Blogs from Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia, Asia - page 6

It was with great excitement that I landed on the island of Java – a place famous for volcanoes, temples and batik. Arriving at Yogyakarta saw me enter the smallest International airport of my travels. Obtaining a visa on arrival was unsurprisingly chaotic, and the baggage claim area was more compact than most hotel rooms, just a bunch of bags sitting in a cramped corner. Yogyakarta was a congested city filled with all manner of vehicles and motorcycles. Passing streets adorned with billboards and clusters of power lines, finally the taxi emerged onto some more pleasant scenery where tall palms, rice paddies and flowing rivers all combined for a typically tropical vista. If one raised their gaze at times, it was possible to espy the flattened summit of one of the many volcanoes that have caused ... read more

So I guess we have not really done any entries in Indonesia. Here is a recap: Bali- We arrived after 7 weeks in Australia and well felt a bit like we had landed in Australia. Don't think I ever need to return to Bali. Extremely touristic, beaches literally covered in trash and lots of Australian tourists in Beer Bintang tank tops. Not that there is anything wrong with any of that, just not my cup of tea. On one day we did manage to find a waterfall with no other Westerners and that was nice, but that was about it. Java- From Bali we took a mini-bus, then a ferry, then a bemo, then a bus, then a minibus to our first destination - Mt. Bromo or Gurung Bromo. Now that was amazing. We arrived as ... read more

Enfin arrivé à Yogyakarta, par train , 8 hrs, sans retard! Nous sommes acceuilli par un petite pluie (encore) mais qui ne durera pas .Notre plan en main, aidé de notre boussole, nous partons en direction de Sosro ( quartier routard ) qui est tout près de la gare de train. On s'est vite rendu compte que les rues indiquées sur le plan, n'étaient en fait que des ruelles et que les ruelles n'étaient que des venelles, Nous trouvons l'adresse recherchée après seulement quelques minutes de marche. Le Dewi Home Stay, un petit guest-house super sympatique, meublé d'antiquité,avec des lits baldaquins dans toutes les chambres. Nous sommes recu par la toute aussi charmante propriétaire des lieux, Rani. Elle s'amusait à nous surprendre avec quelques petits mots de francais Le 2e matin, en nous préparant le ... read more

Day 10 & 11 Yogyakarta Day 10 Nov. 8 Sultan Palace & Bird Market. I was feeling sick so I stayed in and worked on the finances for the trip and the blog. The group went to the bird market and the Sultan’s Palace. Hopefully Paul will have some pictures. That evening we had a party with the Yoyga and Solo Club. Everyone in Indonesia can sing and everyone knows the American songs between 1950 and 1970. Airfin, Dr. Adam and the whole Indonesian crew could really sing and we only had Ken Tran. Paul’s pictures of the party are great but they do not do justice to the joy in our hearts. Day 11 – Nov. 9 What a great, great, great day, it was a cultural feast. First we went to the hospital and ... read more

We arrived in Yogyakarta or Yogya with an even more violent landing then in Lombok... It was raining and was already dark so not much to see till the hotel. Our hotel "1001 Malam" is really great even if the access through a small pedestrian way may look a bit scary during rainy nights. It seems newly built and is very close to the commercial street of Malioboro. We went for dinner after check in in a restaurant close to the hotel full of backpackers. We shared a table with 2 Austrian chicks making a 6 month tour of South East Asia and gave them plenty of tips for their next destination... Bali. The next morning, we wake up to make a tour in the city. We were told to visit mainly Malioboro street, the Sultan ... read more