Yogyakarta

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So then.... onto Yogyakarta (pronounced Jog-ja-karta or Jog-ja for short):
After a couple of minibus rides and an interesting train journey in business class, which had a toilet which was a hole in the floor of the train (to put busines class into perspective), we arrived in Yogya in time to have a swim, a bite to eat and an early night to prepare for the following morning activities.

At 3:30am the wakeup call arrived and my room had somehow lost power at some point during the nigh. This made for an interesting half an hour getting ready in the dark.
From the hotel we drove to a village where we had to climb a steep trail in the dark to the top of a mountain.
At the top of the mountain we witnessed the most spectacular views all around and watched the sunrise over 2 active volcanoes (Sundoro-Sumbing and Merbabu-Merapi) and Borobudur (worlds largest Buddhist monument).
If that wasn't breathtaking enough, during the sunrise one of the village women appeared up the hill with a tray full of what has become my favourite drinks in Indonesia - Kopi Jahe (Ginger coffee)...... I really had to pinch myself.
After some epic views and a load of photos, the next stop was Borobudur itself (for the record, the sarongs were mandatory and they wouldn't let me keep it either!).

Borobudur was a sight to behold with 504 buddha statues, and 72 stupa (upside down bell shapes).
To learn more about borobudur, click this link
The stories carved into the stonework about Buddha were fantastic and getting there so early meant that there weren't hordes of people at the beginning.

As more people started arrived arriving, our western celebrity status re-appeared in the form of people stopping us for photographs to be taken with them. The only person who had it worse was this gorgeous blonde girl who, i kid you not, had a queue of people waiting to have photos taken with her!

Whilst walking through the grounds the guide pointed out a few interesting pieces of wildlife like the giant cricket (which they fry and eat), the large wood spider and its enormous web, various natural herbs and spices and a plant which they called the shy plant (actual name mimosa pudica) which would shrink away if you touched it or shrink away leaf by leaf if you put a flame at the end of it.
I have included all but the 3rd as pictures but I will try to get a video next time I see that plant so watch this space.

After borobudur we went to a nearby temple called Candi Mendut but, by this time, I was glad to see it was only small as I was all templed out.
The large banyan tree outside this temple was interesting but the aggressive local market sellers meant that we were on our way in no time.

Day 2 in Yogya started with a walk to a local clothing and food market followed by a local bus ride during which I tried snake fruit (a fruit with skin that looks like snake skin, a texture of garlic and a sweet taste similar peaches) to another clothing and food market where we went into a wealthy batik shop.
This area was wealthier than any of the other shopping areas and I even found a cool t-shirt that I could buy that was in my size.
NOTE: For the females reading this, Yogya is renowned for the hand made jewelry and clothing which kept the ladies in our group happy.

After shopping we took a couple of Dokar (horse and carriage) to the sultans palace which was a bit of a let down in my books. It was dirty, in need of a coat of paint and quite frankly the least interesting part of the travels so far.
The gardens of this building, however, were more interesting and a stop in a nearby restaurant for a drink was a needed rest in this heat.
To add to the laid back vibe of this restaurant, one of the locals picked up a violin and started playing a mixture of classical music and what sounded like an Irish jig.
Chilling out there with a breeze running through my hair was my personal highlight of the morning.

Whilst walking around we spotted two local kids wearing dragon heads made of papier mache and have, on many occasions throughout the trip, found the kids playing with kites they had made themselves. It's good to see that the kids here are happy without all the gadgets we take for granted at home. - I know, the irony of me saying that but I felt it was important to note.

Before taking a becak tour back to hotel through the ever crazy traffic (video to come), we visited an earthquake destroyed building where it put into context the power of the earthquakes here and allowed us to get a group photo on one of the staircases.

The afternoon consisted of a 1hour 40 minute massage which cost somewhere in the range of 5 pounds and was brilliant, having my earwax removed using a candle and a dinner at a veggie restaurant which included a mug of Kombucha. All in all, it was a healthy afternoon and a good end to my time here in Yogyakarta.

Next I'm on to the Seloliman Nature Reserve.

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Photos

Duck shaped temple
From the sunrise views, we could see a temple which the people have deliberately made it look like a duck. Cant find out on the web though.

Borobudur Sarong
I had to wear it so I might as well make this look good (or try)