Indonesia: Yogyakarta

Oh Yogyakarta, what an absolute dream!

If you've read my thoughts on Nusa Lembongan then you'll know that it was a good 2.5 years since we were in Indonesia. But, as I said in that post, I am determined to complete my round up of our trip! Predominantly so I have a personal record of the best trip of my life on my site... but also to perhaps inspire others to do the same. 

So, Yogya. 

We visited Indonesia as the last stop on our six month trip round SE Asia and whilst we wanted to prioritise chill time before returning home, we couldn't miss the opportunity to travel to some less-visited parts of the tourist trail. Step in, Yogyakarta. See also: Ijen and Bromo.

Getting there

We travelled to Yogya from Probolinggo by train, after our Ijen and Bromo adventures. The train was a memorable experience to say the least; we booked tickets online... but arrived on the train to find a family sat in our reserved seats, and they wouldn't move. Cue awkward-Brits-on-local-train-in-middle-of-Java scenario! So, we sat elsewhere... before having to move when the ticket holders of those seats arrived! Hilariously, the family in our seats wouldn't move even when the transport police guy turned up, but thankfully a couple of nice ladies took pity on us and let us sit with them. The train journey from Probolinggo to Yogyakarta took a mighty 8.5 hours - take snacks!

Where we stayed

We stayed in Abrakadabra Hostel - super basic room with no air con and a cold water shower... we were skint by this point in our trip! We stayed three nights and the room cost £10 a night. 

What we did

Taman Sari - the water castle

Beautiful architecture and something a little different from the hundreds of temples we visited during our trip! Once the royal garden of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta, it is made up of pools and an impressive system of alleyways and tunnels, leading to an underground mosque. In part destroyed by the British invasion of 1812 and a later earthquake in 1867, some areas have been restored but it keeps its authentic feel. We were approached by a local student who offered us a free tour to help him practice his English. Win win! 

Borobudur

Topping our must-see list was Borobudur, which we decided to visit at sunrise. We booked this through our hostel and were picked up at 4.30am and driven to the world's largest Buddhist temple which dates back to the 9th century. Of course, we were not the only ones doing this - it is a well oiled machine! We walked up the steps of the temple in the dark, alongside hundreds of others. Scroll down to have a look at my pictures to see the crowds joining us to see the sun rise. It really was something to behold though, with seventy-two bell shaped stupas at the top around one large stupa. Inside each houses a statue of the Buddha. Completely stunning and a definite bucket list moment!