Yogyakarta and their temples.

Another long trip until arrive to Yogyakarta because in those days it was public holidays and all tickets for the train were sold, I arrived to the most cultural and artist city in Java.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4Vjgjm85Q0&feature=youtube_gdata

Characterized for Malioboro street. Here you can find all kind of shops, supermarkets, malls, restaurants, Indonesian food stands and a lot of people asking you for see their Batiks (supposedly all of them are the official, but is not like this. All of them are fakes less in the Official School of Batik Art. The enigma is where is this place.

As long as you arrive to Malioboro and start to walk, waves of people come to you to notice that the Batik National Exposition finish tomorrow and you should have a look or, others come and say to you that they know where the authentic school of Batiks is, or maybe they just want to be friendly with you, give you some tips of Yogyakarta and explain you a little of their culture for at the end bring you to some Batik shop exposition. Despite the advice of LoneyPlanet to don’t go there, I wanted to have this wrinkled experience. I followed one of them and I entered to one kind of exposition, all the walls where full of paintings.

He offered me a tea, water, to see the painting blab la bla. I were curious to know for the process of confection, he explain me all the methods, features, the way to get the colours, etc. Obviously I make myself really interested to buy one just to get all those information and at the end he put me the price, it was too much… after intense negotiation I left without buy it and you can’t imagine how he got angry!!! It was really funny but scaring in the same time...

In one of the numerous passageway I found my cheap accommodation. Nothing of the other word, but with a big terrace where is possible to have your scramble eggs or pancake for breakfast. There I met Bella and Jan. We made a good team for stare at the sunrise in the hill next to Borobudur temple and go to take some pictures in the magic and spectacular temple.

Just a pinch of history for keep in mind. Borobudur temple id a Buddhist monument with more than 1200 years. It’s surrounded for green rice fields and traditional rice-growing kampong, all overlooked by soaring volcanic peaks. This enigmatic and mystical temple has more than 60.000 cubic metres of stone. The name means ‘Buddhist Monastery on the Hill’. This temple is famous because has repeatedly suffered attack from forces of nature such a volcanos eruptions and earthquakes and numerous attacks of human hands.

Looking for the intent of find a good temple with less people, the next day I faced renting a bicycle and riding under the sun for twenty km way for see more piles of stones. Prambanan is one of the other Unesco Word Heritage list in 1991.

There is not too much to do from my view point because I didn’t want to spend a lot of money climbing Gunung Merapi for see the sunrise that probably could be really beautiful. Neither in Yogya city is worth to the Kraton or Museum Kareta. The best thing is get soak up for the soul of the streets, the live music, the ‘nasi goreng’ (fried rice with vegetables and egg), the shopping stand and the performances dances.

 

 

Let’s go back to the nature!!!

BATU KARAS (passion for surfing start here)

From the trans Jakarta bus, that was full of people like Metro in Barcelona in rush hour, to the buses station was a big work out. The reason was that I had to hold my backpacks up without any possible movement in the boiling and filled bus. Then the auto bus that will bring me to Pangandaran. You can imagine how that public bus was: seating three in a seat of two, bugs and luggage in the middle of the corridor, no air conditioner, broken windows, smelly and everyone trying to get a conversation with me because they were surprised for see one tourist in this kind of bus.

My plan was spend the night in the bus, although I arrived at 1am. In the middle of the nothing, just small station, two bars closing and the typical locals asking you constantly for bring you to some place by motorbike (ojek) or minibus (bemo). I didn’t think twice and I went to seat down in front of and ATM and take a rest until the sunrise, where a drunk Indonesian girl stopped in front of me and proposed me to give me massage and fuck me for free. Trust me that I said no! Hahaha.

Why? Because is not what I’m looking for. I don’t have religion but in my philosophy of life, nothing is really pleasant when is easy to catch it.

Anyway, my first night in the street was successfully!!! Just two more hours by bemo and one by ojek for arrived to Batu Karas.

This is an idyllic village and surfing hot spot. Is the most enjoyable place where I’ve been in all Java. Just two beaches separated by a wooded promontory. I’ve never forgotten the nice, huge, wood, bungalow where I spent three nights, just having good surf with longboards, eating, reading, sleeping and talking about surf with the locals. This was what I was looking for!!!!!

Three of the four days I spent in the water. The other one I rented a motorbike and I visited the surrounded villages, the terraces of rice fields, Panangdaran beach, a small school where unexpectedly I stopped for teach some games for one hour and the Green Canyon, where boats buzz up the jungle-fringed, emerald-green river to a waterfall and a beautiful canyon where there’s swimming.

 

Jakarta or cacarta?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8vTtSkQya8&feature=youtu.be

Most of the people say that is the most awful city that they have seen. I might have the same opinion.

Basically I can define Jakarta as a big, noise, polluted city without nothing interesting to do. Despite of that is a really big city, a density population, a power industry and a lots of offices that have the control of all Indonesia.

Here the price is the price. I couldn’t negotiate with the owner of the guesthouse. I asked for the cheapest place in the city and I arrived in a really hide suburb in the middle of the chaos, with small streets and a lot of nice rats like crocodiles. Like everywhere, if you go to the cheapest places of Indonesia you’re just going to find a bed, a wardrobe, a fine and a small toilet with just a hole and the shower in the same level. In general, El Rabal of Bcn it was nothing compare with that place.

Tourism in Jakarta could be fun if you get with philosophy that probably you will need one hour for do five km. By bus. The motive is that every time there is rush traffic hour.

Lost in Jalan Jaksa Area and cover around hundreds of bars, pubs and restaurants the best thing to do is enjoy an Indonesian meal, fruit juice and a Large Bintang beer. Despite of that I’d use the time and I did some cultural visits like: big Plaza Indonesia, Museum National, Kota wharf suburb, the bus stations and some really poor neighbourhood with huts as a houses and bonfire as a kitchen.

As a tourist is not worthy to stay more than two days so, I decided to take a bus for go to Panandaran and settled in Batu Karas.

 

Banda Ache and Pulau Weh!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60JeMfBSDaU&feature=youtu.be

After 12h by bus, the city of the terrific famous Boxing Day tsunami of 2003 which killed more than 61.000 people. I knew that this city it would be just a simple transit for go to Pulau Weh island. For this reason I decided to don’t waste too much time. I thought that could be good to stay one night and take the first ferry in the morning, although when I checked that the backpacker was full, I didn’t hesitate and I negotiated the price with an ojek for have a quick visit to the most important places: mosque, tsunami museum, the river and the shocking boat on the top of one house, consequences of the tsunami.

9am in the ferry. Less than two hours an all the tour is done. Interesting conversation with Islam from Egypt. A big traveller man that works for just travel. He has been in all Asia and he really knows to negotiate with the people. He always use the trick to be Muslim to get good prices in the transport, accommodation and food… but he is not, considering that he doesn’t believe in anything, eat pork, drink like an elephant and smoke like a chimney.

This is an island! A village of 20m. wide with few restaurants, one bar in the sand, three scuba-diving centres and, one “green house” with incense all day, and four guesthouses for chose the accommodation. Lucky to be with Islam we got a wood shelter in the first line of the sea for just 5$ per day! Yeahh!!!!

Should believe in destination?

(Wuuuuuuaaahhhuu! What it happened now is…. Fuck! Maybe I have to believe in… I’ll explain this in “Propolingo for climb volcano Bromo” chapter).

Keep going, I wanted to say that just settled down in the island, the first walk in the arriving day, I met two Switzerland gilds and Alberto, the scuba-diving instructor, and without any doubt, I started the Open Water PADI course in the same moment.

The next five days I spent from 8am to 8pm my time having amazing diving, learning about scuba-diving buoyance, decompression methods, times between diving and deeply recoveries and having fun with all the instructors, girls and Islam.

Slops, boats, shores, swimming, masks, fins, tanks, BCN, videos, mammas, green house, motorbike, good food, book, barracudas, headache, earache , colourful fishes, turtle, no gravitation feeling, rocks, currents…

However, all great things finish and my flight to Jakarta has arrived…

Segueix-ho amb l'aventura.