Leaving Yogyakarta - 15/12/2015

I write this as i am sat in the international departure lounge at Yogyakartas International Airport, which is a little smaller than I had imagined, The room in its entirety is barely enough to hold a 25m length swimming pool and with the floor tiles and echoey space reverberating the noises of talk and activity throughout, it sounds pretty much the same as one too. The "Fixed Price" taksi ride this morning that the more than helpful staff at the Aloha hotel arranged for me was 70,000 idr and took a little under 30 minutes with free flowing traffic most of the way. I needed to check in at 8:45, was at the airport at 8:35 and had baggage checked, cleared security and made "The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf" in the departure lounge by 8:40. If only all international check in's were that easy.  The minus side to that is I now have 3 hours to wait until departure with only a cafe, a Japanese restaurant and an "Indo Gift Shop" to fill my time. Still. I'll take that over long queues and endless checks and a mile and a half walk to your departure gate.

So the last few days were not the most hectic. I am in Indonesia in the Low Season so a couple of things I had hoped to do were not really an option, including climbing Mount Merapi which imposes itself against the skyline just outside Yogyakarta. Im told it takes quite a long time to climb, but can be quite dangerous in the wet and seeing as the weather cannot be guaranteed at the moment, the chances of getting in with a group tour that would actually go ahead, were a little unlikely.  So maybe thats one to come back to in the future.

I have been lucky enough to visit some other great places though, Taman Sari (or Taman Sari Water Castle) is the site of former gardens of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta an contains a series of different pools and areas where the sultan would entertain, meditate, watch performances and rest. The central large pool areas contained within the bathing complex were used by the Sultan, his daughters and other members of the Royal Family.

South of this, through the sultans resting and changing buildinh, lies a smaller enclosed pool area that was used only by the Sultan and his Concubines.

Just outside the bathing complex you can also find remnants amongst the narrow streets of the fortifications that were put in place when the castle was built in the mid 18th century, just the odd unmarked sign here and there that this was also built as a defensive stronghold as well as being a place of leisure. Here you will is also find a small chapel like building, which if you walk into will lead you down some steps, under the street to the right and then back up into a inside a large area that was formerly used as a mosque. A fully enclosed donut shaped building with a small pool in the centre with a central column of steps above that gets scorched by the mid-day sun, and obviously provided the perfect opportunity for great family photo's.

Despite saying repeatedly that I wouldn't be going to see anymore temples, I still did. Some temples are more impressive than others, some have more steps than others and some are really just tourist traps surrounded by market areas, so you take the rough with the smooth. Undoubtable the best of the bunch for me here would be Borobudur, a 9th century Buddhist temple that was hidden for years under volcanic ash. The main temple consists of 9 levels each with of reliefs and carvings all around, and thankfully just a small amount of steps between each. On the top sits a large dome surrounded by bell like stone stupas each one containing a buddha carving, the occasional one exposed so you can see whats inside. It's a beautiful monument but again you read up on it and see that there are bits missing, given away by custodians at the time as gifts to foreign dignitaries or royalty. There are some of these items on display in the National Museum of Bangkok, so I will make sure I go there when I arrive to get a little more of a insight. Still a beautiful place, and one thats worth a visit. It's a little pricier than other temples operating a 2 tier pricing structure for foreigners and Indonsian people, but the conservation work and grounds are more than worth the price of entry and to be honest, we can probably afford a little bit more than the locals. They shouldn't be priced out of being able to see their own heritage after all.

And that really is that, I spent longer than maybe I should have in Taksis and Shopping Malls, but sometimes you just need to slow it down a little and give your body time to recover from aches, pains and illnesses. Yogyakarta was a great place to visit though, with some great things to see and some of the nicest, most welcoming people you are ever likely to meet. There's still plenty more to see around Indonesia that I haven't got around to yet, but you never know, I might yet get back to climb that "Mountain of Fire" in a few months time, it all depends on time restraints and obviously eeking out the last bit of cash when the time comes. 

Still it would be nice to come back and get a couple of good photo's, without some bloody fool getting in the way each time.

Next a short stop Kuala Lumpur