chefmaison

If you are planning a holiday in Indonesia, coming from Europe, take out enough time, since travel time can be long. Our holiday actually started in Yogyakarta, and it took us almost three days to get there. We flew with Emirates, a really decent airline with great service over Dubai to Jakarta, where we stayed overnight, and flew on the third day to Yogyakarta. We could have of course flewn directly on to Yogayakarta from Jakarta late on the second day, but if anything would go wrong between Brussels and Jakarta, we would miss the connecting flight to Yogyakarta. And we wanted to acclimatize to the hour difference and the climate by staying one night near the Sukarno airport of Jakarta, taking a relaxed breakfast the next morning before our flight to Yogyakarta. 

I bought a Telkomsel SIM card in the arrivals hall and since we also would stay on Raja Ampat we needed a SIM card with national coverage. I bought a 25 GB simcard which costed 500.000 rupiah, I checked with all the other shops, they all ask the same price… They install the SIM card in your phone, and via the Telkomsel app you can see how much data is left on your card. 

We spent our night in Jakarta in the FM7 resort hotel, which is conveniently close to the airport (a 10 minute drive). The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service between the hotel and the airport. Someone (in a recognizable yellow butlers’ vest) meets you at gate 1 outside the arrivals hall of Terminal 3 ( in our case) at Point Cellular and brings you (together with other guests) to the shuttle bus.The hotel has a beautiful indoor swimming pool and wellness area, and after a great breakfast the next morning we took the shuttle bus back to the airport. (Easy Peasy!) The rooms are quite standard but just what you need for an overnight stay.   

Traveling from the Yogyakarta airport to the city centre takes time; you can take a taxi, for 200.0000 rupiah or more and the ride can take between 1 and 2 hours depending on the traffic. We chose the train, but unfortunately the first two scheduled trains were sold out, and we had to take the next one two hours later, which was the express train (what’s in a name, its travel time is 5 minutes shorter…) and pay more than double the price for a train that goes just a tiny bit faster. We took a drink and something to eat in the departure hall of the airport and relaxed a bit.

When arriving in Yogyakarta we used the Grab app to get a taxi. One advise, already book the Grab before arriving at the train station, that way you do not have to wait that long when arriving, since everyone getting of the train in Yogya booked a Grab already and it gets really busy at the the Grab pick up area. The Grab app is very straightforward, and it costed only 20000 rupiah to get to the Phoenix hotel where we would stay four nights. The hotel is located in an old 1918 colonial building, which gives it a beautiful nostalgic look. The rooms are decorated in the same style, the standard rooms are not very big but the bed is super comfy! They have a beautiful outdoor swimming pool, indoor sauna (small one) and fitness room. The first evening we ate out in a side street of Malioboro street, Jl. Sosrowijayan nr. 2, in a small local restaurant named Lesehan Aneka. You are seated on mats on the floor, and we ordered the local Yogyakarta specialty ‘Gudeg’, a jackfruit stew with beef skin and spicy tofu, rice and grilled chicken and lemon tea.

The breakfast buffet at the hotel is sumptuous…, you do not know what to choose first, but no harm, we have four mornings to try out everything. Lots of local food aside from the classic Western choices. 

After breakfast we took a Grab cab to the Kraton, the sultans’ palace ( 12000 rupiah). The entrance to the palace costs 50000 rupiah for foreigners. You first come onto a large square where you can enjoy a Gamelan and shadow puppetry performance. You then pass two large statues to enter the palace grounds, which is only partly accessible since the Sultan still resides here. There are some exhibitions on the wonderful life of the Sultan and one about his marriage ceremony. This is obviously a standard outing for schools and government employees, so it can get crowded with many groups visiting.

We then walked towards the Water Palace, which used to be the Sultans pleasure palace, designed by a Portugese architect. We made a stop in one of the old palace buildings, Prince Joyokusumo’s house, just outside the Kraton, to have a lemon squash to quench our thirst. The Water Palace which you reach via small winding roads, is now a whole quarter where locals live and set up shop in between the ruins of the palace which used to be a real labyrinth of halls, pools and buildings which the sultan could reach via a secret walkway from his Kraton. The popular underground mosque was unfortunately closed for renovations when we visited. There are many small shops selling souvenirs, interspersed with coffee and tea shops. 

After a few relaxing hours by the pool, we took a Grab taxi to the end of Malioboro street to see if we could buy some nice souvenirs and presents… The Beringharjo Market was already closed since it was after 5 PM already. We went to Hamzah Batik store on the other side of the street, but were bitterly disappointed. Everything in the shop felt tacky and the style of clothing outdated. The rooftop restaurant also didn’t look very attractive. We then walked down the Malioboro road to see if any of the shops there would offer something better, but again, I do not see what is the  real attraction here. Apart from a few exceptions all stores offer exactly the same, and even in the few shops that try to differentiate from the rest, I did not find anything I wanted to take home. 

We had dinner in Kebon Ndalem coffee and eatery which attracts many youngsters who prefer a seat outside because of the view over Tugu monument. We chose to eat inside since it had started raining. The food is good and even though the menu is in Indonesian, one of the waiters kindly helped us make our choice. The Mojito’s they serve are non-alcoholic, great for someone like me who does not drink any alcohol. Beer and alcohol are quite pricy ( especially compared to the price of the food) in this mainly Muslim country and many places do not serve any alcohol at all.

The next morning we called a Grab taxi to go to Prambanan after the morning thunderstorm had subsided. The ride to Prambanan took 30 minutes and costed us 78000 rupiah. He dropped us outside the parking area. We had bought our tickets online the evening before, so we just had them scanned at the counter for foreign visitors (which is air-conditioned opposed to the one for domestic visitors, is that why our tickets are 9 times more expensive?), and received a ticket and a voucher for a bottle of mineral water. The ticket price for foreigners is 375000 rupiah. We visited on a Friday, beginning of December and the site was really not crowded at all, most visitors were Indonesian, I only saw a handful other foreign visitors. Many Indonesian visitors wanted to have their picture taken with us or strike up a conversation. (You should think foreigners are not so exceptional anymore these days…) Prambanan is an impressive Hindu temple built halfway the 9th century, comprising of 244 temples of which 8 major and 8 minor ones are still erect. There are 3 main temples, the largest one, Shiva Mahadeva, is 47 m high and holds the statue of Shiva, Ganesha (Shiva’s son) and Durga (Shiva’s consort). Two 33 m high temples on each side, Vishnu and Brahma, hold their respective statues. The temples are intricately carved with Boeddha statues, scenes from the life of Shiva and the Ramayana. After climbing 6 of the 8 temples you can discover 4 more temples North of Prambanan; Lumbang, Brubrah and Sewu temple. You can reach them on foot, they are really close, or you can a rent a golf cart, a bicycle or electric scooter. When we visited the Sewu temple was closed of, you could only see the outside, you couldn’t enter. 

After cooling of with a refreshing fresh coconut ( 15000 rupiah) we returned with a Grab taxi and paid 99000 rupiah this time. We took lunch at the Phoenix hotel and enjoyed the swimming pool in the afternoon.

In the evening we took a Grab taxi to the batik street of Yogya, Tirtodipuran street, where we first bought something in the Kusumavignette Contemporary batik store, and via some other shops walked towards the backpackers street of Yogyakarta, Prawirotaman street, where we continued our shopping and had dinner at the lovely Via Via Guesthouse. They serve great Indonesian food in a great atmosphere. We also walked into the Prambanan Guesthouse where we had stayed 28 years ago and where our son had celebrated his first birthday!! The place had changed after the damages they suffered from the 2006 earthquake. 

On our last day in Yogyakarta we headed out to Kota Gede district, the old part of Yogyakarta, an area of silversmiths. We first took a Grab taxi to the train station to print out our boarding passes for the train to Surabaya a few days later. I had booked by tickets via Ticket.com, and wanted to be sure that the booking was OK. In the ticket counter area you find a screen in the far corner where you can scan your booking and print our the orange boarding passes. It went smoothly. We then took a Grab taxi to the Pasar Legi Kotagede, the market of Kotagede, where they sell fresh produce and some wicker baskets. Here you can also find the typical sweets of Kota Gede. From there we walked into Mondorakan street (where you find some silver smith shops) and took the first small alley on the left, Masjid Mataram, where you are thrown back into time. At the end of the street you walk through a stone gate into the Masjid Gedhe Mataram, a burial ground for the 16th century founder of the Mataram kingdom, Panenbahan Senatopi. Other royals were also buried here. There is a mosque inside the complex, the complex is surrounded by large walls and gates, you find several Hindu-style buildings and the ancient baths, which are preserved rather well. It is a popular place for young couples to have their wedding pictures taken. Wander around the complex, going from one courtyard to the next. 

Exit it via the gate at the left hand side from where you came in, and take a right into Masjid Besar Road. A bit further you can take a turn left into a small alley called Between two Gates. The houses in this alley, decorated with beautiful wooden carvings, are privately owned. The patio of the houses form a common shared lane, also used by the general public. The inhabitants form a harmonious community, and the alley is quiet compared to the busy roads around. There is a small silver shop in the alley, and a really nice café, Longkang, where you can have a drink and a meal, which we did. It was really good! You should try the green tamarind drink. Around it are several small alleys with a lot of greenery. We walked via some small alleyways back in the direction of the market and continued in Kemasan street where you find several silver shops. The style is very local though, catering mainly to locals and to newly wedded couples, so we did not really find anything to our taste, the shops are interesting to visit though. 

We took a Grab taxi back to Tirtodipuran street to visit some more batik shops and workshops. We had arrived too late the previous day, many shops close at 6 PM, the batik workshops close at 4 PM. Shops worth visiting here are Kusumavignette Contemporary batik, Seno batik and Dewi Tara antique shop. In Prawirotaman street you can find Lemari Lila (owned by Via Via guesthouse), and As Java, those were the shops where we found the nicest gifts. 

We took drinks and an early dinner at Via Via guesthouse again. Here you should try the local drink Wedang Keraton, (also known as Wedang Secang) you can drink it hot or cold. It a Javanese drink made from Sappan wood bark, cinnamon, pandan leaves, lemongrass and ginger. 

During our three and a half week trip to Indonesia we also traveled to Borobudur, Mount Bromo, Surabaya and Raja Ampat on West-Papua. I wrote separate blogs on each of those destinations.

After our three week holiday in Indonesia we had a 14 hour layover in Jakarta after flying in from Sorong, before our international flight back home via Dubai. I was figuring out how to spend it.

The first problem was finding luggage storage at the airport in Jakarta. No one seemed to have the answer to this question online, so I would try to figure it out when we got there, and the idea was to go to one of the malls and do some shopping, since we still needed some Christmas gifts. The mall could not be too far away from the airport since the traffic is notoriously bad in Jakarta. I was torn between Central Park Mall and Sarinah XXI mall. Central Park mall is a big mall and has a second mall only a 5 minute walk away from it. Online they say the mall is a 30 to 45 minute car ride away, but we have to get back to the airport in the evening and I was not sure what the traffic would really be at 7 or 8 PM back to the airport. I wanted to be at the airport 3 hours before take-off to be sure. 

We asked one of the flight attendants before getting of the plane where we could store our suitcases en they pointed us towards the .Box, next to MM juice in the arrivals hall just outside gate 3. Here you can leave your suitcases and bags and pay per day. The price depends on the weight of your luggage. If you have laptops/electronics or photo material in your luggage you pay a little more. It costs 60K for a bag up to 10 kilo, 70K for a bag or suitcase up to 20 kilo and you pay 90K for a bag which contains electronics. They are open 24/7. You pay upfront, and tell them at what time you will pick up your luggage. We then took a Grab taxi outside the arrivals hall to Central park mall. We left the airport around 11 AM and the ride took 50 minutes. We first had lunch at Bermuda, at the outside inner court of the mall where you can either sit inside or outside. The food and drinks were good. After visiting the mall we moved to another mall just next door, the Tamal Anggrek mall. This is a real crazy mall, there was a whole lunapark for kids, an indoor ice skating rink (while it is 34 degrees Celsius outside), and a Christmas market on the ground floor. We returned to Central Park mall to have a drink before taking a Grab back to the airport around 7PM.  The ride back to the airport took longer, around 70 minutes. We picked up our bags from the domestic arrivals hall in terminal 3, checked in and spent our last rupiahs on some Indonesian food in the departure area. 

Then is was time to get on our flight with Emirates to Dubai where we had a connection to Brussels.