Sunday ~ Yogyakarta

Tired - yes we woke up just plain tired - maybe we should relax a bit and not be in a hurry to head out this morning?  OK...will do!  We had a late breakfast downstairs and then came back up to the room and just relaxed!  We seem to be going all the time - and especially the last 3 days!  So we did - nothing for a while! 
Nick checked the TV channels what might be on and we find out we have a Belgium/Dutch channel - WOW...how strange to hear Dutch being spoken on television here in Indonesia!

Weird but fun!  So we watched a program and I got caught up on my journal-ling and Blog too!  Good feeling!

Finally at 3 pm Nick says 'if we plan to go somewhere we better do'  .... it gets dark close to 5:30+ '
'Right On Nico...lets do it!'

Nick had mentioned a special hotel he had stayed at 25 yrs ago and thought I too might enjoy seeing it!  He wanted to share it with me...and I do remember the pictures from his album too - so YES lets do it!  He checked the net for the address and we started walking at 3:30...and walked and walked and walked some more!  Those hotel maps they give you - well not every street is on them and so it is always further then you think! ha!

 As we walked along this road - we came to a university and noticed the sign...today students could apply for a placement to study in Holland.

                   We passed this beautiful tree !!  I just stood there looking up and so' enjoyed the color!

              Tried to zoom in...but not too clear - but you can see how pretty it was this up close, anyway!                                                             Just Love all the color here in Indonesia!  God has such variety!

Passed a child care center - called "Olifant" (Elephant) School.  We read so many Dutch words on the signs and we talked with taxi drivers or students and they do not always know that so many of their words are actually Dutch. They have spoken these words all their lives and used them so long through the last decades  that they were surprised to hear they were Dutch!

Doorsmeer - loket - spoor - kantor - besin - amazing how so many Dutch words from the colonial days still stick but the spelling has been changed a bit more to how the Indonesian people would spell it - because they pronounce the words differently!

Well we finally came to the hotel - probably by this time we had walked at least 5 kilometers! 

It took some time finding the hotel for it was kind of tucked away on a smaller street.  But oh what a beautiful setting when we entered it!  

A Beautiful foyer - so formal & Indonesian with a lot of teak wood!  Oh Nick - so glad you showed this to me!

We asked if the dining room was open and the front desk said YES! Ah...a cold drink and then dinner?

We entered into the sitting area - gosh Nick, was it like this 25 yrs ago?  He said yes - not much had changed.  

As we walked towards the dining room - Nick saw some familiar faces - 3 Dutch people he had chatted with in the train and who also got out of the train back in Kroya - they had the van waiting for them and had a guide with them.  Frans & Jos and Ricki - were enjoying a cold drink too and invited us to join them!

Oh how very nice that was and we enjoyed our time with them!  They are heading to Bali tomorrow and are enjoying a 3 week holiday through Sumatra, Java and Bali.  

They thought we were pretty adventurous! And wished us well in our travels!   

It was time for dinner so we wished them well on their continued trip and said our good-byes, and thanks for a nice chat together!

Dinner at the Puri Artha Hotel !  

Yes and we had built up an appetite from all that walking and talking!  

...and Oh it was good!  We ordered gado gado - nasi goreng and a salad that they had on the menu! SALAD.....yes for real! Nick & I split one order - and we are satisfied and contented! Of course we order sabal with that - hot chili...LEKKER! Delicious!

I walked around the grounds and outside in the courtyard - all the hotel rooms face this courtyard. Each  room has two chairs outside their door so they can enjoy the beautiful garden & drink the coffee/tea served at their table outside their room in the morning...nice huh? You Betcha!

                                                                          Adorable setting!

                           The courtyard with little lanteren's - such a wonderful atmosphere to look out on!

Looking back to the dining room - inviting huh?

Please join us!!!!  We wish you were here!

                                              Large Indonesian figurines on the counter ~

A water fountain outside some of the rooms ~ always a pleasurable sound!

                                             ......another courtyard area to sit and relax in!

 So pretty - !

Well a lovely late afternoon it was and at 8 pm we headed back walking to a main street and then caught a taxi - Nick that was a lovely evening - thank you!  

I so' enjoyed it!

 ....and we are both glad we kind of took it easy today!

Smart! 

Saturday Travel - Kroya to Yogyakarta by Train

Our Train would depart out of Kroya at 1 pm so we took our time having breakfast, putting our suitcases and back - packs in order and checking out at the hotel desk.

 In the elevators surrounded by mirrors - the travelers are ready to move on to our next....

 destination~

 The staff at Hotel Santika were tops - a new Indonesian owned hotel and we were treated like celebrates!

 Yun and Tri and Wanto and Nadia and Ozzy were all so kind and made our stay just perfect!

....and even though the taxi had just arrived to pick us up...Wanto fixed us a delicious fruit drink to "refresh us on our trip" back to the train station! Sweet!
We so recommend this hotel for people coming off the train and traveling to other areas close by on Trip Adviser!

 We meant "Fazlur" a university student studying in Jakarta in the Banking world - he was from Sulawesi island.  He was waiting for a connecting train - to Surabaya to meet some friends for the weekend.  It was Saturday morning early when he arrived at this station from Jakarta - he had to wait 6 more hours for the next train to arrive and then he would have to leave already Sunday to travel all the way back again to Jakarta so he can be in school on Monday - Whoa!!!  A lot of traveling (12 hours one way)

 He took our picture at the station!

 The train arrived - people getting out - (lots of tourists in this part of Java)  busy at these train stations - it is a convenient use of  transportation to get around in Indonesia!

We arrived at the station in Yogyakarta - In the train we also met a friendly man Made who was traveling from  Bandung  to Solo on business - and he kindly offered to park one of our suitcases at his vacant seat next to him..aw that was nice - otherwise Nick would have had to drag it all the way down the isle to the other end of the train we were sitting in - and my suitcase only has wheels going one direction - so that was a real blessing!  Nick is building up muscle tone - dragging those suitcases off and onto the trains...pretty heavy!

We had to laugh - the room we have is smaller and reasonable in price - so we took it at the Fave Hotel - and lookie here...from the bedroom there is a window to the bathroom....gosh - that is a new one!






..how funny is that?  Just had to share this one with you all!  Always experiencing new things all the time! Even in the hotels ha!

We arrived at our destination Yogyakarta and it seems like a cute town ~ a very well visited town - the most visited in Indonesia!
Yogyakarta Click on this Link!

 After we had settled in the hotel we decided to head to "Town" to check it out!  There is a main street that Nick said would be fun to go to...so walking down our street we came across this becak driver and he made a deal with Nick and drove us to this main street Jl Malioboro.  Oh this was fun although my heart went out to him peddling away - that is a whole lot of weight - 3 people on the becak - he must have very strong legs!

We stopped at the signal light and here is a mommy with her children on the motorbike...the little girl in between turned her face away when she saw me wave to her - she was very shy and I knew she would look again....and just when she turned her head again I was able to take this picture! 

 These becak driver's just zip through the cars, motorbikes like crazy - squeezing through the most narrow little places where he might just be able to get up a little further and faster!  Everyone just races around you like it is the most natural thing ever!

 This decoration hanging from the signal light is a corn stalk I think - maybe not - but it sure was pretty hanging there as a decoration!

Vonna....I thought of you - and your love for cute little piggies! Hey here in Yogyakarta!

We arrived at the location and it was loaded with people EVERYWHERE!  It is Saturday evening and everyone was out - eating, listening to the music - socializing after a working week - loads of motorbikes parked everywhere...oh my...this is the place to be on a Saturday evening!

 All these local food stalls along this shopping street - the stores sell mostly clothing - and there is also a large assortment of batik stores - the beautiful Indonesian dress - shirts, dresses, purses etc. But along the sidewalks - people sat on the ground, on mats, on low tables, curbs and steps - eating, enjoying each others company - it really seemed like the whole town had come out: fathers mother children, and many teenagers and lots of tourists too!

 We walked and walked along this avenue - just enjoying the atmosphere and people and seeing all that everyone was doing!

Lots of activity - and many many tourists - I took this picture from the restaurant we heard about Legian Garden Restaurant on he 2nd floor!  

 Oh it was a cute restaurant and we sure did have a good meal - Rendang with white rice and gado gado - yum! (and there in the distance at the other table we heard Dutch being spoken!) 

 Just had to take another picture for you all - can you believe the motorbikes?  
Yes.. so many motorbikes lined up on the sidewalks along this busy shopping street! There are attendants,  that help the people park and line them up snugly & then when the people return - he pulls them out of the row which is tightly parked and the person hands him so money for the care of the bikes while they went elsewhere for a while!

We saw one sidewalk with rows of becak's - the drivers called out to us...in English, Dutch, do you want a ride?  Rows of becak's - so cute!  Most of the men just sat there in the becak seat - smoking, chatting with one another - enjoying their evening as well! Very relaxed! 

Well after dinner - Nick wandered over to the Dutchie's and began to chat with them!  What fun!  Bert & Ria (yes my mom's name!) and Ad & Ade' (Indonesian born - from Ambon) and they invited us to sit with them and we did!

 We had a lovely time together - hearing about their plans here in Indonesia!  They are all from Nijmegen, Holland  neighbors and close friends!  Bert said that he loves the Indonesian cuisine and loves it when invited over to eat at Ade' for any occasion! Yes Bert I so understand - Lekker eten ja!!!! Enak sekali!

It was so' fun to meet them and we had a good time and hope to see them again in Nijmegen when we arrive in Holland to end our trip before heading back to the States! 

Hardstikke gezellig Luitjes!

Outside back on the street - the evening felt cool and breezy - nice! We were approached by a becak driver again and thought "well why not - let's do it!" So off we went back to the hotel - and it was a wonderful ride!

It was busy on the road and fun to zip through everything in the evening ~

 Some were already heading home I think - because there was lots going on left right behind and in front of us!

 Sometimes the motorbikes just go up on the sidewalk to get ahead...if no one is walking there...well why not? (chuckle! chuckle!)

 This cyclist had a lot of little stuffed animals on his helmet - can you see it?  Even the our becak driver saw it and pointed it out and laughed!

Got back to our hotel - we had a great day...Purwokerto to Yogyakarta - we hope to stay here several days!

We received an invitation from Willy & Milah (whom we meant on the train from Bandung to Kroyo a few days ago - remember?) and they emailed us to ask if we wanted to join them for a ride today seeing the area - so nice of them but we were pretty tired from the last days...so Sunday - just take it easy and do this blog, journal and do some afternoon sightseeing!  

We hope to meet up with them tomorrow while they are still in town! 

Looking forward!