We completed our first full week in Yogyakarta and it was time to head out and get to know the place. Yogyakarta is one of the most historic cities in Indonesia. Its the cultural capital of the Java island and arguably the birthplace of the world famous Indonesian Batik clothes. It was also the erstwhile capital of many Central Java kingdoms and for a brief period, it was also the political capital of Indonesia. All this meant that there is a lot to see and do in Jogya.
The most famous tourist attraction within Jogya city is the Kraton or the Sultan's palace. In the democratic Republic of Indonesia, Jogya is the only province that is still a fully functioning monarchy. The Sultan of Jogyakarta automatically becomes the Governor of Jogya province and there are no elections !
The Palace's courtyards were cool and breezy and were always busy with one ativity or other--on Saturday it was the puppet show.
Sunday started early at 3 AM ...when we boarded our bus to catch the sunrise at the most popular UNESCO World Heritage site in Jogya-- Borobudur buddhist temple. Sleep deprivation, early morning hunger pangs and a climb of 250 steps up the pyramidal shaped temple symbolizing the 10 stages to attain nirvana, was all worth it, when we caught the breathtaking view of misty countryside with mountains at the backdrop and the sun slowly and steadily rising, to illuminate this abode of Buddha. One million photo clicks later, we descended to attain "nirvana" for our hunger and devour the most eargely awaited breakfast of our trip thus far.
The next item on the agenda was Mt. Merapi. Merapi is an active volcano, 20 miles north of Jogya and had erupted just three and half years earlier. It is probably for this reason that they take you there after you have obtained the blessings of Buddha...;)
Once we reach the base we commenced what is interestingly called as the "Lava" tour. Our mode of transport is also changed--a 4x4 Willis Jeep that looked like it was running on super-special life support systems ! Nevertheless it did the job that day as the ever-smiling driver rode us through the bumpy ruins of villages and terrain which had faced the full brunt of the 2010 eruption. There were places where the super heated steam from below was still brewing, after almost 4 years ! I have never ridden an ATV, but my collegue said that this ride would come pretty close to that.
An exhausting weekend but well worth it indeed which ended with lunch at a Mushroom only restaurant...happens only in Indonesia !
No comments:
Post a Comment