Just got back from a trip to Yogja and currently down with a flu and cough, don’t worry I’m still vid-free 🙂 Damn this trip was fruitful. Let’s go through some of the activities I planned. Oh, I planned an activity for 2 out of the 3 days which was great because I was fucking tired by the third day LOL. Some of the key highlights include Borobudur/Prambanan temples, caving at Jomblang cave and gondola ride at Timang Beach.
Borubudur temple compounds is one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world and it is one of the UNESCA heritage sites which was a must-visit when you’re in Yogja.
We actually took 1.5hrs to arrive at the venue from the city center. I actually thought I was going to see the Borobudur temple during sunrise but when we arrived, the sun was already up and it was chilly af. Guess who didn’t get the dress code memo and wore a dress in that weather. Anyhoo, the weather started getting warmer as the day went by so it was alright. Was pretty bummed that tourists were not allowed to enter the Borobudur complex to get a close-up view but rather we could only admire it from afar which…was quite underwhelming tbh.
But, our next stop at Prambanan temples made up for the disappointment.
The architecture of the temples were pretty majestic tbh and mother of god was the weather hot af. Also, there were truckloads of tourists everywhere. There was also mini farms with deers, elephants and exotic birds in the temple complex for tourists to view as well. Ate Bakso and some tapioca cakes from the bazaar right outside the temples and made our way back. Oh, it’s so funny because when we were ordering food from the stalls, the owners asked us if we were koreans. HAHAHA. So cute.
Borobudor & Prambanan Temples mini vlog
Jomblang cave was recommended was one of my buddies so I reckoned I’d give it a try. The entire set up was manned by 7-8 village men and it looks really tiring tbh. The descend was a 60m drop into the Jomblang cave area and from there you have to trek a little into the pitch dark cave for about 15mins before you arrive at the *light* aka random hole above ground that has sunlight shining into the cave. The trek to the light was covered in mud and if you’re not careful, you might get your boots stuck in the mud and that sadly, happened to me. Almost lost my boot into the mud but luckily, I managed to extract my boot out safely. Phew. Seriously though, the mud is no joke, it can get slippery and you might slip and fall anytime. Thankfully, the view made up for the mini heart attacks I had maneuvering the treacherous terrain.
We also checked out Timang beach as part of the package. We got chauffeured there in a JEEP. HAHAHA. The ride to the beach was bumpy and epic af. FuN!
Surprisingly, I survived the gondola ride across the ocean. HAHA no really, it’s safe. The views of the waves crashing along the coast were stunning. I felt that the ride was kind of overrated but it was a great experience nevertheless. Here’s some footage that I took:
Ah and lastly, the foods in Jogja. They are either very spicy or very very sweet. RIP I has a sore throat and fever on my last day there. But one of the foods we ate was Janjan basar which was a local traditional dessert sold by an elderly lady Mbah Satinem along the streets. I came to know about her after I watched the Netflix series – Street foods: Asia (Yogyakarta ep). Her back story was really sad, her mother got cheated on and passed away leaving her to fend for herself. She did so by continuing her mother’s legacy – selling jajan basah. When I met her in the wee hours of the day ie 530am to buy jajan basar, I was filled with a mix of emotions. Damn, my eyes actually stung a little. We took our queue numbers and waited patiently for our turn to get some of her snacks. Even though the dessert was not mind-blowing, I’m still glad we got to buy from her and help her in one way or another. It was truly a humbling experience.
Till the next,
D
theniecextn. 
Leave a comment