Yogjakarta, Java

Yesterday it was very hot, so we seized the opportunity to go for a 7 hour walk through the city of yogjakarta. We saw a bird market (on which they actually sell animals of all kind: birds, lizards, snakes, cats, dogs, fish and other animals in small cages which are definitely not fitting European standards), the Kraton (the Sultan's palace) and the water palace, took a stroll along Malioboro street which is basically a big market and went to 2 batik galleries. One for scamming tourists and a real one. Price difference was remarkable. 100.000 or 900.000 rupiah for a piece of comparable size. What is nice in this otherwise pretty loud and dirty city, is that lot of walls are covered with paintings or graffiti. We later also took a so called becak. A bike with 2 seats in front. Quite the adventure in this traffic. And with the 2 of us not being the thinnest persons also not super comfortable ;).

Now we'll change location into a guest house we will absolutely love. Viavia comes with a restaurant using organic food where possible, having a fair trade shop and offsetting carbon emissions for the trips they sell you. We will go for another walk this afternoon and will see yogja - as the locals call it - from a different side.Read more