Sunday, March 22, 2020

Yogyakarta - Indonesia: Just The Kickoff

Joining a group of five friends, one of whom took charge of all the arrangements (Pretoria Moments & Cape Town Nature Stunner), including our sightseeing, I embarked on a five-day, four-night adventure to Indonesia. Despite the person’s planning, I still made it a point to contact the travel agent to ensure I had a single occupant room (Korea Through My Eyes). With a mid-morning flight, I was up by 5 am and arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport by 7 am. After a flight delay, we finally took off, landing at Adisutjipto Airport.

Upon arrival (Osaka Sunsets & New Delhi Revelation), we were greeted by our tour guide, Pak Adi. Lunch at Sekar Kedhaton Restaurant set the lovely tone for our trip. The rustic, woody ambiance complemented the delicious spread of achar (pickled veggies), stir-fried vegetables, fried chicken, sweet and sour fish, fresh fruits, and buah salak for dessert. The highlight for me was the sambal, which I couldn’t get enough of, especially with the keropok (fried fritters). Wow! The spicy power of Indonesia, which I had heard about from the helpers who come over to clean my house, was now validated after tasting it.

 







Next, we checked into Harper Mangkubumi Hotel, a decision that proved worthy. Clean, well-maintained, and with super-fast WiFi, it became our home base for the next four days without the need to change hotels. Thank God! The comfort and convenience of Harper Mangkubumi made it an appreciated place to rest and recharge for the start and also throughout our Indonesian discovery.


Subsequently, we had the choice to spend as many hours as we wanted at Malioboro Street, which required at least a half-hour walk to reach. The traffic in this part of Indonesia? Aha! It’s a tough competition with India. Malioboro Street, a bustling thoroughfare in Yogyakarta, was established in the 18th century. Originally designed as part of the ceremonial axis connecting the Sultan's Palace (Kraton) to Mount Merapi, a sacred volcano, it's now a bustling commercial area teeming with people.


Walking alongside countless locals, it’s basically what I call street shopping. Along the road, cart stalls sell foods and all sorts of local products, ranging from batik and knick-knacks to leather goods and handbags. You name it, you’ll probably find it at Malioboro Street, including at the shops as well. But it's pretty much seeing the same things over and over again; it’s just a matter of which shop or stall you want to buy from.

Bargaining is also part of the experience - who can give you a better price? The four people I was with bought, but for me, it was mostly tagging along. Call it buying due to temptation when, in fact, all these things can be bought easily in Malaysia. Honestly, I have already rested my case on shopping while travelling.



Having satisfied their shopping cravings, we walked into Malioboro Mall. It’s pretty much a standard shopping mall, nothing special, as I continued tagging along with my four tour buddies. We stopped at the top floor food court to quench our thirst and rest before heading back along the same route to Harper Mangkubumi Hotel.

I was tempted to try the various types of street food, and by this late evening, all the stalls along the road were set up for customers. The concept of long bench eating style and sitting on the floor on the tikar/mat intrigued me. But my tour buddies wouldn’t want to try, concerned about tummy upset or food poisoning. Ummm!

I didn’t dare on my own either, not because of hygiene concerns, but because I’d have to walk back to the hotel alone as it got darker. While they decided to dine in the hotel, I preferred room service. After a shower, I tucked into a Nasi Soup Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Soup & Rice) set meal, which put a big smile on my face. I tell you, above all, the sambal was a rocker. Hahaha! I am the sambal queen.
I had to literally force myself to sleep early since we had an early start tomorrow at 4:30 am for the Borobudur Sunrise Tour and exploring the Borobudur temple. 




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