Known as ‘The City Of Heroes”, Surabaya is Indonesia’s second largest city and one that draws both domestic and International visitor and tourists.
Surabaya with its surrounds has become the centre of economic activity for East Java. Here business is transacted between industry and business people form all over the world. There are also many attractions here that appeal to leisure tourists. Not least of these are interesting landmarks, monuments and well-preserved heritage buildings.
One of these is Balai Pemuda Surabaya or the Surabaya Youth Centre built in1907 and originally owned by a Dutch organisation known as ‘De Simpangsche Societeit’ that founded the building as a social venue for dances and party events for the colonisers. Today, the north side of the building is given over to the Arts Council for use as an Art Exhibition Centre. Another site of significance is Tugu Pahlawan or the Heroes Monument that is located in front of the Governor’s official building on Jalan Pahlawan. This monument has become an important memorial for the city; built to honour those who fought and died during the historical battle in Surabaya to gain Independence in November 1945.
For those looking for a shopping spree there are many great malls offering world-class products making this city one of the shopping destinations of Indonesia. For shoppers, May is a great month here as this is when the city holds its Surabaya Shopping Festival to celebrate Surabaya’s anniversary. December is also a good time to shop in Surabaya as year-end sale takes place where one can save up to 70% in most of the major shopping centres.
For those looking for a more adventurous experience; the raw power of nature is on show with a trip to Mount Bromo. This is one of the most iconic volcanoes in Indonesia. This fiery mountain stands tall at 2329 metres and is still one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Mount Bromo rises up from the massive Tengger caldera, a volcanic crater with a diameter of approximately 10km. The caldera is encircled by the startling Laut Pasir or ‘sea of sand’ that can be driven through to the volcano viewing site. The sunrises here are as spectacular as the awesome doings of Vulcan, the Roman God of Fire.
With so much of interest to see and do here, Surabaya should be high on the destination list for those exploring Indonesia. The city can be reached by plane in less than an hour from Bali. AirAsia has one daily direct flight services from Bali to Surabaya. For more info, click on to www.airasia.com