Saphir Yogyakarta Hotel

... adjacent street. The room was small, and only slightly cleaner, although the bathroom was a significant improvement. We decided to stay as it was getting late and the options were limited. Besides, they agreed to move us to a much nicer room the next night when they had more availability. We were so anxious to move that we didn’t even barter the price down, in fact they lowered the price just for the sake of it without us even asking. I well should have had it out with them ...

... the top of the hill, and after only five I never wanted to see another motorbike again. The cacophonous noise and the fumes were awful. At the top there were absolutely loads of people. It was about 4.30am, and we watched the horizon. To begin there was nothing, and it was still pitch black. However, slowly but surely it began to grow lighter. Far away o the horizon we could see a faint dark red glow, which soon transformed into a deep orange. Eventually the whole place ...

... path with the train station immediately behind it. We were kept awake all night by low flying planes overhead, the sounds of announcements being made over the station tannoy and trains pulling in and out of the platforms. Java is a Muslim country and the hotel was situated very close to the local mosque. At 4:30am the call to prayer was blasted out at significant volume and we had to endure the sounds of wailing for around half an hour. To top it all, our ...

... which is crazy! Hanan remarked that, while in Bali, he’s never been closer to Australia, both in location and in culture. Aussies are everywhere, and while they are typically a nice bunch of folks and are very friendly, in huge numbers (and when massively drunk, as the younger folks generally get in Kuta) they can be kind of off-putting. I’ve learned to differentiate a “country” Aussie accent from a “city” one, and I have now officially seen my ...

... to be revised? <br><br>With time to burn, we wondered to the local shopping mall, a wonderful invention we had not seen since Singapore; the type of place Andy could have bought the camera he had already bought in Ubud, Bali [Andy: Alright Rich! The pain of Ubud still hurts!]. After wondering around for a while, and several bathroom stops later, I had to retire back to the guesthouse ill. I spent the rest of the day sleeping until dinner time. I believe the rest of ...

... that Cath tried Banana Spring Rolls with Cheese on top for a desert at Restaurant Guding. Turned out to be excellent oddly?? Go try... Duta was a nice place to stay, excellent in fact, sadly our room was relieved of about 50 quid in our absence. When I asked if anyone had 'handed it in' they just shrugged. Tough's tough here. So the following day we head out to Guning Bromo by 10 hour minibus trip (if it says 10 hours it means 12 - without fail). Peace.

... As much as the artwork is beautiful we ended up, after shopping around, learned that we nearly got scammed and got fed up with their selling techniques. We liked one artist a lot and recognised him in different places but were sceptical as to why everyone has his work and whether he gets much of a cut. See each piece is unique and cannot be mass produced or copied. Its a local trade and about 25 top artists sell their work. The ...

... intact, a testament to the phenomenal construction of old religious and cultural buildings. It reminded me immediately of the temples of Khajuraho, with its towering spires - the tallest of which is the main Siwa shrine at 47m! Lacking the detailed sculptures of Khajuraho that are world famous, the architectural style was quite similar and it was spectacular to study every inch of this temple complex. Unfortunately ...

... diese getrockneten Nüsse zum Probi**en v**sprochen hatte. Hab ich also eine Tüte trockene Nüsse bekommen *g*. Draußen angekommen hat es keine 5 min gedau**t bis sich d** **ste ält**e H**r an meine F**sen geheftet hat. Er hat mir gezeigt wo das Wat** Castle ist und ist mit mir auf dem Weg an so ein** W**kstadt für diese Schattenspielpuppen vorbeigegangen. Ich meine, ich weiß, daß ** sich als Guide an meine F**sen geheftet hat, ab** ** war total unaufdringlich, arbeitet in ...

... A huge course of "Hallos!!!" and jumping up and down errupted. Too funny :-) Enjoyed the best breakfast at the hotel buffet on Wednesday morning... a fantastic tofu and green bean stir fry with rice - that I could get used to!! We took a jaunt down to the Paris Van Java (sp?) mall getting there before opening... As such, we were able to witness what we believe to be a morning tradition at an Indo department store - lots of music and praying upon opening of ...