Pare: One Village to Enjoy Java For Backpackers

I went to Pare, Kediri regency from Yogyakarta. It is easy to go there. You can go by car or train. I used train because I love that transportation is like Harry Potter on the Hogwart Express, passed field rices, montain, and trees :D. I went with four friends, they took course in english village in Pare too. But, we had difference english course colledge. It is never mind, we could still meet up there.

I used Kahuripan which it is a train name. You will take 5 hours and you just pay fifty thousand rupiah. You will arrive in Kediri Station from Lempuyangan Station in Yogyakarta. I suggest you to walk, if you like walking, from Kediri Station to the taxi station. For you who are not form Indonesia don’t think taxi is like in your country. Here, we call it angkot. Mini bus which there are morethan 10 people who will together with you to use that car will take you to Pare. Normaly, you just pay ten thousands until fiften thousands to go there. Try to bargening. But, for you are not from here, sometime it doesn’t work so just follow the driver prize as long as it is not realy expensive.

This way is good way if you want to go Pare to enjoy the village especially for Surowono Temple and Surowono Tunnel. If you are a backpaker and you try to travel Java, and Pare is on your list, I sugget you to visit english village to stay some days there.

You can find  cheap leaving room there with many students have spirit to learn english. I stayed at Elfast Camp and I took course there too, for one month you must pay three thousands rupiah. You can pay for per night ten thousand rupiah for one night. I suggest you to reservation before you go there. I think they will welcome you well or you can enjoy to night camp program to discusse every thing your experience to the students.

For food , you don’t worry. It is easy to you to find mini market that sells bread or anything you need. You can find many cafes there too, they are available with Indonesian foods. 

The good things if you stay in Pare is easy to go others tourism objects around there. Pare is near to Bromo, Bali, Blitar, Surabaya, and another places in east java. I will write my experience when I visited that cities.

The Mystery Tunnel Surowono

Surowono is the name of hindu temple. It located in Pare which part of Kediri Regency, East Java. As temple that is built in 1400 years ago, this temple has been uncompleted. It can not reconstruction and you can find many part of the temples that was seperated. If you come to visit this temple, you can find excited experience because you can see one of part a history in Indonesia. In my opinion, this place needs more attentions. I think it is better if there is a library there which we can find many literatures about the temple, people live there, culture books, and histories have connected with the temple. And I think with plant more fruits trees there it will give more fun there.
Now, almost 100 meters from the temple, you can visit The Mystery Suruwono Tunnel, the most interesting and mysterious tunnel ever i visited. Some people in pare say it is tunnel and others say it is a cave. I don’t know it is a tunnel or a cave, but when you come in it, you is like in the long tube. It has distance more than 200 meters from the first tunnel untill the third.

The kids play and swim in the fresh water on Surowono Tunnel

You feel so interested, exotic and little bit cringe when you are in some parts of the tunnel. It has 170-200 centimeters tall and 70-50 centimeters wide tall in the first tunnel, for the second tunnel it is shorter then the firts, is like 100 – 150 centimeters, and the third tunnel is shortest then both, it's tall is 40-60 centimeters and it's wide is 30-40 centimeters wide. In this condition, you will pass through more then 200 for the three tunnel and you will feel is like in the movie which you enter the cave and there are monsters running you or the cave are suddendly closed that there is a way to come out, so don’t try it if you are not realy having a big brave!

The first gate Surowono Tunnel

Bapak Mitis is the guide. He is more than 50 years old. He has been working almost two years. He said the tunnel are organized by the people in the village, and the money that they earn will use to manage the village. They don’t allow the government to manage this place because they think it will not give advantages for them and their village. And the cost to visit the place will get more expensive. For now, to enter this tunnel you just pay five thousand or more if you think it properly gives to them. 

The entrance

Back to the tunnel. Actualy, there is a tunnel more opposite the tunnel that i mentioned above. But it is closed because nobody knows where the tunnel will take you. They had try to discover until 200 meters to enter and could not find where it will go? They stopped it because the oxygen was getting low and it was too dangerous.

Inside Surowono Tunnel

If you enter the there tunnel, you can find there are many branches and some are closed. We just follow the guide and don’t tray to find your path by yourself.

Honestly, I was feeling little bit cringe and so excited together when I passed through the tunnel. This is one of the most intereseting tourism destinations that i had visited. Half of the tunnel are inundated by water that it is very fresh. The way to enjoy the tunnel when you pass through it with swim or creep as long as the tube. And I recommend to you don’t enter it more then ten people, because you will feel the oxygen is getting low inside (I felt it). And don’t be panic, stay cool and enjoy it!