Advise on the places to visit in Indonesia and looking for friends

Hi Everyone, I'm Isah, me and my colleagues are planning to visit Indonesia next month. This will be our first time to tour in the country, so our ideas are only limited. I would like to seek advise from you guys, aside from the fascinating beaches in indonesia, what are the other spots that you can advise us to visit particularly within the city area?
Part of my passion also is to visit different kind of churches whenever i travel, may i know where can i find churches near the city?

Hopefully you guys could respond on my queries.

Looking forward to have friends there and meet also our fellow kababayans. Me and my friends would love to join the small groups and hang out.

Thank you

Jakarta Cathedral and Gereja Sta. Theresia to name a few.

Hi Ron,

Thank you for the advise, we'll definitely visit those churches that you've said.

Hi Nadz,

Sure, let's keep posted. :)

You can visit Yogyakarta city in Central Java to see ancient Bhuddist and Hindu temples of Borobudur and Perambanan and to have a real taste of Javanese culture and civilization.. Its also a big city where u can visit other places as well.. Mainly foreign tourists visit Bali island which is no doubt is a paradise with full of spirituality.. Many people who goes to Bali or Java once will never wish to return back to their home countries.. these are really magical places.. Have a nice trip

the one and only..
its Bali..please check out website

Hi Safiullah and Archie,

Thanks for the response. After reading your comment, i immediately surf those places in the net and i found it really amusing. Good place for meditation, for relaxation and to unwind. Indeed a magical place however, i'm not sure if we could visit those 2 places since we will be in Jakarta. Most of our time will be focused for our business trip.

Maybe you know spots that we could visit within Jakarta only or near that place that wouldn't take too long to travel?

Would appreciate your feedback and I also want to learn how to speak indonesian languange, maybe some of you could teach me.

"Terima Kasi" in advance. :)

A couple of places relatively nearby Jakarta

tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297706-d1541645-Reviews-Bogor_Botanical_Gardens-Bogor_West_Java_Java.html
things2doinjakarta.com/todo/details/wisata-agro-gunung-mas-tea-plantation

A chance to get away from the hustle and bustle

Regards,Wayne

Thanks Wayne,

It's a very informative site. You are located in Surabaya?

Yes, I have lived in Surabaya for a number of years
We run a small teacher-training center here
Hope you enjoy your holiday
Regards,Wayne

Yogyakarta
After visiting the temples in Borobudur, move up to Wonosobo, especially Dieng.
Small temples but you can stand on the rim of an active mud volcano.
That alone is worth the trip.

Beaches.
I've just had a few days in Lombok.
Sengigi beach is about as relaxing as anywhere you can think off, but you may have problems booking hotels at this late date.

Sahsah, how much total time will you have in Indonesia, including the business part of your trip which will be in Jakarta?

When visiting a foreign country, what do you like to see, and how do you like to spend your time...cultural, sports activities, the party scene, shopping, dining out, just relaxing in quiet...etc. etc?

If you don't know much about this great country or how incredibly diverse it is, grab a copy of the DVD The Ring of Fire by Lawrence and Lorne Blair as it covers most all of Indonesia very well and will give you a good idea of what Indonesia has to offer.

If u live mostly in Jakarta, then find some time to visit Temen Mini. Temen Mini is a park inside Jakarta city where you can find all Indonesia at one place. It really does worth to be visited. Also visit Temen Safari (if just interested to see wild life in Zoo), its 2 hours away from main Jakarta city but a nice place. You can visit the Botanical Garden of Bogor as well.. You may also visit Bandung City 2 hours away from Jakarta and can visit some places over there.. In Jakarta You may visit mosque of Masjid Istaqlal and Catholic Church which are standing in front of each other to experience the religious diversity of this beautiful country.

Some useful sentences of bahasa Indonesia for Sahsah:

Apa Kabar? (How are You?)
baik baik (fine)
Berapa (How much) this is a very useful term can be used to ask about Price of something or Quantity of Something.
kemana? OR mau kemana? (where you will go)
Iya (Yes) Tidak OR Ngak OR Ga (No)
Mau (i want to have this/that). Iya mau (Yes I want) Tidak mau (No i dont want )

Very good advice for a beginner but please remind him that as soon as he starts to speak Indonesian, the person speaking with him will automatically speak fast, fluent and in full Indonesian sentences which he will struggle with.