... still on Day 3! (continued from Part II)
Post-cooking course at Via Via, we headed back to Hostel 1001 Malam, gathered with Becca and Brenda, and made our long way to a hostel near Mount Merapi.
We got on a motorbike (2 of us with 1 driver, on two trips), and headed to the nearby Taman Rekreasi Kaliurang, where we had dinner by the roadside.
There were virtually no tourists, and it was pretty high elevation, so it was around 18 degrees. Fantastic weather.
We walked around the place, before the sunset...
It's a pretty beautiful place, and we had to use malay to survive. Well, thankfully Darren did.
Carts selling food that was really cheap, from noodles to corn, omelettes etc.
Guess which is RABBIT satay and which is CHICKEN satay?
We kept ordering, cause it was all so cheap!
There were a few kids, one of whom pointed at Brenda and said, "CHING CHONG!"
Then... we went back to the hostel:
Day 4!
WOKE UP EARLY, and got on our way to our Mount Merapi hike! I know this sounds crazy because this volcano is renowned for being explosive... but we went ahead anyway!
Sleepy faces.
Got free breakfast, and a little introduction before we began our hike... all of this way before sunrise.
Well, since it's so active, there IS a limit we can climb to...
The sun rose as we climbed, and it was breathtaking!
Us, with two german travellers.
That was right about where the marked path ended... after that, we went on this crazy path - actually it's not even a path - where we had to climb and burrow under fallen trees.
At some parts, it was REALLY SO DANGEROUS, I thought I was gonna die!
We just followed wherever the guide took us - and he had a lot of stories to tell us about the previous eruptions!
Becca, so appropriately dressed for hiking.
Would you go on such a hike?
Stunning views!
A little break for some creepy stories.
The fearsome MOUNT MERAPI!
In fact, we hiked along the edge of this cliff where beneath us was just destruction caused by a previous eruption... and you could see remnants of some civilization there. :/
After about 3-4 hours of hiking through some madness, we finally arrived back at the hostel where there was complimentary lunch. THANK GOD.
Went back to our hostel, packed, and ordered lunch in :D
Pretty decent food, good for the weary soul.
And a photo with the awesome staff, who tried really hard to communicate with us... with our minimal command of bahasa indonesia:
With that... we took a long taxi ride back to Jogja, and headed for Adisucipto International Airport.
Right next to the airport was a train station, so we camwhorred:
We had to time these photos of course.
... and with that, we conclude our trip! Got on our Garuda flight back to Singapore via Jakarta!
Overall:
Compared to more established parts of Indonesia like Bali or Jakarta, Jogjakarta might be a little harder to navigate as the general command of English is not as good. Shopping-wise, they sell pretty much the same things that you can find across Southeast Asian countries. But of course, you would come if you're here for the CULTURE - and Jogja is seeped rich in Indonesian culture. Food and travelling around is cheap, which makes it a great destination.
It's more authentic compared to if you visited Bali, of course!
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