Yogyakarta, Indonesia - Of temples and volcanoes

Dates travelled  
5 April - 8 April 2013

Snufkin's age  - 3 years 10 months

Mode of transportation
Flew AirAsia from KLIA to Yogyakarta Adisucipto Airport. Flight time was roughly 2.5 hours.

Within Yogya itself, we hired a car+driver. As much as I wanted to rely on public transportation, I wasn't sure we could do that in Yogya with relative ease. There are loads of car hire agencies in Yogya. I have contacted quite a number so I can safely say that there's a considerable variance in the rental costs from one agency to the other. The cheapest quote I got (and with decent Tripadvisor reviews) was from Ukhi at excellentyogyadriver@gmail.com. 2 full days use of the service to go to Borobudur, Merapi  and Solo (incl. petrol and parking, as well as transfers from and to airport) cost Rp850,000. Service was excellent - I would gladly recommend this to anyone.

And in between, there was the assortment of taxis, becak, andong (horse-cart) and willys jeep.

Accommodation
We decided to splurge a bit and stay at The Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta, one of the hotels in the MGallery Collection. On the map, it looked like a short walk from the hotel to Jalan Malioboro and we did try this on the first evening there, but considering that it was a rather long walk from one end of Jl Malioboro to the other, our subsequent trips to and from were by taxis (Rp15,000 - Rp20,000 one way, bargaining required).

The Hotel's interior tells a lot about its deep colonial heritage, with plenty of Javanese character.  The star attraction of the hotel as far as Snufkin was concerned was the glass floor at a corner of the lobby, under which was a small fish pond that led outside to the patio.

Breakfast (included in the rates) time was infused with javanese elements, with live gamelan music and free-flow of numbingly bitter jamu.

Things that we saw and did
DAY 1 - We walked to Jl Malioboro, wanting to explore Yogya on foot on our first day. Past stalls selling all kinds of food, crossed a railway track and walked a bit more until until we got right smack in the middle of batik territory. There were so many shops selling batik that by the end of our trip, I would have seen enough batik to last me a lifetime...and more. But the good thing was the many cheap wooden toys on sale. I bought a wooden plane for around Rp7,000 and this at least kept Snufkin occupied for half of our time there.

One bizzarre thing about Jl Malioboro was the lack of authentic Indonesian eateries, but probably this was because we were at the wrong side. There was of course Malioboro Mall but eating in a supermarket foodcourt is hardly authentic. On our 2nd night, after lots of walking, we did stumble upon Lesehan Terang Bulan. A lesehan takes al-fresco dining to a new level. We sat cross-legged on a mat around a low table and in the background a busker was strumming his guitar and singing. I simply had to try nasi gudeg, Yogya's most famous dish. Gudeg is made of young jackfruits, boiled for several hours with palm sugar, coconut milk and spics. I had mine served with white rice, egg, chicken and tofu. Taste wise, let's just say that it has an acquired taste.I washed it all down with the obligatory teh botol.

DAY 2 - Naturally Borobudur, the 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple and the world's largest Buddhist temple, was the highlight of our itinerary in Yogya. I initially thought of taking the sunrise tour but that entailed a stay at Hotel Manohara and in any case I wasn't sure that Snufkin would be too keen to walk in total darkness at 4.30 in the morning. So instead we chose to wake up at 4.30 (yes...big difference *sarcasm*) to be at Borobudur entrance at its opening time of 6am. From my research I discovered that Borobudur is the most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia and I have read horror stories about the throng of crowds descending on the monument especially on weekends. So naturally I was very very scared. We rushed through the complimentary tea/coffee, hurriedly put on the compulsary sarong loaned to us at the entrance and got ready for the monument.

Now, the Borobudur monument consists of six square platforms/terraces topped by three circular platforms and is decorated with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues.  It is said that to reach nirvana, you should walk clockwise around Borobudur, one terrace at a time. But at that point of time I was more concerned in avoiding tour groups than reaching nirvana. My first impression of Borobudur was nothing spectacular. It looked like a squat stone structure - heavy and brooding in the early morning mist. We started to ascend the very steep staircase straight to the topmost circular platform with myself maintaining a tight grip on Snufkin's hands. We walked very quickly to be there before the crowds. On hindsight, I think I did not get fully to the soul of Borobudur because of this. But in no way did this diminish the sense of awe that engulfed me the moment I laid my eyes on the countryside surrounding Bobobudur. From our vantage point on the topmost platform, surrounded by Buddha statues seated inside a perforated stupa, we could see layers of mist somewhat hovering above the treetops, giving an almost magical feel to the whole scene. The view was punctuated by mountain ranges shrouded in mist, and we even saw the cone-shaped outline of Mount Merapi. Were it not for the crowds (and the increasing heat), I could just sit there the whole morning in a trance-like mode.

Eventually, we made our way down, this time circling all the platforms. Snufkin only tolerated this because he could investigate which cracks the ants were coming out from and because he could count the Buddha statues. Extra points for the headless ones.
By the time we finished, it was only 8.15am. I was glad we started early because it was getting really hot and I was all hot and sticky and tired.  And above that, the number of students in school uniforms on field trips was astounding - it was as if the whole student population of East Java descended on Borobudur. And then be prepared for the hordes of vendors walking alongside you and selling their wares on your long trek to the exit. I felt like the Pied Piper of Hamelin. 3 of them even stood around our table while we were having bakso for breakfast at one of the stalls. It was the most fervent display of perseverance I have ever seen in my life. And it paid at the end (for them at least) as we walked away with a "parachute" made from plastic bag and a wooden top.

Our next stop was Kinahrejo, one of the worst-damaged places when the volcano Mount Merapi eruped in 2010, for a spot of "disaster tourism". Being only 5km from Merapi itself, I had high hopes for a good photo op of the volcano. Alas, Mother Nature had other plans. Black clouds descended, hiding most of the mountain from view. But all was not lost. We took a Merapi Jeep Tour (Rp250,000 - no booking needed), a very bumpy ride that was fun and educational. According to Tommy our driver/guide, Kinahrejo used to be a busy village but that completely changed after the 2010 eruption. He showed us a large grassy clearing where his family house once stood. Now the rubbles are buried deep. The most humbling thing was the matter-of-fact way he told the stories.

In the 1940's Willys Jeep (previously used in WW2), we bumped along ravines where local men were braving the heat collecting lava stones produced by the eruption, presumably to be sold. I could smell the faint whiff of sulphur, but it was nowhere near overpowering. Our last stop on the tour was "Muzium Sisa Hartaku". It was not so much a museum as a collection of things affected by the 2010 eruption - melted bottles, "rangka sapi", spoons and forks welded beyond recognition. The main showcase was a clock which had stopped at 12.05am, the time of the eruption.

After Kinahrejo, we were more than ready for lunch. I had done my research and was adamant to try Rumah Makan Keluarga Timbul Roso which was only a few kilometres away. If you have a child/children, and especially cranky ones who had enough of ancient temples and volcanoes for the day, then this is the best place to have a relaxing meal. The restaurant is a collection of wooden/bamboo huts, all built over fishponds and surrounded by lush foliage. This meant that while we adults took our time finishing our traditional Indonesian dishes, Snufkin entertained himself by feeding left-over rice to the fish and playing with running water from the pipe attached to the hut.


By 3pm we had done our sightseeing for the day. Back to the hotel to hibernate until dinner time.https://www.pinterest.com/pin/431149364301320310/