Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta or "Jogya" as known by locals is the cultural and art capital of Java. It is still a bustling city but with less chaos than Jakarta. The city itself is centred around the main street "JL Malioboro" a mile long street filled with shops, markets and street food. By day it is relatively calm, by night it comes alive with thousands of people soaking in the atmosphere from the street performers and live musicians.

Cultural stop number 1 - Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia. Constructed in the 8th century, there are 240 temples in total, with the 3 main towers reaching 47m high. Much of the complex has been damaged by earthquakes but they are gradually being rebuilt - this is estimated to take 200years until it is completed! We were lucky to have 2 students who wanted to practice their English act as our tour guides, which gave us an insight into the history of Prambanan.

Borobudar, the largest Buddhist temple in the world was our second cultural stop of the trip. This temple was also built in the 8th century, consisting of 9 levels with over 500 Buddha statues. The temple itself is vast, each segment unique and telling a different story. Our guide was quite the character - at one point taking my palm, taking a quick measurement of my fingers and read my palm.... finally coming to the conclusion that I am most likely to be a nurse or into pharmaceuticals - I was very impressed!Read more