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Published: April 6th 2015
I have visited Bali several times since 1998, however this was to be my first visit to what I had started to think of as the "real" Indonesia. With 255 million people and 88% of the population Muslim, it has the largest Muslim population in the world. Yet although it has been an Islamic country for the last 500 years, it also has a strong history of both Hinduism and Buddhism, making it a fascinating country to visit. While obviously Islamic, with most of the women wearing hajibs and with bacon nowhere to be found in the breakfast buffets, the history of Hindu and Buddhism seemed to be integrated into the culture.
I liked Yogyakarta. Despite the manic motorcycles and scooters and the cacophony of horns it has a laid back feel to it. The city seemed to be covered in graffiti - some of it art and some of it not, but it gave Yogya a cheerful, chilled out and optimistic feel. It was early afternoon by the time we arrived from Jakarta and checked ourselves in, so we decided to wander up the main street, Jalan Malioboro. We meandered without real purpose, soaking up the atmosphere. The roads
were lined with stalls selling batik clothing, jewellery, bags all manner of touristy knick knacks and food markets. A pervading smell of clove cigarettes lingered in the air.
There seemed to be two main attractions in Yogya - the Royal Palace (Kraton) and Prambanan, a Hindu temple, so this was our mission for day two. Lucy and I decided to take a
becak - a bicycle rickshaw, to the Kraton. This in itself was an experience! Two of us were squished into a tiny little rickshaw, and unlike other countries I've visited recently where the rickshaw is motorised, we were powered by a little old man cycling, which made us feel very guilty! However it seemed to be the local transportation of choice as I saw becaks with Indonesian women laden with their shopping from the markets, and sometimes with a handful of small children on board too. We wove in and out of the traffic to get to our destination, enjoying a gentle breeze, and I enjoyed the relaxed pace of our travel as we eyed up the local sights. We tipped the driver well though!
The Kraton was much more interesting than I was expecting. We
were assigned a guide on arrival who didn't overload us with too much information, and seemed to instinctively know what would pique our interest the most. Both of us were taken with the beautiful batik and the stories which explained each of the patterns, each of which has its own significance. I loved the stories about the Sultans - the current Sultan is number ten, and he and his wife live at the palace, while the Sultan works in Government. Apparently this Sultan is a very modern one, as he has only taken one wife, unlike some of his predecessors. One of them had three "official" wives and 22 concubines, resulting in 78 children! The current Sultan's father, Sultan number nine, had four "official" wives (the guide pointing out wife number three, "the beautiful one") and 21 children. Sounds very expensive to me! Despite the current Sultan's modern example and nod to women's rights, with five daughters it means that when the current Sultan dies, the next Sultan will be his brother. Only men can be Sultans!
Prambanan is one of the largest Hindu temples in South East Asia, and recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. It
is just on the outskirts of the city and on the weekends (we visited on a Sunday) we discovered it to be a very popular spot for locals. The grounds were beautiful, and the temples themselves were fascinating. Lucy and I had the inevitable discussion wondering how on earth they built such amazing things back in the 10th century. It was badly damaged by an earthquake back in the 2006 and although it has largely been restored, there are still ruins ringing the main temple complex.
We also visited Kota Gede, once a little village but now a suburb on the outskirts of town, which specialises in silver-making. It was fascinating to see the silver making process but we were clearly in the heart of the tourist zone - the prices were eye watering so we left empty handed.
Lucy had spotted a bird market in the guide book which sounded interesting, so this was also on our day trip. The noise of the birds was almost overwhelming. There were also rabbits, puppies, kittens, lizards, snakes at the market. I'm not sure all of them were "for training, not eating" as the guidebook promised, which made us a
little sad, so it was a quick visit.
By early afternoon the heat was overpowering and our hotel had a gorgeous pool to enjoy. So we called it a day and headed back. Happy hour was calling us!
Now blogging at
www.beautycharmadventureonline.com - check it out!
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littlewing
Cindy
So much more than Bali
Glad the sultan in charge of Yogyakarta is modern and friendly. The Sultan of Morotai wouldnt let us drop anchor in his waters. Its amazing when you see these worlds colliding but somehow, it works. Love the food pics too :)