Sriwedari Hotel Yogyakarta

... the authority on everything. He asked us our travel itineraries then proceeded to tell us what was wrong with them and where exactly we needed to stay at each place we intended to visit. He then saw Lisa eating a mango and took this as a queue to talk for at least one minute about why his favourite fruit is the banana, and also why he's a vegetarian. We all kept looking away in an attempt to make him shut up, but someone who is so socially inept is oblivious to ...

... and sights to see. I went to the Vredium (check spelling) museum, looking around and just to have a wonder and maybe learn something, become cultured (yeah right!). Here I met Carlos (from Chile) and Rolly (from Indonesia), both spoke good english and invited me to join them to go to the large market. So I said yes. After walking around for a while (and getting some replacement clothing) we met Rolly's friend Erna ...

... we headed back to the city for a night on the beers.

Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to the others again as they only had a few days to spend with us before catching their flight. Me Dan and Rad stayed behind and explored the city a bit more. We got an intense massage which turned out to be in someones house. Its not easy to relax laying on someone else's bed in their bedroom ...

... the countries we’ve visited, most women try to cover up with long gloves, hats, skirts, and shirts as much as possible in an attempt to avoid any contact with the sun, even if the temperatures reach sweltering conditions. Being pale is simply a status thing. It marks you as someone who has the leisure to stay inside and someone who doesn’t toil in the fields for a living. It also marks you as someone with refined lineage, so that no one can suspect your great-great-grandfather ...

... local headline news.], and didn't find them for a good 30minutes; this allowed me to take all the time I needed to wonder around the lower levels of Borobudur appreciating and taking photos of the intricate temple carvings; they were very impressive, and in really good condition. On each of the first four levels of Borobudur there are reliefs in two layers on both sides, recounting the story of the Buddha's past lives and his enlightenment. You can wonder around these ...

... stage from the exits he was trying to take. All in all it was a great ballet and the dancing was awesome. We went to Ministry of Coffee afterwards and got a bite to eat. My first salad in 2 months...yeah. 05/28/09 We did some more exploring around the city today and had lunch at the Civet Café which was pretty good food. Went to Via Via to pay for the Silversmith class and went back to the massage place because the married women's massage from they day before had our ...

... and build little cookie cutter houses for their employees, usually with a company store where you could buy all the things you needed, thus giving all your money back to the company in a roundabout sort of way. The people here were very friendly and the children followed me about in a small pack. Some ******* had taught them to say "photo, photo mister" in an unending chorus which was annoying after awhile but what can you do. It was near sunset by the ...

February 22-25, 2009: Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia Charms and Pitfalls of a Large Javanese City I arrived on my overnight bus in Yogyakarta on Feb 22 and made my way by motorbike taxi to my guesthouse, the Jaya Losmen, on Gang II in Sosrowijayan. This was one of the worst guesthouses I have stayed in, but it cost $4 per night and was right in the heart of the center of town. Gangs are narrow alleyways and immediately I ...

... inside the larger ones for fear of bits, or the whole thing, falling on top of you. Its still an impressive sight. We finished the day off by playing football with some kids in the shadow of the temples. Although we didn't achieve spiritual enlightenment, we did realise that the days of playing football for a few hours straight are firmly behind us, puffing and wheezing our way back home with one or two pulled muscles. Enough Templing, on to the great Bromo volcano...

... and they giggle some more... Hmmm... wonder if my fly has been undone all afternoon?! It's funny though and I get a kick out of it probably just as much as they do so it's all good. "American" fast food treat of the day - a Fanta McFloat... interesting but not sure if they need to extend it to North America! We're off at 8pm to Denpasar and then on to Kuta Beach. A new airline for me...Mandala - very excited!! Such a geek. :-) Till Bali :-) Shaunta