Yogyakarta Off The Beaten Path

I signed up this 1-day course on the last day of my trip. Initially I was interested in doing bicycling to one of the villages but I had to give up this idea after realised that the bike itself weight heavier than me :(

Batik painting wasn't easy as well. Lots of patience and effort required. I was exhausted at the end of the day but this was an interesting experience, as I never liked painting since young.

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.CitraElo are a licensed tour operator specialising in white water rafting, outdoor training and management training.

They offer three rafting trips ranging from moderate (Grade I-III) to advanced (Grade III-V).

The Lower Progo River is the advanced trip which is the one that I chose on this occassion.

The cost is IDR 1,500,000 per boat which includes all rafting equipment, guides, refreshments and a meal afterwards.

As there were no other participants I basically funded the whole expedition. But this included a support rescue raft which I think was just an excuse for the team to get onto the river as well.

Most of the team work as farmers around CitraElo base camp so I think they will take any opportunity they can to go for a bit of a paddle themselves.

They seemed to enjoy the adventure as much as what I did and they certainly added a lot of fun to the whole trip with their humerous antics. On more than one occasion someone ended up in the river with a helping hand ;)

Yours truly went overboard when his centre of gravity became waterside!

One of the highlights for me was to ride on the front of the boat 'rodeo' style by hanging onto the ring at the front of the raft and then trying to stay on as long as possible in the rapids.

Some of the photo's were taken by one of their photographers so I was expecting to pay extra for these. However, the photographer joined our group on the second leg of the trip and he enjoyed himself so much that he gave me a CD with the pictures that he took plus two prints!
I did also pay an extra IDR 350,000 for transport to and from our hotel in Jogja. At my request, the driver was kind enough to stop at various locations to take some pictures of the surrounding countryside.

Just 17 km southeast of Yogya, you will be able to see the Prambanan Temples.
They were built in the 9th century, some were destroyed by the Merapi mountain eruption in 1006.
There are great views of the mountain from here.

The park holds Ramayana ballets in the outdoor theater almost nightly, May- Oct.

There is a bus from Yogya to the park or you can hire a driver to take you there.

Close to the Keraton (Palace of the Sultan), around the arcade of Jalan Malioboro, is a market, called "pasar Beringhardjo". Official it closes at 17.00 o'clock, but after that time you can buy Indonesian food.
I was to tired to look around very long, so I only saw a little part. But I read you can find a lot of traditional products at that market, and it is not touristic.
West part and north part: batik (10.000 Rp.-1.000.000 Rp.),
West part: traditional batik clothes, sandals and bags,
Front and back part: traditional snacks,
Front east part, second floor: herbs,
North part: "Kampung Pecinan" (Chinese area): music from the 50th, old coins.

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Baron Beach Is Actually Near A Cove Where There Is A Mouth Of Underground River, The Water From This River Flow To Meets The Ocean (When You Taste The Water You Will Notice That One Is Salty And The Other One Not) Which Can Be Use For Bathing Or Cleaning Your Body After Swimming In The Sea. You Will Be Passing Through Spectacular Panoramic View On Your Journey To Baron Beach Which Is 60km South-East Of Yogya .

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Located 7km east of Jogja in Desa Sambisari, Candi Sambisari is a relatively new temple discovered in June 1966 by a farmer. What's unique about this temple is that it is about 6 meters below the surrounding ground. It was built in the 8th AD but was covered by volcanic ash from Gunung Merapi in the 10th century. Unlike Prambanan and Borobodur, this temple is just sufficiently funded and kept as I suspect not enough funding has been given to maintain the complex.

There are also other artifacts found in this village which has been collected from farmers living in the area. In the past, the peasants will collect rocks or stones from temples ruins around Java to build or place in their house.

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If you noticed carefully, all the royal guards at the Kraton wear a royal batik weave that is not to be used by the members of the public. And strapped on their back is a deadly kris that is supposed to be used to defend the king in times of danger ! Now that their main job consists of showing tourists around, I don't suppose they'll use it on a holiday maker who turns out to be nuisance?

Where: At the Kraton, Yogyakarta
Note: Please ask for permission before you photograph them, they'll oblige but some fellows will maintain an austere pose for you.

Not too far from the Royal Palace in Yogya (Java ) is a bird market (Pasar Ngasem)You'll find birds ranging from multi-coloured chicks to gigantic bats. There are also other animals there, dogs, squirrels, rabbits, you name it. Avoid this place if you're claustrophobic. The stalls are packed closely together and the smell is a tad overwhelming.

Where: The Bird market (Pasar Ngasem), west of the Kraton, Yogyakarta, Indonesia