Yogyakarta? Hmm…..the reason i pick to have vacation in Yogyakarta because…..well, i want to visit Indonesia and Bali sound very commercial. I thought of Yogyakarta because it’s been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

[Show as slideshow]

For our last day in Yogyakarta, we went to nearby morning market.

[Show as slideshow]

It’s quite interesting but we had bad experience and got ripped off TWICE by bus and trishaw. Lesson that we learned from this trip, ALWAYS get a cab to go anywhere in Yogyakarta because it is more safe! Imagine this, we took a cab from our hotel to morning market and it cost us Rp23,000 but to go back, it cost us Rp50,000. Do you know why?

We actually wanted to get a cab to go back to our hotel after visit the morning market but we couldn’t find 1. This stupid bus (I forgot to take photo of this bus driver and his assistant) said that he can sent us to our hotel and he charge us Rp20,000. I don’t know why but i didn’t really trust him. Rp20,000 by bus? It’s not even express bus! And the seat is so small…..i’m so lucky my bf is not that big. I told Paul that if he didn’t sent us in front of our hotel, i’ll beat him with my bag!

Paul advice me not to have any confrontation because of Rp 20,000. I don’t care about the money but i hate someone cheat me. This’s my 1st time i got cheated while travelling. He drop us to….i have no idea where we are but he asked us to walk a little bit and then he said turn left and we’ll reach our hotel. Yeah right After we confirm we are lost, we ask local people and this trishaw guy claim that he know where’s our hotel and he can sent us. I asked him how much and he said Rp 20,000. I inform Paul and he agreed to take this trishaw.

After almost an hour inside the trishaw, we still haven’t reach our hotel. I asked Paul to take this picture because i’m too bored. I asked the trishaw guy….how long it takes to reach and he said our place quite far. I asked him again how far is far and he couldn’t answer me. We saw a cab and we asked him to stop but he didn’t and after 3 times, Paul shouted and asked him to stop, then only he stopped

Finally, we took a cab and i pay Rp 10,000. It’s actually easy to travel by cab because they use meter. Overall, Yogyakarta is not that bad city except there’s no starbuck & nice shopping mall that sell latest outfits. I went to shopping mall in Marlboro town and the outfits very lousy. If i were to live there, i’ll miss nice outfits, Caramel Frappuccino & cheese cake

Ratu Boko heritage site is lying 3km to the south of Prambanan Temple complex. The entrance fee for Non-Indonesian is USD 10.

According to my brochure, for the tourist who have visitted Prambanan Temple, it is not complete if they do not see the uniqueness of Ratu Boko temple. From this temple we can see the beauty of Prambanan and Sewu temple from top of the hill with Mount Merapi as the background.

[Show as slideshow]

My opinion about this place - Visitting this temple for USD10 is totally not worth it. Lucky for Indonesian citizen because they don’t need to pay the entrance fee. I seen some foreigners in Borobudur and Prambanan but in Ratu Boko, NONE. Not much people there actually. Why did we visit Ratu Boko? Our hotel receptionist suggested us to visit Ratu Boko. According to her, it is a nice place to see.

If i can turn back time, i will go to Ratu Boko after i have 2 kids and they are 3-5 years old. Reason : Ratu Boko is a nice place to do family picnic. Other than that reason, no point of going there. Sorry if i being harsh but i’m just telling the truth. This Kraton (Palace) is huge but empty. I had silly conversation with Paul and we thought we should open a shopping mall and we even thought of where the car park should be for our mall visitors. We hope Starbucks open 1 branch in our mall since i need to drink Caramel Frappuccino once a month & Paul need good black coffee every morning

Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple compound in Central Java in Indonesia, located approximately 18 km east of Yogyakarta. The entrance fee for Non-Indonesian is USD 10.

The temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the largest Hindu temples in south east Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the 47m high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.

It was built around 850 CE by either Rakai Pikatan, king of the second Mataram dynasty, or Balitung Maha Sambu, during the Sanjaya Dynasty. Not long after its construction, the temple was abandoned and began to deteriorate. Reconstruction of the compound began in 1918. The main building was completed in around 1953. Much of the original stonework has been stolen and reused at remote construction sites. A temple will only be rebuilt if at least 75% of the original stones are available, and therefore only the foundation walls of most of the smaller shrines are now visible and with no plans for their reconstruction.

The temple was damaged during the earthquake in Java in 2006. Early photos suggest that although the complex appears to be structurally intact, damage is significant. Large pieces of debris, including carvings, were scattered over the ground.

[Show as slideshow]

[Show as slideshow]

Our 2nd location to visit is Mount Merapi. It’s an hour journey from Borobudur temple and it’s located in Central Java.

Mount Merapi is a conical volcano located on the border between Central Java and Yogyakarta. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. Its name means Mountain of Fire. It is very close to the city of Yogyakarta and thousands of people live on the flanks of the volcano with villages as high as 1700 m above sea level.

Their last eruption on 2006.

Info from Wikipedia :

In April 2006, increased seismicity at more regular intervals and a detected bulge in the volcano’s cone indicated that fresh eruptions were imminent. Authorities put the volcano’s neighboring villages on high alert and local residents prepared for a likely evacuation. On April 19 smoke from the crater reached a height of 400 metres, compared to 75 metres the previous day. On April 23, after nine surface tremors and some 156 multifaced quakes signalled movements of magma, some 600 elderly and infant residents of the slopes were evacuated.

By early May, active lava flows had begun. On May 11, with lava flow beginning to be constant, some 17,000 people were ordered to be evacuated from the area and on May 13, Indonesian authorities raised the alert status to the highest level, ordering the immediate evacuation of all residents on the mountain. Many villagers defied the dangers posed by the volcano and returned to their villages, fearing that their livestock and crops would be vulnerable to theft. Activity calmed by the middle of May.

On May 27, a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck roughly 30 miles southwest of Merapi, killing at least 5,000 and leaving at least 200,000 people homeless in the Yogyakarta region, heightening fears that Merapi will “blow”. The quake did not appear to be a long-period oscillation, a seismic disturbance class that is increasingly associated with major volcanic eruptions. A further 11,000 villagers were evacuated on June 6 as lava and superheated clouds of gas poured repeatedly down its upper slopes. The pyroclastic flows are known locally as “wedhus gembel” (Javanese for “shaggy goat”).

[Show as slideshow]

I really like this place. I wish i can climb on top of the Mount Merapi but we didn’t have a lot time. Maybe someday…..What do you think, Paul?

We did one day tour and our first location is Borobudur Temple. It’s located in the south and the journey from our hotel is an hour. Borobudur is a ninth-century Mahayana Buddhist monument in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. The monument comprises six square platforms topped by three circular platforms and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues. A main dome, located at the center of the top platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupa. Entrance fee for Non-Indonesian is USD 11.

[Show as slideshow]

[Show as slideshow]

Some info about Borobudur Temple. Evidence suggests Borobudur was abandoned following the fourteenth century decline of Buddhist and Hindu kingdoms in Java, and the Javanese conversion to Islam. That answer why majority in yogyakarta is muslim now.

Worldwide knowledge of its existence was sparked in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles; British ruler of Java, who was advised of its location by native Indonesians. Borobudur has since been preserved through several restorations. The largest restoration project was undertaken between 1975 and 1982 by the Indonesian government and UNESCO, following which the monument was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Borobudur is still used for pilgrimage; once a year Buddhists in Indonesia celebrate Vesak at the monument and Borobudur is Indonesia’s single most visited tourist attraction.

We went to museum near Borobudur Temple. Interesting.

[Show as slideshow]