GETTING INTO A SUBMARINE IN SURABAYA

   25th JULY 2025    ~ This should be my first time getting into a submarine and it happened in Surabaya city. After Monumen Pahlawan and Muzium 11 Nopember, we went to the next spot: Muzium Kapal Selam a.k.a Monkasel [TRANSLATE: Submarine Museum] in the heart of the city.

The vessel, which was named Pasopati, was built in Vladivostok, Russia in 1952. It was then used by the Indonesian Army from January 1962 until 1994. When the ship was no longer in service, it was disassembled and moved to a spot in the city which was later reassembled and converted into a museum.

the friendly museum guide, Ms. Siska

Mr. Yoga, the tour guide

It was in fact an interesting and educational visit. I just could not imagine living inside such a small space underwater for a long period of time - definitely not a spot for a claustrophobic person. One thing worth mentioning, a big size person might find it difficult to get from one end to the other as he/she needs to pass through the small, round door that connects the few parts of the submarine. Even I who had issues with my knees found it challenging to move inside the vessel.

 

We had to make our move to the airport as the other tour members would be arriving. However, before that, I was taken to the monument which was the icon of Surabaya. A statue of a fish and a crocodile, the two sea creatures from which the name Surabaya derived from. The Shark [Suro] represented bravery while the crocodile [Boyo] was the symbol of strength, or it could be the other way around. The two marine animals fought but there was no winner eventually.

Guess I had already learned a lot of things right after I set foot here. There would be more things to observe, experience and enjoy for the upcoming three days.

[MY SURABAYA TRIP MAIN PAGE]

ARRIVING AND VISITING THE MUSEUMS IN SURABAYA

   25th JULY 2025    ~ The original plan was to take the Grab Car from the airport and go to the museums in Surabaya city after landing, while waiting for the other six tour members to arrive from Kuala Lumpur 5 hours later. What I did not know was the tour guide and the driver were already there waiting for my arrival. The good news was that they took me to the city in the bus, and I was the only guest to be entertained for that period of time.

I was first taken to this site called Monumen Tugu Pahlawan [TRANSLATE: Monument of the Warriors]. The monument was built to commemorate the fight that took place on 10th November, 1445 between the people of Surabaya and the foreign soldiers who were speculated to try and colonize Indonesia again after it gained independence a few months before that.

In the same complex, there was a museum called Museum 10 Nopember which described the event in detail.

The museum was not that big so we spent just a short time inside and there was one more museum to be visited right after.

[FOOTNOTE: I actually had taken a lot of photos on my compact camera but realized there was an issue with its memory card. Hence, the photos of the first day in Surabaya could not be retrieved. Thank God, there were other sources so I still managed to get them posted in the blog.]

   RELATED LINKS OF MY SURABAYA TRIP:   

   PROLOGUE   

Blogging from Bromo View Hotel

Blogging from Surabaya City

Arriving and Visiting the Museums
Getting into a Submarine in Surabaya

Welcoming Friends at Juanda International Airport

Chasing Sunrise at Mount Bromo
Exploring the Crater of Bromo [PART 1][PART 2]

Savannah Hill in Bromo

Stopping by at ArRahman Mosque on the Highway

Exploring Kampung Warna Warni Jodipan [PART 1][PART 2]

   EPILOGUE   

Bidding Farewell to Surabaya from Juanda International Airport

[If you need to get a guide for your trip to Surabaya and Bromo, you can visit the website of Agent Surabaya Travel HERE.]

BIDDING FAREWELL TO SURABAYA FROM JUANDA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

   28th JULY 2025    ~ It was time to bid farewell to Surabaya after the 4D3N escapade to Indonesia with 3 UPM TESL friends and their family members at Juanda International Airport.

Our destinations during the stay were Surabaya, Bromo and Malang. We were under the care of our tour guide, Mr. Yoga and the driver, Mr. Irwan. We were happy to have these two young people who were helpful and accommodating.

Two members of the group, Puan Hanna Sheikh Mokhtar and her husband, however, continued their journey across Java island for a few more days.

The check in process at the counter was smooth and we were ready to fly back home.

We still had some time to kill before boarding so we decided to get coffee at the airport.

The aircraft took off at 6:20 p.m. and that was officially the end of another trip with my college friends.

I got to thank all my friends for the good time throughout. Thank you to Puan Hanna for initiating the adventure and acting as the moderator. The trip was then joined by Puan Hazlina Aziz and I was later invited into the group. The final people who decided to gatecrash were Mr. Ridwan Wahid,  his wife and daughter. From only two travelers, the number grew to seven about two weeks before the journey started. The more, the merrier and we sure had had so much fun moving around from one place to another in the bus.

Do come back for more posts of my trip to the eastern part of Java Island real soon.

[MY SURABAYA TRIP MAIN PAGE]

BLOGGING FROM SURABAYA, INDONESIA

We are back in Surabaya, after the series of adventure in Bromo and Malang. Upon arriving, we stopped by at the largest shopping mall in the city (for 2 hours), Tunjungan Plaza. It is now time to get some rest at the hotel before exploring Surabaya city tomorrow. One more day to see what the city has to offer.

[MY SURABAYA TRIP MAIN PAGE]

BLOGGING FROM BROMO VIEW HOTEL

I am now here blogging from Bromo View Hotel, for a very short stay for only about 2½ hours. Too afraid to sleep, we would be leaving the hotel at 00:30 [the next day] and make our way to Bromo Mountain to watch the sunrise.

I arrived at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya, Indonesia, at about 12:40 p.m. local time. I met the tour guide and driver, Mr. Yoga and Mr. Irwan, respectively and they took me to two venues in the city i.e. the museums. Believe it or not, I was the only guest in the 13-seater bus.

By 17:30, we were back at the airport, to welcome the other 6 people of the tour group who flew out from Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon - the three of them are my TESL friends from university, accompanied by their family members.

Then we went for dinner before checking in at the hotel to freshen up (after the 2½ hours drive). We will be checking out from the hotel to continue with the Surabaya adventure while other people are sound asleep. I honestly am not that sure what is going to happen next but I will be catching my beauty sleep in the bus after this.

[MY SURABAYA TRIP MAIN PAGE]

THE SECOND SUPPER SESSION WITH THE GUEST FROM KUALA LUMPUR

We first thought that we would only meet one time for supper when Mr. Azman was here in town [READ HERE]. We were wrong, however, as he had the free slot for another supper session before leaving Johor Bahru tomorrow.

We just went to a Mamak restaurant nearby, i.e. Aliff Bistro, which had already been rebranded. It was a short chat session over Roti Canai, Toasts and Iced Green Tea as wo both had to wake early tomorrow morning.

Thanks again to Mr. Azman for the time spent despite the long working hours he had had during the day. Hope to see him again some other time when he is back in town, or when I am in Kuala Lumpur.