Tuban a midsize town

Tuban five years later

Tuban is a midsize town in East Java at the Java Sea. The town locates three hours by car northwest of Surabaya. Tuban is a major economic and cultural centre. The city locates right away on the Java Sea with a harbour and a jetty.

The national road No. 1 passes the city and connects Jakarta and  Surabaya. Daily sneaking endless queues of trucks through the town. However, the city doesn’t have traffic jams and crowded roads like the big Indonesian cities. Although, a lot of motorcycles blocking sometimes the road. So far, it is easy to drive in or pass the town.

Tuban is an old town with a long history and culture. Today Tuban is transforming to the modern age.

The mosque on the town square is one of the most imposing buildings in Tuban. With the four minarets, the mosque is a beautiful landmark. The town square is called Alun Alun in the Indonesian language. It symbolises the centre of the town. Almost all important events take place here. So far from night markets to town festivals. Alun Alun,  the town square is a part of the social life in the town indeed.

Daily life is really traditional. Small houses along the alleyways are an omnipresent picture. During the day the town is almost quiet. But in the evening the streets become busy. Countless street kitchens open and offer a small menu.

Farming is an important economy. The town surrounds many rice and cornfields. Moreover, huge teak tree forests surround Tuban. Teak wood is a covet tropical wood. But that is not all. Cement, petrol and power generation, for instance, are important employers. Like everywhere in Indonesia batik is also very famous in Tuban of course. The motives are mostly in dark blue or brown with typical local patterns of sea creatures.

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