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Yogyakarta (aka Jogja)

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

I got in yesterday morning and have been exploring ever since. I’ll be here for 3 days and then fly back to Bali. The first day I saw the Sultan Palace, a traditional puppet show, and a few batiks. I paid a betcha cycler 5,000 Rp (.50) to take me around Jogja for a few hours.

Second day in Jogja, I went ahead and booked an English speaking guide to take me to Borobudur and Dieng Plateau. I hear that Borobudur is a must see at sunrise… So my guide and I headed out at 4am to catch it! Borobudur is an hour drive from Jogja and the Dieng Plateau is 4 hours away (they are both located in Central Java)

The Borobudur Temple is stunning! It is definitely a must see when visiting Jogja. Latif, my english speaking guide was worth every penny – he walked me through every level and talked about the history of this amazing wonder.

Quick Facts on Borobudur (according to my guide):

Borobudur means “Temple on the Hill”. It was built 1,300 years ago. It is the biggest Buddhist Temple in Indonesia! It’s made up of 2 million block stones and there are 532 buddha statues placed throughout the temple.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdizon

Met some fellow travelers from the Netherlands (Hector, Marcel and Marvin). They have been traveling for a few weeks now around Asia. We might meet up later tonight for a beer but we’ll see…. I have a full day ahead of me tomorrow – since it’s my last day in Jogja. I plan on visiting the Prambanan Temple and hopefully Mt. Merapi.

Tomorrow, Sept 1 – marks the first day of Ramadhan. Ramadhan is a month of fasting, Muslims don’t eat or drink anything from dawn until sunset. Jogja is 70% Muslim.

Doing well in Bali

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Hey folks! Sorry I’ve been out of touch for awhile. Let me give you a quick recap of what I’ve been doing in the last week.

Marcel and Jose are wonderful – since in Bali they have taken good care of me. They offered me their home as a homebase as I take my weekend/week long trips to explore Indo. Thanks guys! Did I mention they have the cutest baby ever! Her name is Noami (4 months) – future heartbreaker for sure (check out my pics and see for yourself). They also have three dogs – two goldens and one laborador. They remind me of my dog Koa – I miss her!

Thanks to Marcel – I experience my first Balinese massage. OMG! I didn’t know that my bones can be popped in so many places…lol. But it felt really good. The massage went for an hour and a half – full front and back, from head to toe. Total Price 50,000 Rp ($5)

Marcel and Jose took me out to several local eats. One was a “hole in the wall” spot with no name – definitely a local spot. The place was packed! We ordered up some chicken/lamb sate, sweet rice and lamb soup. All very good! (Josh you missed out on this one). One night, we ordered McDonalds. Yes, you heard me right – McDonalds. Let me explain (Aaron this is for you) : Marcel and I got home late and Noami was in such a deep sleep that it would have been a shame to wake her up. So we decided to order in – we choose McDonalds. The cheeseburger and fries don’t taste the same compared to back home. The cool thing was that they had delivery service! All the American chains (KFC, Burger King, etc…) will deliver!

I finally finished my “World Without End” book! Yay! I’m starting a new book called “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”…

I got an email from my friend Camille a few days ago. Camille is the ultimate solo traveler – you name the country, she has probably been there. She emailed saying that she’ll be in Indo 9/21 – sucks because that’s the day I leave Indo for Thailand 🙁  We will both try to meet up in Cambodia or Vietnam next month. I’m crossing my fingers.

I’m currently in Yogyakarta (aka Jogja) – writting this blog. I left Bali yesterday and will be in Jogja for three days. I’ll give you the scoop on my next blog.

I’m a local

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008
appearance wise that is :) lol... Until I open my mouth to talk is when the locals realize that I'm not. "Oh your face is Indonesian" is the saying I get from many locals. I'm definitely going to fit ... [Continue reading this entry]

Welcome to Jakarta!

Friday, August 22nd, 2008
is what my taxi driver Dedi said before he charged me 200,000 rupiah ($20 USD) for a ride to my hotel which was 10 minutes from the airport. I had just gotten to Jakarta and was too exhausted to argue. Anyway, ... [Continue reading this entry]

Itinerary

Tuesday, August 5th, 2008

After countless demands/threats from family and friends, please find my itinerary at the bottom :-) lol...love you guys! 

Anyway, my final date is approaching – two more weeks! Yahoooo! Feeling a little bit nervous but more excited than anything. I got my important stuff ... [Continue reading this entry]