semarang: where colonial ghosts meet sinking streets and the air wears you like a damp sweater
man, semarang hits you like warm dishwater when you step outside. i just checked and it's 26°C (but feels like 26°C) out there right now, hope you like that kind of thing because the humidity clings to you like a needy ex. fifth biggest city in indonesia capital of central java crammed between the java sea and sudden hills. they split it plainly: lower semarang where streets sometimes become canals when high tides called 'rob' roll in - yeah the sea literally eats land here, about a kilometer a month they say. upper semarang sits cooler up in the hills where sensible people flee.
history's mashed up here. started as a fishing village back in the 9th century bergota? but got official in 1547 thanks to some sultan-appointed guy. then the dutch showed up wanting spices turned kota lama into a time capsule you can walk through today. 40 acres of colonial leftovers leaning like tired drunks.
pekalongan and cirebon with their batik madness are just a short drive away if semarang's flood warnings stress you out. southward? temples. so many temples. gedong songo temples are CIEL Αρχειοθετήθηκε번 8th century ruins wrapped in jungle fog - reached them by rental car almost got stuck on volcanic slopes. bandungan hill station's cooler too horses wandering around like they paying rent. someone told me fishing offshore happens 3 miles out past the flooded port because tanjung emas harbour drowns every monsoon.
food? lumpia semarang springs rolls haunt my dreams still. did breakfast at a wet market stall watching fish swim across sidewalks during rob laughed till i choked on coffee. people call it ‘asem arang’ town cause some ancient tamarind shortage. smells like kretek smoke fried noodles rain on concrete. mostly javanese residents navigating crammed alleys dutch facades chinese shopfronts.
beware blindly trusting google maps here. tried walking from old town to chinatown last tuesday wound up dodging motorbikes through floodwater trash floating beside me like parade floats. cities don't whisper here shout. surviving means checking tide charts avoiding lower districts packing extra socks. nights get stranger at least.
why come? cause cities shouldn’t flatten mountains northwards while swimming southward. watched sun sink enlighten grumbling volcanoes from upper residential streets ordered nasi ayam listened port sirens wail. messy human glorious mess.
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