Surabaya

After I had to change the already boarded plane in Kuala Lumpur, I arrived in Surabaya late at night. After struggling with the immigration officials about the visa I ended up sleeping at the airport. Surabaya is the second largest city in Indonesia and an "economic powerhouse". Traffic is massive and difficult to understand. The hostel I found without a Lonely Planet had rats and a squad toilet. Walking around in Surabaya is not that funny because sometimes you have to wait 5 minutes until you can cross a road while running. Especially the huge amount of mopeds and the apparent maverick interpretation of traffic rules make it difficult to operate. The smog and the blazing sun make it a nice ambient to take rescue in a shopping mall. Though the next day I felt like I had to do something, so I went to Madura Island northeast of Surabaya for a day trip. People are all really friendly - maybe the friendliest nation I have got to know so far. But even the nicest fairytale has to end at some point - so I left Surabaya in the search for more sane cities.