Yogyakarta, Indonesia: Traveler's Paradise in Java

August 31, 2011

we were able to hit yogyakarta and it's neighboring sites during our first day. 

more details of our Java trip is here :)

anyway, since technically we were only able to see Yogyakarta for a day, i will be sharing where we've been to and our experience :)

Yogyakarta 

According to Lonely Planet...

If Jakarta is Java’s financial and industrial powerhouse, Yogyakarta is its soul. Central to the island’s artistic and intellectual heritage, Yogyakarta (pronounced ‘Jogjakarta’), called Yogya for short, is where the Javanese language is at its purest, Java’s arts at their brightest and its traditions at their most visible. 

Tourist Sites

Candi Prambanan

: The Most Beautiful Hindu Temple in the World

Prambanan temple is extraordinarily beautiful building constructed in the tenth century during the reigns of two kings namely Rakai Pikatan and Rakai Balitung. Soaring up to 47 meters (5 meters higher than Borobudur temple), the foundation of this temple has fulfilled the desire of the founder to show Hindu triumph in Java Island. This temple is located 17 kilometers from the city center, among an area that now functions as beautiful park. - YogYES

Ticket Price:

Local - 28,000 IDR

Foreigner - 50,000 IDR

I must say one of the must see site! Too bad that the biggest temple was closed due to re-construction. we were only able to check out the smaller ones. the park where the temple was situated was also a nice place to have picnics. there were also  traditional java music and dance being showcased around the park.

Borobudur Temple

: The Biggest Buddhist Temple in the Ninth Century

Who does not know Borobudur? This Buddhist temple has 1460 relief panels and 504 Buddha effigies in its complex. Millions of people are eager to visit this building as one of the World Wonder Heritages. It is not surprising since architecturally and functionally, as the place for Buddhists to say their prayer, Borobudur is attractive. - YogYES

Ticket Price:

Local - 30,000 IDR

Foreigner - 125,000 IDR (15 USD)

of all the temples we went to this was the only temple we paid as a foreigner and it was gahddamn expensive! hahaha! there was a special area for foreigners where they can pay for the entrance ticket. unlimited bottled water was also available and the toilet was very clean. the ticket for the foreigners includes a free tram ride going to the temple. 

special area for foreigners

tram ride

prior to leaving the ticketing booth, we were asked to wear a batik wrap around sarong. at first i thought they were pulling a prank on us but apparently upon reaching the temple, everyone was wearing one. it's a compulsory to wear one when exploring the temple as to show respect to the cultural heritage and also to pay tribute to the place of worship.

me in my wrap around batik sarong

we tried exploring the whole temple but not only it was massive but it was also very very hot. terribly hot that people would sit on shaded areas to avoid being glared by the sun. it was kinda a let down not able to go to the upper most level coz it was closed due to on going re-construction. but still, i loved the intricate stone sculptures in almost whole temple. spell EFFORT!

Yogyakarta City Proper

it was decided to drop by Yogyakarta after the temple hopping to see what's with Yogyakarta. it was so traffic! we cruised along Marlioboro road and planned on walking to check it out but decided not to coz it was too crowded. literally people swarming the entire side streets.

what we did was we parked in an area where some local offered to semi - tour us by riding "bejak" for 10,000 IDR each. we agreed.

"bejak"

first, we went to a place where they sell art in batik cloths. it was like a batik cloth gallery. this guy showed us a batik cloth with a design that includes gold ornaments. art pieces cost from 30,000 IDR to 500,000 IDR. i bought one coz my sister loves this kind of stuff. hehe.

art pieces

the guy showing us their pieces

this is what i bought for my sister

Second stop was a batik store. everything was kinda expensive so i didn't buy batik stuff from here. i only bought ceramic  ash tray and pencil holder coz it looked cute. hehe.

batik stuff

Final Thoughts about Yogyakarta

I know there are still a lot of places that must-go-to in Yogyakarta. due to limited time, we were only able to go to some places. but despite of this, the experience was awesome.

prior to arriving here in Indonesia, i've always wanted to see Borobudur Temple. this is one in my must-go list here in Indonesia. and i'm soooooo glad to finally see it and actually explored it. happiness!

i can't wait to comeback to show these lovely places to my love ones especially my family. spell EXCITED! hahaha!