Hello friends! I am having a super productive Monday.. shocking, since Mondays after a weekend away are usually really hard for me. But this morning, I was in the office right around 7:15.. I knocked out a ton of work.. hit the grocery store and the treadmill after I left the office.. and now I'll publish a blog post before my 9pm conference call!
This is going to be a super photo-heavy post, but I have a lot to share! I just got back last night from a weekend away in Yogyakarta. Most of you may have never heard of Yogyakarta before, but it is an Indonesian city that is home to some awesome cultural sights!
We flew in on Friday evening and headed out to our first hotel. The most popular attraction in Yogyakarta is to go see Borobudur at sunrise. On the recommendation of a friend, we drove about an hour from the airport to the temple grounds and stayed at the Manohara hotel, which is right at the entrance to Borobudur. We checked into our room and then headed to the hotel restaurant for dinner, where we enjoyed some tasty Indonesia cuisine and some Indonesian entertainment.
Merapi erupted quite significantly back in 2010. At one point when we were driving through what seemed like a bunch of rocks and dirt, our driver told us that he used to live in the village that was there. Then we stopped at a make-shift museum that chronicled a little bit about the 2010 eruption.
After handling the heat for as long as we could, we left Prambanan and made it to our final destination. Once we were at the Sheraton, we never left haha. The rest of the weekend, we got massages, spent time by the pool, and slept late. It was bliss!!
This is going to be a super photo-heavy post, but I have a lot to share! I just got back last night from a weekend away in Yogyakarta. Most of you may have never heard of Yogyakarta before, but it is an Indonesian city that is home to some awesome cultural sights!
We flew in on Friday evening and headed out to our first hotel. The most popular attraction in Yogyakarta is to go see Borobudur at sunrise. On the recommendation of a friend, we drove about an hour from the airport to the temple grounds and stayed at the Manohara hotel, which is right at the entrance to Borobudur. We checked into our room and then headed to the hotel restaurant for dinner, where we enjoyed some tasty Indonesia cuisine and some Indonesian entertainment.
Our three little beds haha
This satay was actually not that good.. so I just ordered another dinner because it was so cheap anyway!
Saturday morning, we woke up shortly before 4am so that we could head over to the temple for sunrise. Borobudur, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was absolutely spectacular. Definitely worth the early wake up!
It is huge when you walk up to it.. the pictures really don't do it justice
These bell shaped structures at the top of the temple are incredible
Sunrise!
You can see some of the other tourists around the temple in this picture. This was the only downside - there was a lot of unnecessary chatter that kind of spoiled some of the serenity...
Of course, a sarong for cover in order to be respectful
Beautiful!
Lots of Buddha statutes everywhere.. this temple is from before the conversion to Islam in Indonesia
I love the bells
After sunrise, we ate breakfast, checked out of the Manohara, and were picked up by our driver. For a ten hour private car service from Borobudur to Yogyakarta, stopping at various attractions in between, it was about $30 USD. So cheap.
When I was booking the car service, one of the options that they mentioned was a stop at Merapi volcano. Merapi actually erupted last Monday (but it was very small.. just spewing some ash), so we weren't sure if it was still a good idea to go visit it, but our driver assured us it would be fine, so we headed over. When we got there, we decided to rent a Jeep to cruise around the volcano for a while. (Stephanie and I figured that we've already hiked a volcano, so we may as well tour one in a Jeep. Little did we know what we were in for!! We opted for the one hour tour, and the guides gave us helmets and face masks before we loaded into the Jeep with another driver.
Mount Merapi in the distance
Our ride
We are ready!
Our driver was great, but there were no seatbelts!
Lots of volcanic debris and lava
The roads were bumpy!
Beautiful blue skies in the backdrop
Merapi erupted quite significantly back in 2010. At one point when we were driving through what seemed like a bunch of rocks and dirt, our driver told us that he used to live in the village that was there. Then we stopped at a make-shift museum that chronicled a little bit about the 2010 eruption.
Everyday objects destroyed
Our driver also took us down to see the bunker where everyone had hidden during the eruption
You could see tons of construction-type vehicles still working on clearing things out
Lava flow beneath us
Steam pockets from the heat of the volcano
This was the on-site bathroom. We all held it.
Fun times!!! And Steph and I are both wearing our shirts from the NZ race - woops! Brian kept saying that we looked like our own sports team haha.
We dubbed our adventure as a "volcano safari" based on our previous experience with a desert safari. It was an awesome way to spend an hour! Afterwards, we met up with our driver and headed toward our next destination. Indonesia is actually incredibly beautiful, and we passed lots of beautiful fields full of crops. Stephanie works for a farming company, so she knows tons about that sort of stuff - it was fun to learn!! At one point, our driver actually pointed out a peanut farm and asked if we wanted to stop. We all hopped out of the car, and he went and just yanked some fresh peanuts out of the ground! This was obviously my first time ever seeing a peanut farm!
Fresh peanuts
We ate a few right off the plant.. hard to describe! Not crunchy like you expect them to be because they aren't roasted.. more like a crisp vegetable almost? Super interesting though.
He also tried to find some fresh soybeans for us to try, but no luck.
We did stumble upon some people harvesting rice though!!
It was a pretty old school machine
Old women carrying grains on their backs!
This is what it looks like before it goes in the machine
Then it was time for lunch!
After lunch we made our way to our last stop before our hotel in Yogyakarta - Prambanan temple. Prambanan is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it did not disappoint! Unfortunately, it was the middle of the day at this point, so it was REALLY hot, and our visit was pretty short.
It used to be a huge complex of temples, but an earthquake destroyed a lot of it.
Still spectacular to see
These all used to be small temples surrounding the larger temples. Restoration efforts are ongoing.
Prambanan was a huge complex of structures
Love the bells here too!
There were some areas where you would've never guessed that it was earthquake damage
After handling the heat for as long as we could, we left Prambanan and made it to our final destination. Once we were at the Sheraton, we never left haha. The rest of the weekend, we got massages, spent time by the pool, and slept late. It was bliss!!
View from the room
A typical weekend afternoon
The weekend was a great mix of culture, adventure, and relaxation, but I was happy to get back to Singapore and sleep in my own bed last night. This week is a full week for us, but I do have a turkey dinner planned for Thursday night! Hope everyone enjoys the Thanksgiving holiday. I am thankful for all of you!!
