Kids waving from a becak

Jogja, cultural heart of Java

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October 2nd 2008
We spent several days in Yogyakarta, "Jogja" for short, which is the cultural heart of Java. We stayed in what must be one of the coolest hostels on the planet. It was created by an artist and everywhere you look you saw beautiful pebble mosaics and paintings. And we had yummy banana pancakes and fresh fruit juice, all inclusive for less than $12 a night for two. Amazing! We went to a Ramay ... read more

Asia » Indonesia » Java » Yogyakarta

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The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century; the islands were occupied by Japan from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its independence after Japan's surrender, but it required four years of intermittent negotiations, recurring hos... ... read more