Yogyakarta (pronounced Jogjakarta), or Yogya for short, is our first stop in Indonesia – the first country we’ve visited below the equator. We weren’t really sure what to expect but it’s been a very pleasant experience so far with excellent public transport, clean accommodation and very cheap food.
Yogya is the arts culture capital of Java, which is obvious by all the batik cloth you can buy on every street stall, the batik art galleries down every alleyway and the nightly performances on the Ramayana in several theatres throughout the city. There’s also a more modern art culture with fascinating and interesting graphiti on the not-so-pristine streets.
Our first stop was a visit to the Imperial City and the Sultan’s Palace. The Palace was well maintained and interesting enough but, like all palaces in Asia that we’ve visited, it doesn’t quite compare to the Grand Palace in Bangkok. The Imperial City was very quaint and pretty although our good opinion slipped a little when we were harassed by a crazy lady armed with a plank of wood as we attempted to pass her in an alleyway. We decided to back-track down the alley and get some food while she cooled off. This is where we learned that ordering the cheapest item on a menu is not the best idea, particularly when you don’t know what you’re ordering, because you could end up with chicken claws and head on a bed of rice – yummy!
We visited Candi Borobudur, a huge Buddhist Temple (a bit odd on an Islamic Island), which is the largest monument in the southern hemisphere. It reminded us a bit of the Temples of Angkor and we had a great time climbing all the tiers and photographing the ruins. The temple is 35m high and the view from the top is spectacular, particularly when you can see the surrounding volcanoes.
We had one extra day in Yogya to chill out, relax and prepare before first attempt to travel around the country. Hopefully it’s not as bad as the stories we’ve heard and a bit more pleasant like our experience here in Yogya!
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