Yogyakarta What to Pack

Luggage and bags: it rains in yogya each late afternoon on a sunny april. one night it rained hard and shortly after a loud thunder, an even louder explosion was heard. lights went off and the surroundings turned dark. the blackout only lasted less than an hour. if not for the candles the caretakers offered, it's an hour of suffering in limbo.

Luggage and bags: you sure don't wanna miss out on a sunrise trip to borobudur that leaves yogya at 5am. i always bring with me a teeny-weeny clock i presume would ring on the right time to wake me up whenever i have an early flight, train ride, bus voyage or whatever schedule i don't wanna miss out. see sometimes i am so tired after a fun daytrip out that I just stagger upstairs to bed without eating dinner and this extreme fatigue just ***s up my body clock, or sleep late at night only to wake up in the afternoon. cases like this do always happen while traveling. and my alarm clock comes to my rescue. but in yogya, my alarm clock would not seem to cooperate with me. it no longer works. i was anxious the whole night how i, who sleeps like an infant in a crib can wake up 4:30 in the morning to be with the sunrise trip to borobudur.

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: luck was on my side because at 4:30 there was a loud chanting (muslim prayer?) that could be heard all over the neighborhood (yes that very early in the morning i wonder how could anyone not complain about it) utterly loud it could wake up the whole community. i was saved!!!! be sure to bring an alarm clock and double check if it really works before you zip your backpack.

Luggage and bags: just name it, clothes, shoes, even bags you can find them here. jogja is the right place for shopping, because the prices are cheaper compare to jakarta/bandung/bali/cities outside java. and many handycrafts sold in bali are produced in jogja.

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: bring tampon ifyou need them. tampon in jogja is very expensive, and you can find it only in matahari malioboro.

Miscellaneous: good english books. it's hard to find english books here. so if you want to spend your holiday with reading, bring the books with you.

Luggage and bags: personally i prefer a sturdy backpack

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: cotton t-shirts, pants (long and short), sandals, rain coat

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: your own medical supplies, contact lens, SUN BLOCK (the scorching heat), INSECT REPELLANT (lots of 'funny' insects especially if you explore the remote areas)

Camping/Beach/Outdoor Gear: good hiking boot for trekking