Just got back from Jogjakarta for a short holiday and gosh, Jogjakarta is always memorable.
First of course the cheap and good hotels. I stayed in Hotel Puri Chorus Gejayan for only US$ 25 or Rp. 250 thousand per night for a clean spacious room plus breakfast.
And then the nice experience of circling Malioboro Street using a tricycle/becak for only 50 cents or Rp.5000 (of course we tipped the becak guy a lot..i mean a LOT!). He brought us to a beautiful historical place called ‘Taman Sari’ as well.
Next, the good food. There were two that restaurants impressed me —> “SS/Special Sambal” –extremely tasty, spicy, and super cheap- ; and “Milas the vegetarian resto” – You should ORDER the fried sweet potato / ‘Ubi Goreng’ with guacamole dip here..it’s super nice!.
And of course the unforgettable visit to the glorious Borobudur Temple. Although we got LOST while trying to get there with our GPS at 4 oc’clock in the morning trying to catch the sunrise, we tried again the next day for sunset and we made it.
Then there was this famous coffee called “Kopi Jos” which was also very interesting. I never understand why would anybody drink coffee with a burning COAL in it..literally..but that’s what “Kopi Jos” is all about, and watching people do it, was truly something different.
And then an important thing which is the wonderful traditional massages. I went to Sari Ayu Martha Tilaar Day Spa. Don’t forget to ask for the elder lady from nearest villages to give you the massage. It was beyond GOOD.
Oh, there’s one more thing. The breathtaking view of Merapi Mountain & the freshness of Kaliurang. Climbing and walking around the area was just awesome.
And last but not least the Culture thickness. Oh, Jogjakarta is a very nice place. Surely driving there for 10 hours from Jakarta was totally worth it. (Yes, we drove our car to Jogjakarta).
But I’ll fly next time
Culture is a way of coping with the world by defining it in detail.
– Malcolm Bradbur
olivelatuputty.com/blog @shiningliv
