Jogjakarta - a cool place I'd never heard of either!

Yogyakarta, Djogjakarta, Jogjakarta - spell it however you want, or just call it 'Jo-ja,' like the beginning of Ray Charles' rendition of Georgia on my Mind.

Jogjakarta is a city and 'special district' on the island of Java in Indonesia. It is one of only two locales in Indonesia to still be governed by a Sultan (currently Rama 10).

Which by the way, how COOL is Google's new Treasure Map feature? It's ARRRRHwesome!

Why go to Jogja? Well, we had just heard awesome things about it. There are a few 'main' attractions, and we enjoyed its many little charms as well. Armed with our Lonely Planet; Southeast Asia on Shoestring, the advice of friends, and Jacob's impressively fluent Malay (which is very close to Indonesian), we ventured out into Indonesia!

It is amazing how a two hour flight can transport you a lot further away. Similar to our experience in Bangkok, the moment we stepped into the airport, we knew we were somewhere new. Which is a feeling I LOVE. The first, often wild taxi ride into a city is one of the best feelings, catching your first glimpses of life and people in this new place.

Motorcycles - fun for the whole family!

Motorbikes everywhere. Motorbikes are family vehicles, accommodating mom, dad, older brother and toddler sister. While the adults wear helmets, the kids do not. Hm. Taxi drivers honk frequently, not out of anger but simply to alert other motorists that they're there, that they're turning, that they're going to hit you if you don't move it. All along the main road are shops and storefronts and people selling and buying and working and talking. We pass a big mall, a fancy-looking car dealership, a place called the T-Shit Store. A mish-mash of Indonesian/Malay and English.

The next adjustment - money. Indonesia uses the Indonesian Rupiah (IDR), with an exchange rate of roughly 10000 IDR to $1 USD. So 100,000 is about $10. Oh and in written prices, the periods and commas are flipped - 100.000 is one hundred thousand, while 100,00 is one hundred. It is startling when they ask you to pay 55000 for a taxi ride, until you realize it is $5.50, and then you laugh with embarrassment as they hand you back the 100000 bill that you accidentally gave the instead of a 10000 bill. Terima kasih! (Thank you!)

Lobby of our hotel

Dining Area

We stayed in downtown Jogja, near Malioboro Road (the main drag, as it were), at a hotel called the Istana Batik Ratna Hotel. Such a lovely hotel! The amenities were basic but clean, it was charming and relaxing, and the staff was so very helpful. They booked several of our outings for us, including a 4am departure to Borobudur (more on that later). And they brought us breakfast at 3:45am, so we could eat before we left. That's service! There restaurant was also pretty decent, and Jacob and I marveled at a tall beer costing just $3! Toto, we're not in Singapore anymore!

Cozy rooms - with air-con!

Reception

We arrived in Jogja on Wednesday afternoon and, after settling in, took a long walk down Malioboro Road. The covered sidewalks are lined with tables and tables of stuff for sale - batik clothing of every kind, shoes, watches, keychains, bracelets, shadow puppets, trinkets, wooden toys and carvings, a zillion t-shirts, handbags, wallets, fans, hats, sunglasses...you name it! And very eager salesmen and women ready to offer you a 'very good price.' And almost everything was super cheap. Jacob got a pair of $4 sandals while I got a pair of pants and a skirt for $4 combined.

The traffic in the streets was so interesting - motorbikes weaved between cars and regular taxis, while pedicabs (bicycle cabs) and horse-drawn cabs vied for space as well.

Chillaxin'

We also entered the Beringharjo Pasar, a covered market, but it was right at closing time and it was hot and crazy. We bailed pretty quickly - it was hard to even breathe! We returned to the hotel (Jacob and I stopped off for some ice cream) and took a dip in the pool before getting ready to go to dinner and the Ramayana Ballet performance in town.

Dinner Buffet

Sinta & Rama dancing

The Ramayana Ballet tells portions of the Indian epic Ramayana in traditional Javanese dance. We went to the performance at Puriwisata, enjoying an Indonesian buffet before the show. There was a full moon over the outdoor theatre, and apart from the heat (not a breeze to be found), we thoroughly enjoyed the costumes and dancing and even some pyrotechnics. The dancing was very stylized, much of it slow and graceful. I'm not sure how the women could dance, considering all their costumes involved tightly wrapped dresses with a train that wrapped between their feet! The headdresses were also just amazing - they must have been quite heavy! The ballet is accompanied by traditional gamelan music, which is made up of various gongs, cybals, drums, marimba-like instruments, and singers. We heard and saw several gamelan orchestras throughout our trip, as it is the traditional Javanese music form. While it was sometimes hard to follow with my untrained ears, it has a wonderful meandering and mellowing effect. However, it is also quite complex and, along with classical western music and Indian music, is one of the most developed forms of music.

Our hotel even had a gamelan

Gamelan music at dinner

Another gamelan, from the Sultan's palace (I think)

More to come about Java - this place really captured my interest and imagination, and I want to take my time to share some of the amazing things we saw!