in search of cooler climes

[vocalneal]

I used to live near Lake Toba (+900m) so am biased. Siantar (+400m) was the Japanese headquarters during WWII. They picked it for a reason. I now live in Thailand at +400m but it is not as cool as +900.
The only thing is there is no supermarket of note but everything is available. Near Medan for Intl. travel etc. Only passport renewal would require a trip to JKT.

I've been to Bandung a few times but it is a big city and to Dago which is a bit further up the hill?
Even if it doesn't suit you Lake Toba is worth a visit.

 

[gringotraveller]

I used to live near Lake Toba (+900m) so am biased. Siantar (+400m) was the Japanese headquarters during WWII. They picked it for a reason. I now live in Thailand at +400m but it is not as cool as +900.
The only thing is there is no supermarket of note but everything is available. Near Medan for Intl. travel etc. Only passport renewal would require a trip to JKT.

I've been to Bandung a few times but it is a big city and to Dago which is a bit further up the hill?
Even if it doesn't suit you Lake Toba is worth a visit.

thank you Neal, how were the locals there regarding rigidity of religious beliefs? ive read about the Aceh zone being a little over the top in that regard

 

[vocalneal]

Near Lake Toba there are many Christian Bataks. Not much rigidity. Aceh is way up north of Sumatra.

 

[Will_M]

North Sumatera is still relatively far from Aceh. The city of medan is mainly Christian. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in and around Toba also. Mainly Berastagi and the villages north of Toba. It is a nice place, very cool due to elevation but lacked decent restaurants and amenities when I was there last in 2020. Very far from a decent hospital too.

 

[gringotraveller]

Near Lake Toba there are many Christian Bataks. Not much rigidity. Aceh is way up north of Sumatra.

beautiful place, be happy to discover it, thank you

 

[gringotraveller]

North Sumatera is still relatively far from Aceh. The city of medan is mainly Christian. I’ve spent a fair amount of time in and around Toba also. Mainly Berastagi and the villages north of Toba. It is a nice place, very cool due to elevation but lacked decent restaurants and amenities when I was there last in 2020. Very far from a decent hospital too.

cheers, thank you for the info, im getting on in yrs so thanks for the heads-up about medical being a distance away too

 

[HappyMan]

thank you, i will look into that area, do you live near that place? i am happy to live near a big city...just not in it

Sukabumi? Nope. Wife is from there. (Remarried, if anyone notices an inconsistency here.) I've been there a few times recently. Housing is cheap in developments on the outskirts. There are some good schools. The mall is nothing to write home about, but it is there. Some nice food (you can find that anywhere in the country)... I'm considering moving there at some point, but a large part of that is that the wife is from there. I'd say it is worth visiting for a few days if you are looking for a small city to settle down in, just like a thousand other places. If you do visit, try the mochi.

4 hrs to Bandung or Jakarta. Wife says, "Not too much of a village, not too much of a city. No work there. Nothing there for young people." She moved to Bandung for university and is only considering going back because schooling would be cheap for our kid (due next year).

Decent healthcare with a few hospitals to choose from but people go to Jakarta or Bandung of they want a top specialist.

 

[Jaime C]

Sukabumi? Nope. Wife is from there. (Remarried, if anyone notices an inconsistency here.) I've been there a few times recently. Housing is cheap in developments on the outskirts. There are some good schools. The mall is nothing to write home about, but it is there. Some nice food (you can find that anywhere in the country)... I'm considering moving there at some point, but a large part of that is that the wife is from there. I'd say it is worth visiting for a few days if you are looking for a small city to settle down in, just like a thousand other places. If you do visit, try the mochi.

4 hrs to Bandung or Jakarta. Wife says, "Not too much of a village, not too much of a city. No work there. Nothing there for young people." She moved to Bandung for university and is only considering going back because schooling would be cheap for our kid (due next year).

Decent healthcare with a few hospitals to choose from but people go to Jakarta or Bandung of they want a top specialist.

Congrats on the upcoming bundle of joy, and your marriage.

 

[gringotraveller]

Sukabumi? Nope. Wife is from there. (Remarried, if anyone notices an inconsistency here.) I've been there a few times recently. Housing is cheap in developments on the outskirts. There are some good schools. The mall is nothing to write home about, but it is there. Some nice food (you can find that anywhere in the country)... I'm considering moving there at some point, but a large part of that is that the wife is from there. I'd say it is worth visiting for a few days if you are looking for a small city to settle down in, just like a thousand other places. If you do visit, try the mochi.

4 hrs to Bandung or Jakarta. Wife says, "Not too much of a village, not too much of a city. No work there. Nothing there for young people." She moved to Bandung for university and is only considering going back because schooling would be cheap for our kid (due next year).

Decent healthcare with a few hospitals to choose from but people go to Jakarta or Bandung of they want a top specialist.

sounds nice, will definitely have a look there at those places, i appreciate the advice

 

[kiperto]

Kota Salatiga. It's small, less than 200,000 population, an island of tolerance, locatedat around 700 meters above sea level at the base of Mt Merbabu in Central Java. Has an international school so the town is used to expats. Shopping, malls, good restaurants though are an hour away via toll road in the city of Semarang, the provincial capital of Central Java.

 

[Banana72]

For me at least..Bogor would've been okay except it's a pretty 'dry' city (lack of alcohol), and the existing roads can't handle the local plus Jakarta's influx of cars on weekends. Sentul City may not be cooler, but at least it's closer to the mountains, not much skycrapers, etc and it's clean...so supposedly the air quality is a tad better than Jakarta...I would imagine at night it is slightly cooler and nicer breeze.. Bandung absolutely is nice and cool (and quite a few nice cafes). Certain elevated areas in Bali are also okay, although driving everyday with the twists and turns get a bit tiring (like at Uluwatu).

 

[gringotraveller]

thanks to everyone for offering your suggestions, there are now quite a few different places we can check out, we really would not know where to start without these tips

cheers

 

[HappyMan]

For me at least..Bogor would've been okay except it's a pretty 'dry' city (lack of alcohol), and the existing roads can't handle the local plus Jakarta's influx of cars on weekends. Sentul City may not be cooler, but at least it's closer to the mountains, not much skycrapers, etc and it's clean...so supposedly the air quality is a tad better than Jakarta...I would imagine at night it is slightly cooler and nicer breeze.. Bandung absolutely is nice and cool (and quite a few nice cafes). Certain elevated areas in Bali are also okay, although driving everyday with the twists and turns get a bit tiring (like at Uluwatu).

The "pretty dry" thing also applies to Sukabumi. There are a few places to buy alcohol and you can always order it online, but alcohol fueled nightlife isn't really a thing there. I imagine things will change in the next ten years as it becomes more "metropolitan", but it isn't there yet.

 

[gringotraveller]

The "pretty dry" thing also applies to Sukabumi. There are a few places to buy alcohol and you can always order it online, but alcohol fueled nightlife isn't really a thing there. I imagine things will change in the next ten years as it becomes more "metropolitan", but it isn't there yet.

being non drinkers these last yrs thats good news to us

 

[Helpful Herbert]

I'm doubtful that Sukabumi is going to turn into Bali or even Jakarta any time soon.

 

[pantaiema]

Those who are interested in living in Sukabumi. This video is a real life interview.
Mixed marriage, Dutch and Indonesian (from Jakarta, Tanjung Priok). Both were living in the Netherlands for 40 year before making their move to spend their retirement in Selabintana village, around Halimun Mount in Sukabumi Indonesia.
When they first arrived in this village, there was no electricity, Running Water, no Internet. They needed to sort it out themselves.
They have six children, three in the Netherlands and Three in Indonesia. Also they have four grandchildren.
There is also another fifteen years old young Dutch joining him.

The interview is in Indonesian but you could turn on closed caption (cc still in Indonesian) but from CC you could use Google translator to translate it into English.

These are other documentaries about Sukabumi

This is his other video with regard to Sukabumi and Selabintana village Sukabumi.

 

[gringotraveller]

Those who are interested in living in Sukabumi. This video is a real life interview.
Mixed marriage, Dutch and Indonesian (from Jakarta, Tanjung Priok). Both were living in the Netherlands for 40 year before making their move to spend their retirement in Selabintana village, around Halimun Mount in Sukabumi Indonesia.
When they first arrived in this village, there was no electricity, Running Water, no Internet. They needed to sort it out themselves.
They have six children, three in the Netherlands and Three in Indonesia. Also they have four grandchildren.
There is also another fifteen years old young Dutch joining him.

The interview is in Indonesian but you could turn on closed caption (cc still in Indonesian) but from CC you could use Google translator to translate it into English.

These are other documentaries about Sukabumi

This is his other video with regard to Sukabumi and Selabintana village Sukabumi.

thank you, Sukabumi looks like a great place! looking forward to exploring the area

 

[Nimbus]

Malang in Jawa Timur is another city worth looking at. It’s not as cool as Bandung, but definitely not nearly as hot as coastal cities like Jakarta and Surabaya. Speaking of Surabaya, it’s only about 2.5 hours away. Bali is the next province over, should you get tired of rural Indonesia and want something a lot more international.