My travel goals are going on as planned (thankfully!) as I've recently returned from my first ever trip to Indonesia.
Fantastic trip.
I am, unfortunately, uninspired to write now so I shall resort to very brief comments on my latest adventure. In any case, photos of our trip can be found at my Multiply.
Not a lot of Filipinos know it, but the largest Buddhist monument in the world is Borobudur. It's this huge pyramid-ish like structure that depicts Buddha's journey to enlightenment. Cool if you ask me. Apparently, it is also Indonesia's largest tourist attraction, not Bali. I assume, though, that they include domestic tourists in that particular statistic since the whole place was swarming with locals when we were there.
We also visited the Prambanan Hindu temples, also located near Yogyakarta. These temples look marvelous with its sheer size and the intricate design. Some argue that they look more awesome than Borobudur itself. The main highlight is the Temple of Shiva which is located smack in the centre of the temple groupings and the largest and the grandest of them all.
Yogyakarta is sort of like a little city in a province. Which it really is. It's considered to be Indonesia's cultural capital and a haven for local artists. It's main road, Jalan Malioboro, is where all the action is. Half the entire length of this long road is lined with people selling batik and other local handicrafts. It is important to mention that even the tourist prices here are affordable. So given that, I bought too much batik. Too much. The city looks a lot like Manila in terms of the organized chaos of motorcyles, cars, the local version of the kalesa (yes, with malnourished horse), and the 'becak' which is like a pedicab and seems to be a common mode of transport even for the locals.
What I like most of Yogya is the people. They're like us! They smile, they laugh, they like music (everyone had a guitar), they're genuine, and in spite of what looks like a simple life, they embrace and enjoy it. Absolutely wonderful. It was totally different from what you'd hear about Indonesians here in Malaysia. I think like the Philippines, Indonesia suffers from a major image problem abroad.
Anyway, I'm definitely not in the mood to write anymore. So this post will end with photos of me doing yoga. Haha! Self-indulgence. A transition from Bakasana to Eka Pada Bakasana, Astavakrasana, Pincha Mayurasana, etc. There's something about ancient ruins that just makes you want to do a yoga pose and get photographed.
Fantastic trip.
I am, unfortunately, uninspired to write now so I shall resort to very brief comments on my latest adventure. In any case, photos of our trip can be found at my Multiply.
Not a lot of Filipinos know it, but the largest Buddhist monument in the world is Borobudur. It's this huge pyramid-ish like structure that depicts Buddha's journey to enlightenment. Cool if you ask me. Apparently, it is also Indonesia's largest tourist attraction, not Bali. I assume, though, that they include domestic tourists in that particular statistic since the whole place was swarming with locals when we were there.
We also visited the Prambanan Hindu temples, also located near Yogyakarta. These temples look marvelous with its sheer size and the intricate design. Some argue that they look more awesome than Borobudur itself. The main highlight is the Temple of Shiva which is located smack in the centre of the temple groupings and the largest and the grandest of them all.
Yogyakarta is sort of like a little city in a province. Which it really is. It's considered to be Indonesia's cultural capital and a haven for local artists. It's main road, Jalan Malioboro, is where all the action is. Half the entire length of this long road is lined with people selling batik and other local handicrafts. It is important to mention that even the tourist prices here are affordable. So given that, I bought too much batik. Too much. The city looks a lot like Manila in terms of the organized chaos of motorcyles, cars, the local version of the kalesa (yes, with malnourished horse), and the 'becak' which is like a pedicab and seems to be a common mode of transport even for the locals.
What I like most of Yogya is the people. They're like us! They smile, they laugh, they like music (everyone had a guitar), they're genuine, and in spite of what looks like a simple life, they embrace and enjoy it. Absolutely wonderful. It was totally different from what you'd hear about Indonesians here in Malaysia. I think like the Philippines, Indonesia suffers from a major image problem abroad.
Anyway, I'm definitely not in the mood to write anymore. So this post will end with photos of me doing yoga. Haha! Self-indulgence. A transition from Bakasana to Eka Pada Bakasana, Astavakrasana, Pincha Mayurasana, etc. There's something about ancient ruins that just makes you want to do a yoga pose and get photographed.
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