HAVING FUN IN YOGYAKARTA

I have visited Yogyakarta twice, actually, but I haven’t explored this city a lot. This time I decided to see and enjoy this city as much as possible I can.

Planning to stay only 2 nights changed into four nights. Two nights I couchsurfed, then the other nights I stayed at a guesthouse. I was quite lucky because I got a helpful host and an accommodative friend.

One place that I really excited to visit was Kalibiru. I was curious about this place because of a picture of a friend of my friends. The photo showed that she was lying down on the wood nailed on a tree over a beautiful landscape. I wanted the similar experience.

My host agreed to go to Kalibiru once I arrived in Jogya. She, her boyfriend, three of their classmates, and I went to Kalibiru by motorbike. Unfortunately, it was raining, and my mission to have at least one photo sitting on the hanging bench was successfully failed. However, I kept thankful because to reach this place was so challenging. It is far from the city center, no public transport to get the place, and the track was steep and small.

From Kalibiru, I asked them to find an angkringan for dinner.

In the following day, I explored the city by myself, and found that I was going to be crazy if I didn’t buy some batiks. I took a stroll all part of Jalan Malioboro, then ate pecel in front of Pasar Bering Harjo. After looked around the market, I continued to see around Keraton area on foot. I didn’t enter the palace as I have been there, in fact I was not really in to with it. I preferred to go to alun-alun selatan to try my luck by walking through the two beringin trees.

I found a house producing and selling batik, Batik Pramugari, where I could see a woman painting batik, then the woman suggested me to take pictures pretending painting batik on a piece of fabric. Lastly, I headed to Jalan Wijilan to find gudeg Yu Djum for my luch. This street was full of gudeg restaurants and other local food as well.

In the afternoon, I met my friend. He took me to look around his wellknown campus, Gajah Mada University before taking me to have dinner at Bumbu Desa, a Sunda restaurant that he thought it was Yogya restaurant. Then, we hanged out on sidewalk of alun-alun selatan (again) to enjoy wedang ronde and watched people riding their odong-odong.

On the third day in Yogyakarta I went to Solo for a night. When I went back to Yogyakarta, I stayed at one of lodgings on Jalan Sosrowijayan, signed as Kawasan Wisata, a street providing all tourists needs, such as hotels, restaurants, bar and travel agencies. For dinner I chose to satisfy my curiosity of oseng-oseng mercon. The place of the first oseng-oseng mercon in this city was walking distance from my lodging. I found it was hot, but I was not sweating at all.

In the next day, I went to Candi Prambanan and Candi Ratu Boko which was included in one package tour from Candi Prambanan. Except the gates, Candi Ratu Boko was only ruins of temples, and I thought the main attractions were only the gates. Prambanan was more interesting for me because most of the temples were still there and it was quite fun climbing up one by one to see the inside.

After spending half of my day at both temples, I went back to Jalan Malioboro to meet my friend. During waiting for him I went to Benteng Vredeburg and then took some pictures and people-watched around Nol Kilometer Yogyakarta area.

Along with my friend, I had dinner at Bale Raos, a fancy restaurant inside the keraton wall. If those food were really eaten by the royal family, I really recommend this place! The food were delicious and the price were reasonable. We ordered a lot.

At last, I acted as a tourist, taking pictures with two landmarks of this city: under the pole signing Jalam Malioboro and in front of Monument Tugu. They are evidence that I was really there.

P.S.

Just because I forgot the direction to my place, now I know where exactly the prostitution alley in Yogyakarta.