The journey from Yogyakarta to Pandangaran is long and in parts very bumpy. We are sharing the mini-bus with three Austrians who are squashed into the back seats, while we fortunately can spread out with a bench seat to ourselves. The journey to Pandangaran take us through some gorgeously lush countryside but the roads, although quiet in comparison to the journey from Probolinggo to Solo, are in pretty ropey condition with potholes and uneven surfaces. So progress is slow and we are shaken about. We have two sedate drivers for the six-hour journey, at least. (The driver who took us to Solo was a complete maniac, ignored on-coming traffic and seemed to drive on the wrong side of the road most of the time.)
Single storey houses of brick or simple shacks of little more than woven bamboo with tiled or palm-leaf roofs straggle the roadside and villages seem to merge into one another. The main crops are rice, vegetables and sugar cane interrupted by palms, banana plants and unidentifiable trees. Everywhere is vibrantly green. Harvested rice grain is laid out to dry in the sun on plastic sheeting, usually on the verges.
Unfortunately Java seems to be blighted by rubbish casually discarded anywhere and everywhere and apart from middens , no-one seems to bother to clear it away which seems to run contrary to the national enthusiasm for sweeping. People seem to spend a great deal of time sweeping, bent over using short-handled besom-type brooms to keep the immediate vicinity of their shop or home clean and tidy. Seemingly oblivious to the wider problem.
Our room in Pangandaran over-looks the Indian Ocean crashing onto the wide sand beach just across the busy road. Otherwise the hotel is soul-less and clinical and could do with a good dose of imagination to give it a bit of character. The potential is certainly the there, but the place is up for sale and the current owners seem to have lost interest. It will do for one night, whilst we find something better. It wasn’t our first choice; we had rung another homestay (which comes highly recommended by Lonely Planet) several times this morning but could only get their fax machine. So now we walk round to see if they have a room tomorrow. And what a find! A complex of small, white-washed cottages set in a beautiful walled garden, with gloriously colourful flowering shrubs, a swimming pool and several fish ponds with tinkling fountains. A quiet oasis amongst the bustle of this small resort. There is a first floor room available with a private balcony and outdoor shower and a good size bedroom over-looking the gardens. We snap it up and shall move in tomorrow.