After two nights in Jakarta, we were off to our next destination in Java. Our guide was very anxious about the possibility of traffic, so we were collected from our hotel at 7.15 am for a train that left Gambir station at 9.35 am. We left behind the metropolis of western Java for the paddy fields of central Java and eventually arrived at Yogyakarta a 5 pm after a journey of seven and a half hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We were met outside the station by our local guide, 38 year old Adikara Wedhatama and it was a short ride to the hotel, the Santika Premiere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yogyakarta is named after the Indian city of Ayodhya, the birthplace of the eponymous hero Rama from the Ramayana epic. It has a population of about 415,000 and it\u00a0 is known as the cultural capital of Indonesia. The city was once the seat of power in Java and it is the only Indonesia city still ruled by a monarchy.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If Jakarta had proved to be somewhat underwhelming, we found Yogyakarta much more to our liking and the following day was a delight. We were collected at 8.15 am and not back at the hotel until 5 pm, but it was such a fascinating day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We started with a visit to Kraton, the Sultan\u2019s Palace and cultural heart of the city. We arrived to a display of pentatonic music and wayang puppets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The original building of the complex was constructed in 1756. This living royal complex provided exhibits explaining the history and nature of the sultanate and Javanese heritage and tradition. We learned that the present, long-serving sultan is now 78 and has five daughters but no son, leaving the nature of his succession in doubt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We continued to the nearby Taman Sari water castle, once a royal retreat with bathing pools and hidden passageways and known today as the Sultan\u2019s Garden. Apparently it has an underground mosque.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We then left Yogyakarta for a one-hour drive to Borobudur. Here we had an excellent lunch at a restaurant called \u201cThe Taste of India\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our afternoon was spent at the remarkable Borobudur Temple. Once listed among the Seven Wonders of the World, this Buddhist monument was constructed in the 8th century, lost to humanity for many centuries, rediscovered in 1814, and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is a single massive building covering an enormous 2,500 square metres. It is a masterpiece of design and devotion, with nine levels, topping out at 35 metres, and hosting an incredible 2,672 reliefs and 504 Buddha statues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One is not allowed to climb the temple wearing ordinary shoes in order to protect the monument. Instead one has to purchase and wear special sandals. Early on in the tour by a local guide, rain fell in huge plops before we endured a full-scale tropical downpour. It was every atmospheric. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the evening for dinner, we left the hotel and went next door to a delightful Dutch-themed book cafe cum restaurant called \u201cKopi Pakpos Toegoe\u201d. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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