"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him..." - James D Miles
Jogjakarta & Solo Trip
(28 May - 1 June 2008)
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Jogja Nusa Travel
We booked a cab for 3.30 a.m. from our apartment to KL Central where we took the bus to LCCT. Group checked-in was smooth and the agent, Nazran will accompany us in this trip. When we arrived at Adisumarmo Airport, Solo we were met by Pak Kiki, the tour guide and boarded the tour bus to Jogyakarta. On the way the bus stalled and we had to wait almost an hour for another bus to rescue us.
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| (A couple of traditional dancers) |
After we checked in the Mutiara Hotel, the rest went out shopping along the Malioboro street packed with rows of sidewalk vendors. This is the primary shopping street for tourists in the city. He and I took a nap till it was time to ride the ‘andong’ to the Royal Restaurant for a buffet dinner.After dinner we made appointment with the spa for a relaxing traditional massage.'
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Shopping Excursion
We started the day by visiting the Kraton, the Sultan Palace situated in the centre of Jogjakarta and Taman Sari, the water garden which is no longer used by the sultan and had been largely abandoned. We passed along the bird market and visited Kota Gede for silverware and souvenirs at Kampung Kasongan. Lunch was at a local restaurant with a nice view of the padi fields.
We spent the hot and windy afternoon at Parangtritis Beach and later went to Kampung Manding to look for leather goods. Dinner was at a local nasi padang restaurant. The night was spent walking along Malioboro streets and window shopping in the Matahari Mall.. .'
Friday, May 30, 2008
Lava Borobodur Tour
After breakfast, we boarded the bus to Kampung Kaliedem for a beautiful panoramic view of the Gunung Merapi. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. Its name means Mountain of Fire and smoke can be seen emerging from the mountain top at least 300 days a year. Several eruptions have caused fatalities and the most recent eruption occurred in 2006, shortly before the Jogjakarta earthquake.
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| (The still active Gunung Merapi) |
In kampong Turi, we stopped at the salak market to buy snake-skin fruits. We continued our journey to Magelang Province and visited the famous Borobudur temple complex, which is one of the greatest monuments in the world and listed as UNESCO heritage site. This Buddist temple was built in the 8th Century with 55,000 sq meters of lava rocks erected on a hill in the form of a stepped-pyramid of six rectangular storeys, three circular terraces and a central stupa forming the summit. The whole structure is in the form of a lotus, the sacred flower of Buddha.'
We also passed the Pawon and Mendut temples situated in the vicinity of Borobudur. We noticed that the three temples are lined in one straight line position. We stopped at the batik factory and bought some materials. Tonight we had teppanyaki dinner at the Mall. Back in the hotel we enjoyed another round of light traditional massage.
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| (The Hindu Temple of Borobudur) |
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Surakarta Massage
Early morning, we checked out of the hotel and headed to Solo. We circled the famous university of Gadjah Madha, the oldest university in Indonesia. We then passed the Prambanan temple complex, another one of UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the largest Hindu temples in south-east Asia. It is characterised by its tall and pointed architecture, typical of Hindu temple architecture, and by the high central building inside a large complex of individual temples.We had more shopping at the Busana Muslim and local shops selling local delicacies.After we checked in the Hotel Riyadi Palace, we rode in a trishaw to Solo Mall for more shopping. After dinner, we had a therapeutic body massage and slept like a log.'.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Goodbye Solo
After breakfast , some of us visited Mangkunegaran Palace while the rest stayed in the hotel to rest. For those who still have some Rupiah to spend, went to Pasar Klewer or pasar groser for more shopping. After checking out, we went for a nasi padang lunch at the famous Wong Solo Restaurant. Before going to the airport, we stopped at the antique market for last minute shopping and along the way, had a glimpse of the Bengawan Solo river, the longest river on the island of Java.Our lugage need to be transported separately in a van. All in all, the group recorded 57 kg excess bagage, which they had to settle at RM15/kg.