Yogyakarta
After 20+ hours of flight and 3 different planes, I finally made it to Jogja from San Francisco. Yogyakarta (aka Jogja) is a charming small town where the traditional life smoothly blends in with the modern world. It is close to Prambanan and Borobudur which also makes it a major hub for tourists.
I arrived in Jogja late in the evening during a national holiday (end of Ramadan). All hotels were booked out, so I wandered aimlessly through the narrow little streets trying to find a hotel for the night. Eventually, some guy approached me and offered to help. He then ran around through the neighborhood and brought me to a run down little hotel that was good enough for the night. I expected this man to ask me for money, but he didn’t. I didn’t realize it yet, but this brief encounter with a helpful stranger would be one of many during my trip.
I knew Java was quite a conservative place and it was certainly not the first conservative country I have been to. But I didn’t realize how uncomfortable Indonesian men would be with a woman traveling by herself. The traditional Indonesian way is that women do not go outside unless accompanied by a male relative or with a large group of girlfriends. Since I did not have a male traveling with me, I quite often had some random guy volunteer to be my guardian in case something might happen. I was half amused, half irritated by it. But there wasn’t much I could do about it. These guys would only leave once I was somewhere they esteemed safe.
On my second day in Jogja, I took a long walk through the city. The Kraton (home of Jogja’s sultan) was closed due to the holiday, but yet another guardian volunteered to show me the water castle. This middle-aged man who lost his daughters in the 2006 earthquake ended up being good company. He showed me lots of places I would never have found by myself and told me about Jogja’s history.
The water castle is a complex built in the 18th century which mainly served as the pool for the sultan. Although it has been quite damaged by volcano eruptions and earthquakes, one can still make out how beautiful this place must have been. It was connected to the main palace by a canal and gardens. The set of 3 pools were built completely surrounded by water and an underground tunnel connected the pool area to an underwater mosque, saunas and meeting rooms. While there is still water in the pools, it is not surrounded by water anymore. Instead, the workers of the sultan now live in the area around the pool and the whole complex is above ground.
After visiting the water castle, I took a taxi to the bird market. I found it impossible to leave the bird market without feeling depressed. The bird section of it is certainly fascinating. Indonesians seem to love birds and many keep them on their balcony so as to wake them up in the morning with their singing. At the market, you can buy all sorts of birds, all sizes, all colors, and many beautiful birds I had never seen before. But often these birds are cramped into tiny little cages and the whole place ends up being quite noisy.
At the edge of the bird market, people sell all sorts of other animals: gigantic snakes, cats, dogs, mice, rabbits, bugs,…. you name it! It is this part of the market that I found truly tragic. Many of the cats and dogs are visibly malnourished and sick. Some seem close to dying. All animals are packed into small cages, are exposed to the sun all day, and have no direct contact with humans. It was heartbreaking to see the little puppies desperately trying to have some contact with humans. Others were just lying lifeless in their cage, visibly dehydrated. People were also selling grown pitbulls that were locked up in very sturdy cages. It made me wonder whether Indonesians practice pitbull fights.
It was hard to see so many Indonesian visitors walk by this area without showing any sign of concern.
Please go here to see more images.
Practical Info:
Taxi from airport to city center: 60,000 IDR
Hotel: I can highly recommend the Losmen Setia Kawan. It is very popular, so book early if you can. You’ll get a single room + a delicious breakfast for 13,500IDR.