Yogyakarta was the first stop on my trip to Indonesia in April 2016.
I was kindly welcomed by the adorable Chuanlin, a Taiwanese friend who is studying traditional Indonesian music at ISI University. She took the time to show me around the very arty city. As she studies art, she shared her knowledge with me, it was great to have a deep insight in the culture of the country. I would have been a simple observer if I hadn’t been with this excellent guide.
We tasted delicious local food and I took part in her music classes where I had the privilege to observe, listen and even try traditional Indonesian instruments.
TAMANSARI
My favourite place in Yogya was Tamansari. The water castle is a site of the former royal garden of the sultunate of Yogyakarta.
BOROBUDUR
One of my best friends Phoebe joined us a couple days late as she missed her flight from Japan, and we visited Borobudur.
Borobudur is a 9th Century Mahayana Buddhist temple designed in Javanese architecture. It is both a shrine to Buddha and a place of Buddhist pilgrimage
There were a lot of kids who had been given a school assignment in which they had to interview English speakers (so pretty much any foreign face). It was fun chatting with the kids who called me Sir but I must admit I did get tired of stopping for selfies every 10 steps.
It is a fascinating site, you can just walk slowly and observe the beauty and the story in each of the carvings.
