Wednesday we flew to Yogyakarta on the 1pm Garuda flight. Cost was about 520k each and Garuda is only flying once per day at the moment. I had the pleasure of sitting next to a lady from Melbourne who had lived in Yogya and gave me some info on the way over. She said although she had flown in and out of Yogya many times, she never enjoyed it and indeed it was a very bumpy landing.
We were picked up from the airport by the staff from Rumah Mertua. It was a short drive to the hotel and I noticed the traffic is more like Australia than Bali traffic. At the traffic lights there are people who come along and play instruments and sing at the car windows in hope of making some money which was unusual.
We arrive at Rumah Mertua (it means house of the parents in law) and our room is great and tastefully decorated in lots of white and teak wood. The pool and gardens are nice too. This small hotel of only 9 rooms is very popular, and is often fully booked according to the staff. We had booked in advance through their internet site.
It starts raining quite heavily so we decide to order lunch to be brought to the little veranda. There is no phone in the room so to call the staff you have to clang a big wooden ornament and sure enough, the staff arrive quickly. We order the rijstaffel, its 40k each for a minimum of two people. We can't believe when more and more plates of food keep coming. They plates are double stacked on the table and we have no hope of trying everything or finishing. The food was very tasty
That night we go shopping firstly at the Kosmo outlet, then along Jl Malioboro. The vendors here are mainly catering to domestic tourists but I got a thick leather belt custom made for my hubby for 30k and Wayan finds an intricate Batik Tulis (Handmade Batik) for 120k for his lovely wife. We have a quick look around Matahari but it's the same as Bali and as usual I get accosted at the perfume counters.
We return to Rumah Mertua as it starts raining again so we order some drinks to have in the little bale by the pool. As the owners are Muslim they only have beer or wine, so I have to order a whole bottle of wine and end up crashing early after I drink the whole thing. Wayan stays up to watch the bloody soccer and the next morning he tells me that every half hour or so I raise my head to say sarcastically 'what is the score, still zero - zero?' Ah, we are always taking the piss...
We were due to be picked up at 5 the next morning and at 7 we receive a call from the driver, who has been waiting for 2 hours already. ADUH!!! I tell Wayan to blame me as I feel so seedy and look like death warmed up. I swear off drinking Indonesian wine for the rest of the trip. 1 Pocari Sweat besar and an hour lying down in the back of the Kijang and I'm feeling slightly more human.
We arrive at Borobudur just after 8am. Entry for westerners is $11 us or 9000 rp if you are indo. As we walk closer, we are blown away by the enormity of the candi Borobudur. It is truly amazing. We walk slowly around each level and try to follow the story of the Buddha on the reliefs. It seems to be a constant work in progress as different parts need restoration. We get to the top level and the view is fantastic. We spend some time relaxing and reflecting on our lives before the heat starts bothering us and we decide to make our way down.
If you make it to Borobudur, I would recommend you go in the early morning before the heat of the day and the tourist buses arrive. It is a place that should be appreciated and enjoyed at leisure as it is a truly auspicious site.
We then drive for an hour and a half to Prambanen, but are sorely disappointed to see the extent of damage caused by the earthquake last year. The main temples are still fenced off as they are unstable, so we miss out on the statues that are contained within the temples. We wonder how long it will take to restore the temples as there are literally hundreds of piles of blocks stacked around.
After our quick tour we sit down with a class of students around 12 years old, they want to practise their English. They ask us many general questions and eventually, if we are married. I explain that Wayan is a Turis from Bali and I am his guide. The girls enjoy this story very much.
We buy some souvenirs from the markets here, but I'm on strict orders from my husband not to buy too much 'stuff', so I try to exercise restraint. The hawkers are really persistent and will not take no for an answer, not even from Wayan in his most polite Indonesian. We are both relieved to return to the safety of the Kijang and discuss how the sellers must be quite desperate if no one is visiting due to the earthquake damage.
We return to Yogyakarta in search of a good coffee. We have a look down Jl Sosrowijaya on recommendation from a journalist from Australia but it is not our scene so we head back to the mall for a couple of coffees.
We intended to look at the palace next but it starts raining heavily again so we return to Rumah Mertua and decide to organise a massage. The reception staff call a local guy with powerful massage skills. For the next hour Wayan is massaged, pulled and twisted and stretched, almost like a Thai massage style. I have my turn next and opt for reflexology due to the wounds on my back. The man pushes on various pressure points all the way down the back of my legs every so often pausing with reiki or something similar. Afterward we both agree that the heat coming from his hand was quite powerful and we both feel rejuvenated. The cost was 75k each for an hour.
After that its time to pack our gear, get a bite to eat and we check out at 6pm. They charge 50% of the room cost for late check out to 6pm and we are advised that there will be new arrivals taking our room at 8pm.
We breeze through check in a Yogyakarta but unfortunately the flight to Bali on Wings air is delayed from 8pm to10pm. We have a couple of coffees but are bored and eager to get back to Bali. The flight takes off over the bumpy runway and in an hour we are landing in Bali. I check back into the same room at Casa Padma and Wayan goes home as his 6 year old son is waiting up for him and his present (some dinosaur figures).