It’s Christmas in the next couple days. And when talking about Christmas, my imagination always come up with the depiction of my dad’s lovely hometown..Malang. Even I don’t celebrate Christmas, some of my families do. When I was a child, we always spend our Idul Fitri (Ied Mubarak) holiday in Jakarta where most of my mom’s family stayed and year-end holiday in Malang or Surabaya with my dad’s family. What I like most about my year-end holiday is cakes, cookies, more food served!. As my dad’s sister is celebrating Christmas, she always baked tons of cookies, cakes, or even cooked special foods. There is always a christmast tree in her house with beautiful accessories. And Malang’s cold weather always welcoming me in my year-end holiday. Even Malang doesn’t have snow but you still find mist covering this city every December. And Malang still become “my winter wonderland” 🙂

Malang surrounded by Mount Semeru and the groups of Bromo – Tengger – Semeru National Park. Located in southern of East Java, Malang still has a beautiful beach called Balekambang beach (60 km southern Malang).

We usually use train from Jakarta, and the landscape is amazing. Before entering Malang, the train will pass through the tunnel to cross the hill (760m). In Dutch colonial era, Malang chosen as the holiday destination for the Dutch since this city offers cold climate and beautiful landscape. If you come to Jalan Ijen, one of historical area in Malang, you will find most houses with european architecture. Nowadays, Jalan Ijen preserved with regulation that renovation without local government’s approval is not allowed. The historic Immanuel Catholic Curch also located in Jalan Ijen.

Every time I come back to this city, I always spend one special day to just stroll around the city. Feel the hospitality of its people, try the culinary list, or even just sit in food stall near Jalan Ijen. Do you want to know what I liked most from Malang, it’s ice cream! Yes, they have an extremely delicious home-made ice cream called Oen’s ice cream! They have opened the store since 1930, and never lost its unique flavour until now. They still in the same place since 1930, and when entering the store, you will ask to yourself, are we still in Dutch colonial era?

One of recommended places to be visited near Malang is Batu, which can be reached 30 minutes drive. A hill town with beautiful landscape sit between Mount Welirang and Mount Arjuna.

 Batu famous with apple. You nearly can find apple everywhere. There is an apple plantation called Kusuma Agrowisata, where you can eat apple as much as possible, it’s fresh from the tree!

Even Malang is not as cold as its used to, I always in love with this city. And I always want to come back to my lovely hometown!

– More stories are illustrated in my web album “An Illustrated Journey” –