From the 118 steps of Borobudur, to the high peaks of mount Merapi, from the busy streets of Malioboro to the ancient water palace, Taman Sari. Join me on a trip to the city of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. This lunar new year, my family decide to go to Yogyakarta, a small city in the Indonesian island of Java. Yogyakarta is known for its history, its temples and culture. We spent three days and there and this is the itinerary we followed.
Day 1. Prambanan temples
Day 2. Mount Merapi, Borobudur temple
Day 3. Taman Sari Water Palace, Malioboro Street and Kote Gede
PRAMBANAN TEMPLES
Isn’t it mind boggling that you can piece some stones together without an instruction book after they have been knocked down by an earthquake. Well, that’s exactly what’s happening to the Prambanan temples which are getting restored by archeological societies piece by piece. They are a mix of Hindu and Buddhist temples from the 9th century AD.
Right now, we are standing in front of the temple of Shiva, one of the three main Hindu gods. The other temples in that area were the temples of Vishnu, Bramah, Nandi, Hamsa and Geruda. My favorite temple was the temple of Nandi, Shiva’s bull because of the way people have carved the bull to look realistic. It is so cool that they built these temples to be 47 meters high all those years ago! After seeing the Hindu temples, we took an electric bus to the Buddhist temples and on the way we saw a cage full of deer, some Cassowary birds and peacocks. How cool do you think that is?
Soon we reached the Buddhist temples and outside, I could see statues of a half-man and half-lizard demon that was made of stone. A Buddhist temple usually has a short and stout dome while a Hindu temple has a tall and thin one. I was exhausted when I got back to the hotel but felt that the trip was worth it.
MOUNT MERAPI
The next day, we set off to one of the most active volcanos in Indonesia: Mount Merapi. We could actually see it from our balcony. I was really excited because this was my first time going up a volcano. We ate a big breakfast, but I didn’t want to have any traditional Indonesian food, so I kept to my sausages and pasta.
We got to go up the volcano in an open jeep but had to wear helmets, for this would be a bumpy ride since the road was uneven. Our first stop had a wonderful view. I stood there with my jaw open. I could almost see the whole of Yogyakarta. Next we drove to see the lava field and I saw a path made by lava that came from the volcano which had already solidified.
After that, we saw a house preserved by volcanic ash from an eruption in 2010. Inside, we saw strollers, skeletons of cows and even a clock that stopped working at the time, the volcano erupted! While we were going down the volcano, our guide drove the jeep into a river. It was loads of fun and luckily, we didn’t get wet. After we got to the bottom of the volcano, we took a taxi to our next stop: Borobudur.
BOROBUDUR TEMPLE
Borobudur is a Buddhist temple that has been a center of meditation since the 7th century. 118 steps to climb the Borobudur temple will not challenge me I want to climb more steps! The temple only allows 150 people at a time because otherwise, the weight will cause the temple to sink gradually into the ground. We had to wear bamboo sandals to prevent the wearing out of the rock. I found the slippers hard to walk with so my parents got permission for me to wear my crocs.
The carvings on the wall show the many stories of Buddha. Buddha came back to earth eight times in different forms. In one story, Buddha comes back to earth as a fish to save some men in a boat who are being attacked by a shark. It was the arches that interested me the most because, built with stone and with no support underneath, it would have been very hard to balance the stones. Soon we reached the top and could see Stupas. Stupas are bell shaped with statues of Buddha inside. I enjoyed walking on the edge of the Stupas and playing hide-and-seek with my sister. Soon, our hour was up and it was time to say bye to Borobudur temple as we went down the steps.
Once we were down, we took a quick walk through the Borobudur museum and at the exit, I could see a set of instruments which together make up a Gamelan, which is like an Indonesian orchestra. There were a few gongs and a Bonang, a traditional Indonesian instrument that looks like a xylophone. The owner allowed me to play the Bonang. You need to use sticks to hit each note which looks like a pot and has a very low tone. I even played a simple song, which was interesting. Soon after, we were in a taxi going back to the hotel.
TAMAN SARI WATER PALACE
The next day, we went to the Taman Sari Water Palace, the place where the sultan of Yogyakarta used to live with his wives and children. There were a few pools that they used to bathe in and the pools contained spring water. The ancient carvings of lions and butterflies on the stone wall are so cool! The sultan used to throw a flower at his wives and whoever caught it could swim with him in his pool.
He used to have a whole pool to himself! Imagine that! We also went through a secret tunnel that the sultan used for escape when the place was under attack. There was also an underground mosque that was used by women because at that time, they were not allowed to go to public places. Once we were out, we took a taxi to Malioboro street.
MALIOBORO STREET
In 5 minutes we were standing in front of a shop full of batik clothes which I will explain later. It was so cool that the clothes were so bright and colourful! We also went into a food shop to buy traditional Indonesian snacks such as Cassava chips, Rice crackers and Cheese sticks. I wanted to buy everything in the shop! We also got to go on a horse cart ride around town. I enjoyed the ride a lot, the wind pushed against my face as the horse clip-clopped over the road. My sister and I took turns to sit in the front. After the ride we went for an Indonesian lunch.
KOTE GEDE
After a lunch of croquettes and fried rice, we arrived at our next destination Kote Gede which used to be a fort around the old city. We parked outside a Batik workshop and went inside. Batik is a type of artwork on cloth. You have to wax the parts you do not want to dye yet and then dip it in paint. Then, you have to remove the wax to uncover the design. The number of times you have to do this process depends on how many colors you need to use, which sometimes can be as many as ten times. My mum bought a painting of a gold fish. We also went to a shop where we saw people crafting jewelry made of copper and silver. We went back to the hotel after a tiring day and went to the pool where my sister and I played games.
The next day, we got up early to go to the airport. We were flying back to Singapore. At the airport we bought MORE snacks. At the waiting area, I watched Garuda Indonesian, Lion Air and Citilink take off. I tried to race Citilink as it was landing! Soon we boarded the plane.
Bye-bye, Yogyakarta.
