My parents have been wanting to make a short trip to Indonesia, and they were considering between Bukitinggi or Yogyakarta. I wanted to help them to smoothen the trip so I decided to join them on the trip. We decided on Yogyakarta (also referred to as Jogja by the locals).
Friday, 9 Feb 2024
We took a morning AirAsia flight AK 346. I haven’t flown AirAsia in a while so it was a pleasant experience to visit KLIA2 again. I preordered the inflight meal for myself and my parents. The nasi briyani and nasi lemak Pak Naseer was delicious.
The flight was 2 hours 40 minutes. We landed at Yogyakarta International Airport around 11:20AM. The airport was modern and spacious. Our guide, Pak Pujianto (shorten to Puji) was waiting for us at arrivals.
Pak Puji gave us an explanation of the Jawa writing at the arrival hall. I was intrigued by the writing. I didn’t know the Jawa alphabet was still commonly used.
The tour started right away with the following agenda:
- Lunch along the way
- Prambanan Temple
- Dinner in the city
- Drive by evening sights (i.e. Malioboro)
For lunch, Pak Puji brought us to Bu Hartin, a famous restaurant along the major road towards the city.
After lunch, we headed to our first destination, Prambanan. The drive took about 1 hour as it was a cross from the southern part of Jogja to the north.
Along the way, I saw numerous political posters as the presidential elections were literally around the corner (on 14 February 2024).
I have been wanting to visit Prambanan for years, ever since my visit to Bali in 2013. As we arrived, the weather was pleasant. Pak Puji arranged the tickets for us, and we went to explore the site on foot. At the entrance, we were offered to use a guide, but I refused. Later I regretted this as I would have appreciated having an expert explaining me the details of the site.
I had to compensate by reading about Prambanan in “A brief history of Indonesia” and other online sources for me to fully understand the history and cultural significance of the site.
The Prambanan complex was huge, and we only visited the Roro Jonggrang Temple (the main temple). The Sewu temple (north of the complex) seems interesting but it’s too far for us to walk.
As I admired the details of the Roro Jonggrang temple, I cannot help but be amazed at the intricate details of the craftmanship. To think that this was built in 9th century CE, along with the large scale of the site, makes it even more impressive.
As we exited the Pramban complex, there were numerous souvenir stalls. It would be the best place to get Prambanan specific gifts.
For dinner, Pak Puji brought us to Bakmi & Bajigur Kadin. It is a well known restaurant serving local noodles. This was apparent by the large crowds during dinner time.
After dinner at Bakmi Kadin, we took a drive around the city to see the famous Malioboro street. It was a busy area. The traffic was quite heavy too.
We finally headed to the The Alana Hotel. It’s a modest hotel, fully equipped with a swimming pool and gym. The room was spacious and comfortable. I found the local CNN Indonesia to be my go-to channel to follow the local elections.
We had an early night as the next day will be a full day of sightseeing.
Imran Jaafar 