Travel tips to Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Bali is not the only tourist option while you are travelling to Indonesia. Surprisingly, Yogyakarta although it is located in Java island, the place is not so crowded and the atmosphere is still cool and fresh with its beautiful green view of ricefields. Not to mention, the Javanese people in Yogyakarta are also very polite and easy to be approached.
There are some tips so you can enjoy or maximise your visit in Yogyakarta:
1. For spa lovers, you must visit Sheraton Hotel in Yogyakarta, located not too far away from the airport. Here, you can spoil yourself with different kind of spa treatments or message. They also have their own pool in the spa area.
2. Visit the villages like Bantul to see the beautiful views of “sawah” or interpreted as rice fields. The javanese people main source of income in this area are rice farmers, therefore you can plenty of green rice fields around. Don’t forget to take pictures of them of course.
3. Try to ride “becak” one of the traditional transportation with two wheels and carry by one person. They usually charge you much cheaper than taxi or other rides around. Usually the best time for this kind of ride is in the morning so you can get the fresher air.
4. Try the traditional food called “Gudeg”, this kind of food you can only find in Yogyakarta. The taste is quite sweet and you have lots of choice with the rice such as; egg, beancurd, chicken, etc. Ask the people around where to find the best “Gudeg” in town.
5. Don’t ever buy food from hotel, they charges you up to 10 times higher than the normal rate outside. What a rip off!
6. Always boil the water, the water here is not safe for drink. Sometimes the tastes of the water is still not so nice even after you have boiled it, so make sure you buy a bottle of water outside the hotels.
7. For shopping lovers, you can go to Malioboro, which is located in the central of Yogyakarta. The place is quite crowded during the day but you can get a good bargain here in comparison to other place like Airport or hotel. The things that they sell include; silver goods, snacks, t-shirts, bags, pants, etc.
8. For silver lovers, you must go to KotaGede. There are plenty of shops around in this area, but if you want to find the best deal you have to go the ones who made the silvers, usually they are in the small alley. Ask your Indonesian friends, if you have one. Nevertheless, if you find it too much hassels there is nothing wrong to go to one of the shops. Their average prices are still relatively cheaper than in America/Europe.
9. Don’t forget to try the small snacks around Yogyakarta, they tastes unique but nice too!
10. Last but not least, go to one of the most popular attraction such as; Borobudur Temple or Prambanan Temple. Borobudur temple is one of the seven miracle in the world so it’s worth taking a picture of it.
Filed under: Travel, Asia, Travel Guides, Travel Ideas