minibus/bus There are big and medium-sized buses operated by city government-owned company called TransSemarang buses with designated stops on raised platforms (locally known as shelter). Despite being called a BRT system, the buses do not travel in designated lanes. There are eight routes: Koridor 20px: Penggaron (Bus Terminal)-Mangkang (Bus Terminal) Koridor 1M: Mangkang (Bus Terminal)-Simpang Lima (night service, 18:00-23:00) Koridor 20px: Sisemut (Bus Terminal)-Terboyo (Bus Terminal) Koridor 20px: Pelabuhan (Port)-Elisabeth (via Peterongan) Koridor 20px: Pelabuhan (Port)-Elisabeth (via Simpang Lima) Koridor 20px: Cangkiran-Stasiun Tawang (Tawang Station) Koridor 20px: Meteseh-Ahmad Yani Airport-PRPP Koridor 20px: Diponegoro University (UNDIP) to Semarang State University (UNNES) Koridor 20px: Terboyo (Bus Terminal)-Balai Kota (City Hall) Koridor 20px: Cangkiran-Gunung Pati-Simpang Lima Koridor 20px: Ahmad Yani Airport-Simpang Lima (night service, 18:00-24:00) Most interchanging of buses is done at the Balai Kota (City Hall) or SMAN 5 shelter on Jl Pemuda. The ticket costs Rp3,500 for adults who use electronic money, Rp4,000 for adults who pay in cash and flat Rp2,000 for students. The ticket is valid for as long as you are travelling, but you cannot break your journey. If you get off one bus and get straight on another, the ticket is valid. Keep your ticket when transferring from one corridor to another so that you won't have to buy a new ticket. Some of the less-frequented shelters do not have officials selling tickets, so you have to buy on board.

300px| 300px| 250px| Before you get into the hilly area named Bukit Sari, you will see on your left, the park where you can stop by, drink tea and see Semarang from the hill. It's a really beautiful view in the daytime and a very special romantic view during the nighttime. Around the Old Town 300px| Monuments 300px| Museums Historical market building 300px|

Sports 300px| Reflexology After some hard travelling, a long flight, climbing a volcano or just a long walk around town, an easy way to unwind is one of 'reflexology' places offering an hour or two in an easy chair, with vaguely Oriental ambient music tinkling away, while someone squeezes your feet (despite being called reflexology, it is rarely that, but very pleasant nonetheless). All for a very reasonable price. Events and shows

Oleh-oleh One of the favourites is milkfish, bandeng, pressure-cooked to soften the bones. It goes by the name bandeng presto or bandeng duri lunak. Also popular are lumpia Semarang (a spring roll with bamboo-shoot filling), wingko babat (small grilled patties of glutinous rice and shredded coconut), ganjel rel (a cake named after the railway sleeper that it resembles in shape and texture) and pia Kemuning (various kind of filling pastry, but the traditional ones are filled with palm sugar, not halal snack because of there is a label containing pork on the package). There is a well-known strip of toko oleh-oleh stores on Jl Pandanaran. Arts and crafts There are numerous places around town to buy jewelry, paintings, handicrafts, art, and other items that could make great souvenirs, and these places can be found all over town. You can buy batik, antiques, and traditional items in Pasar Johar (Johar Market). There is plenty of choices. It is also accessible by Angkot (mini-bus). Antique, arts and handicrafts Batik 300px| You can also buy high-quality batik at department stores, or at batik specialists like Batik Keris and Danar Hadi, both in the Simpang Lima square area. Semarang also has its own style of batik called Batik Semarangan, which can be found in various stores around town, one of them in kampung batik near old town. Shopping malls Supermarket Traditional fresh markets thumbnail|Traditional market in the morning Besides the famous Pasar Johar, there are other traditional markets across the city.

under Rp50,000 Rp50,000-150,000 over Rp150,000 Semarang's choice of foods is large as other cities, you can find Japanese, Italian, Thai, Korean, Indian, and more. Semarang cuisine Semarang has many special foods that cannot be found in other cities, including: Babat gongso, beef tripe in a sweet and spicy sauce. Badak sambel, a veggies fritter in a spicy peanut sauce. Empal kelem, beef in thick spiced gravy. Kue jongkong singkong, a cake made from grated cassava. Mie kopyok, noodle in a garlic soup. Petis bumbon, boiled eggs cooked in fish paste sauce called petis banyar. Petis kangkung, boiled water spinach mixed with shrimp paste sauce and lime juice. Tahu gimbal, tofu dish with cabbage and gimbal (shrimp fritter) in a peanut sauce. Tahu petis, tofu stuffed with black shrimp paste sauce. Terang bulan Semarang, different from common martabak manis, it is softer and sprinkled with strawberry jam, white powder sugar, and sweetened chocolate condensed milk. Budget There are food stalls all over Semarang. Some kaki lima stalls are popular and cheap, as they are not permanent, and do not have phone numbers and exact addresses. However, they usually open in the same spot and time every day. The cheapest of the cheap is nasi kucing (literally, cat rice) which is very small portions (just enough for a cat to eat, presumably) of rice served with a modest amount of side dishes and vegetables. Another cheap dish, bakso (meatball soup) with offal and cartilage also become a favorite lunch in Semarang such as Bakso Doa Ibu, Bakso Pak Geger, and Bakso Pak Ripto.

In Semarang, it is not easy to find bars. However, lately a few stylish venues have sprung up, mainly catering to the trendy young population. There are a few bars and cafes around Simpang Lima (right downtown). After sunset, please avoid small tents selling homemade tea (teh poci) as lots of hookers looking for targets, especially rich-looking travelers. Bars and clubs Coffee shops Wedang or wedhang means hot, soothing drink. You can get them in Simpang Lima, hotels or restaurants in Semarang. One of the most popular variety is STMJ (Susu Telor Madu Jahe, a concoction of milk, egg, honey, and ginger drink). Local drinks

Less than Rp250,000 Rp250,000–500,000 More than Rp500,000 Budget Go to Jalan Kauman (Near Johar Market - TransSemarang Koridor II or buses to/from Terboyo Terminal) and you'll find a lot of cheap accommodation. They are most likely to be a basic fan room with outside bathroom for the cheapest price level, some naming themselves as losmen (inns) and others as hotel. Several places offering basic fan room are located near the mosque at the northern end (Masjid Kauman) with rooms going for as cheap as Rp 50,000. Many budget places will not have a western-style shower. Another group of budget accommodation, slightly more upmarket but still affordable hotels, can be found along Jl. Imam Bonjol. With Rp 250,000 or even less you can possibly have an air-conditioned room in these hotels, such as Hotel Bali and Rahayu. TransSemarang Koridor III and buses to/from Terboyo Terminal (except DAMRI) pass by Jl. Imam Bonjol. Both areas are not too far from both train stations (Poncol and Tawang), as well as the seaport (Tanjung Mas). Mid-range Splurge

Semarang is moderately safe. People are nice to strangers, helpful and friendly. Never touch anyone's head (especially teenagers and older men) as it is considered as "insult" and might invite troubles. In the crowded buses, trains or small cars used as public transportation, "unintended touch" is tolerated. Never look at someone (especially young men) straight in the eyes more than 3 times as it might be considered as "challenging them to fight" (this applies especially in bigger towns/cities). Villagers are more friendly to strangers. Semarang is neither a small city nor huge city if compared to Jakarta. Everyone is urged to observe universal safety rules such as "only walk in the light-bright areas"; do not attempt to deal with hookers or trans-sexual hookers which are usually done under secluded and dark areas; lady travelers are urged not to travel alone after 23:00 especially in an unknown dark neighborhood, sometimes even in residential areas. Only withdraw a moderate amount of money in an open air ATM. When riding the public transportation it is not encouraged to wear jewellery, or gaudy and branded or designer watches. Petty thieves are common, but they do not strike when it isn't obvious. During the night if you must use public transportation, look for those units which have more than a few people riding and do avoid the empty ones. You might want to choose a seat close to the driver.

Hospitals with 24-hour emergency rooms:

By phone The dialing code for Semarang is 024. By net Some hotel lobbies and cafés offer free WiFi. Ask your server for the password wifi (PAHS-wuhrd WIGH-fee). By mail

East Overland, all points to Surabaya, taking in: The important religious sites in Demak and Kudus The batik centre of Bakaran near Pati to see the unusual black, cream, and indigo batik Rembang for its salt fields and kawista syrup and the Chinese architecture and heritage of Lasem, with its famous batik style Cepu district in Blora for its former glories of the teak industry, and its outrageous heritage forest railway The continuously erupting mud volcano in Grobogan The remnants of the Majapahit empire in Trowulan near Mojokerto By air, to Surabaya and Bali Southeast The main destination in that direction is Solo, a two- to three-hour drive. On the way you will pass through: Salatiga — Relaxed university hill town located at the foot of Mount Merbabu, and jumping off point to explore Lake Rawa Pening and go up to the mountain village of Kopeng Boyolali — Famous for its dairy industry, and the delicious clear soup Soto Seger Mbok Giyem. Also, the jumping-off point to visit the copper-beating village of Cepogo and to investigate the pass between the volcanoes of Merapi and Merbabu Once in Solo, keep going further south and east, either up the slope of Mount Lawu to the magical high temples of Sukuh and Cetho, and then over into East Java, or towards the fantastic surfing beach of Watu Karung near Pacitan South Slightly south of Semarang are some smaller hill towns easily reached in a day trip: Ungaran, Bandungan and Ambarawa Keep going further south to Magelang and Yogyakarta.