Timang Beach @ Pantai Timang, Jogjakarta

Timang Beach ranked quite high on Trip Advisor, and I actually decided on it based on that. The beach, if you can call it that, is located at Gunung Kidul where the caves attraction are, so it would be wise to squeeze all that in the same day if you are heading there.

It was mentioned in a few websites that it boasted of the only white sand beach in the whole of Jogjakarta, implying that this is a beach where one can dip in the sea. Sadly, this is not the case. I actually suggested this as my BIL actually wanted to visit a beach or two during our trip so imagine my horror when it was just a cliff overlooking the sea!

There is a "gondola" ride manned by two guys pulling on a rickety pulley transferring the "passengers" to the stone island a little further off and back. It looks quite dangerous to us so we decided not to attempt that. That aside, the view was magnificent and the rocks were uniquely beautiful from years of waves crashing on them.

However, our ride there stopped at the outskirts of a village where the locals offered to bring us to the "beach" on their bikes for a fee. I think it was IDR 50k per pax on an off-road trail. My husband and I quite enjoyed it but we can't say the same for the rest of the family. 😵

My future BIL actually got his leg burnt on the exhaust and we didn't even know until later. I guess it could be quite hazardous as not all the bikes seemed to be well-maintained.

If you are looking for a dip in the sea, I would suggest not coming here. For a adventurous ride on a bike off-road (albeit a little on the risky side), you can definitely make a trip here.

Prambanan Temple, Jogjakarta

If Borobudur is THE Buddhist temple to visit, Prambanan is THE Hindu temples to visit in Jogjakarta. It might not be the best thing to do both in the same day but we did that, resulting a rather long drive from one side of the city to the other. During our visit, there were still upgrading works in progress but the ruins of the temple was fascinating nonetheless.

According to legend, one of the statues is actually a cursed princess when her plans to thwart an unwanted marriage went awry. The crowd in this UNESCO Heritage Site was overwhelming and when it rained (yes, it just so happened to rain when we were in the ruins with no shelter), there was just no place to hide unless you count the trees scattered here and there within the compound.

It went from this...

To this within seconds!

Before we knew it, it's raining cats and dogs. We were all drenched throughout because I left my umbrella in the car. Yes, I know right? I was carrying it around for days up to Borobudur and just got fed up since it's just cramming up my bag and not used at all.

Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia, and among the largest in Asia. It might not look it but it's actually taller than Borobudur. Built in the 9th or 10th century, it is dedicated to the Trimurti, the three facets of the Creator in the Hindu belief.

It's a big compound to explore but worth it if you have the time and stamina. Great for a half day trip!

Jambuluwok Malioboro Hotel, Jogjakarta

It was not the most convenient hotel around despite its name, as the real Malioboro Street was quite a distance away. Radius-wise, it IS near but the walkable or usable roads to that infamous street will take you on quite a long walk especially in the sweltering heat of Indonesia.

The room we got was a twin bed so I guess there's plenty more space for us! LOL. The bed however was not the best and it was not as clean as I would like.

Granted, the amenities were there so I guess it's a so-so hotel if you asked me. The hotel rate wasn't that cheap either and ours did not even come with the complementary breakfast.
As a consolation, there's complimentary infused water at the lobby and you can watch some traditional instrument playing in the evening. However, my in laws had the misfortune of drinking the flavoured water when the fruits inside were already bad so it was quite a bad experience for them. LOL. Otherwise, the water is quite refreshing to have after walking around town under the sun!
There's an alright view from outside our room's corridor as well.

Punthuk Setumbu and Borobudur Sunrise, Jogjakarta

Would I recommend going to Punthuk Setumbu? Definitely not. Would I recommend Borobudur? Yes, definitely. The sunrise there? Not sure.

Okay, so recently my in-laws and I went to the Jogjakarta for a family trip. It was quite fun as it was the first time we all went on holidays together but the amount of time when we were disappointed there just put a damper on things. Borobudur and its infamous sunrise is one of them. This was the view on Punthuk Setumbu when I went. A little disappointing...

Before the trip we were all already planning to go and the idea of going for the sunrise at Borobudur was just exciting especially after the rave reviews it received from all the tourists. So upon purchasing our private tour from the airport (mistake 1) because we were busy and were expecting better from their airport tour agencies, we booked the sunrise tour at Borobudur. Upon picking us up at 4am (mistake 2), the driver told us that to view the sunrise we have to pay extra to go on the hill for the view i.e. Punthuk Setumbu as opposed to what was already written in our receipt (Borobudur Sunrise Entrance Fee) and view it from Borobudur itself. Being none the wiser (none of us have been here before), we agreed to pay extra to go on the hill (mistake 3).

Mistake 1: We would have gotten a better deal online with better arrangements.

Mistake 2: Sunrise was before 5.30am and the trip took longer so sunrise was over when we reached.

Mistake 3: Nope, there's no better view at Punthuk Setumbu. I wouldn't know about the sunrise at Borobudur itself but I suspect it will look better from photos.

Anyway, at Punthuk Setumbu it was crowded when we reached. Just in case you are not up for a hill climb early in the morning, don't bother going. It's a little tiring and there are plenty of stairs going uphill to the viewing point. Once there, the wooden stages for photos but it is easier to just snap a few shots at random spots if you are not too particular.

After a rather uneventful view of hills and trees (no sunrise), we trudged down disappointedly to find our car stuck in a parking area where other cars surrounded ours. After being subjected to about 30 minutes wait where our driver attempted to ask the parking attendants to locate the other cars' drivers, we went on to Borobudur.
The Borobudur was quite pleasant in comparison. We joined the crowd and started walking towards the temple. The compound was huge and it could be tiring for the elderly.

At the base of the temple, we then had to climb another series of steps before reaching the real attraction. This....

And then...

Only then...

I can see why this is listed in the UNESCO heritage. They carving on the stones were amazing and even the brick floors look pretty!

Borobudur is actually a Buddhist temple, the largest in the world~After roaming about the ruins, exploring all the corridors and stairways, we made our way back to the car. I find this very interesting as they have a lot of narrative reliefs along the walls. Fascinating!

The view from Borobudur itself is pretty amazing too! Why go to Punthuk Setumbu?

Along the way back to the car, we visited the museum in the compound, aptly named Borobudur Museum. It was quite small and probably serve as a time-filler for tourists.

I enjoyed my time here despite the rather gloomy beginning of the day.
The market or bazaar outside the area was more interesting for me. Haha! You can find replicas of the ruins and temples for sale aside from other knick knacks. Bargaining is crucial and walking away when the price is not right will probably end up with the sellers lowering their prices or selling at your price.

Jogjakarta Tips and Preparation

My recent trip to Jogjakarta was quite a disappointment. Don't get me wrong, the trip was alright but it was the amount of times we were ripped off that got me annoyed. Granted it's not a huge amount but as a group, we probably ended up paying more than what we should have. That aside, some of the attractions are amazing like the Borobudur and the views are magnificent especially the one at Pantai Timang.

Hence this post is basically as a quick guide on what NOT to do in Jogjakarta so as not to spoil your experience.

1) Do not trust the holiday agents at the airport. Do not allow them to buy your tickets or entrance fees despite the amount of brochures they show you (it will look legit) with the tempting offer of getting it cheaper. You can get them cheaper YOURSELF when you reached the attraction.

2) Rent a car or get a tour before you land. Do not bother doing a last minute rental. You will be charged extra and the service will not be as promised.

3) If you are getting a Borobudur sunrise package, you need to be there by 4am, and not set off at 4am.

4) Gua Joblang is not worth the visit unless you are willing to fork out 450k-550k IDR. A ridiculous amount and the ride there can be tedious and "off-road"-ish.

5) Do not take taxi for attractions in the city. Get one to the first attraction and ask for directions to the next. Even if they have taxi meters, there is the minimum charge even for a minute drive which is quite hefty when a good 5 minutes walk would suffice. Or, just take a trishaw. Some are willing to save you a 5 minutes walk for as little as 5000IDR.

6) If taxi refused to use their meter, even after you insist, just take a photo of their plates and licenses to complain (if you want to bother with it). Otherwise, just walk away.

7) Do NOT allow any official looking individuals or worse, not even official looking individuals, to show you anything of interest at attractions unless you wanted a in depth guide for certain attractions. Some are just looking for a quick buck and will pull you to a corner to show you a "wonder" or "place" and insist on money. Sometimes a small amount is not enough to placate them.

8) If you see people banging on your windows on your way to somewhere, do NOT bother to wind down your window. If your driver does and then ask you for donations, tell him not to do it in the future. This can be quite annoying as a short stretch would mean contributing to a few donations at minimum. I know this sound heartless but shouldn't donations mean any amount without a minimum? If you are very kind, then yes please go ahead and donate all the way.

9) The usual fare for a trishaw is about 25000IDR for tourists in the city. Sometimes cheaper when competition is high. In Malioboro, it will be quite pricey to go back. Be patient when haggling and you will find some willing to lower to 30000IDR.

I know some of the tips seemed the usual practice but sometimes we forget when we are travelling in a big group.

What to Do in Saumlaki, Indonesia

Saumlaki is the main town in the island of Tanimbar. Honestly, unless you are here for work, there is little to attract you here. The facilities are still limited, and the locals are not as friendly as the ones in major cities or towns around Indonesia. However, if you happened to be in town, then this would probably serve to help you out when looking for places to visit during your down time. Do note that these are pretty limited as this town is still basically starting out. The few rows of shophouses can probably attest to that. Most food and products are still more expensive than what you would find in Ambon, a slightly bigger town.

During my stay, we rented a small van (public bus?) which is open-air and can fit about 12 of us. LOL. Usually locals just hailed any passing ones and pay a small amount of money to hitch a ride basically to anywhere they want. We chose one that looked reasonably well-maintained and off we go! Just for your info, the van took us for a whole day and excluding fuel, we paid only about USD 30. Fuel costed about USD 5-7 then.

Our first stop was a small village called Tumbur. This is somewhere along the road heading to Larat. The journey was quite long as the van was not exactly comfortable with the lot of us, but we managed. *grim smile* Tumbur is actually famous for its woodcarving and upon our arrival when they found we were not locals, the amount of people rushing out their wares to sell was quite…mind blowing. They also have weaved products and those are known as “ikat”-weaving. It is similar to Sarawak’s (Malaysia) “kain pua” weaved by the local people (Iban). Personally, maybe because I have seen similar products in my own hometown of Miri, Sarawak, I did not feel overly impressed with the wood works. The foreigners (non-Asians) in our group on the other hand seemed really taken in by the locals’ works and paid up quite a hefty some for some carved figurines (patung “Tumbur”) and ship models after bargaining. Haha I would probably bargain some more but I guess for them the price was pretty cheap due to their currency.

Check out some of their works:

The Tumbur-weaving I mentioned

One of the houses we went into to check out their wares

Our next stop was a small river on the way to Pantai Weluan, a pretty empty beach very far down. The road was no longer tarred the nearer we went to the beach so the journey was quite tedious. The small river is quite pretty with its greenish water (eutrophication, perhaps?) and we took a few shots before heading back to our van. I was quite hesitant to loiter around there. Somehow, images of crocodiles coming up from the river popped into my mind. Shhh!

The must go in Saumlaki according to our van driver cum tour guide is their statue of Jesus located on a hill in the Olilit village. We spent about an hour climbing up to the statues, taking different photos of the few statues of Jesus. This is their largest Catholic church in the area and a mass was in session when we were there. The church-goers were mostly friendly and curious about the group of tourists who were gawking around and taking photos of everything that remotely resembled anything. The view from the hill overlooked a distant beach and was very picturesque. The statue of Jesus was aptly named “Kristus Raja” literally translated from Christ is King.

 

 Next up, we were off to the beach. Finally! Here the guys spent some time running around in the water -.-“”” while the rest of us decided on a more dignified approach. Well, if you can call scooping up big mouthful of “rojak” (a mixture of local fruits in a paste of freshly ground peanut, tamarind juice, and brown sugar) using tiny plastic spoons as fast as we could into our mouth anywhere near the epitome of dignity. LOL. What? We were hungry after the whole afternoon of bumping around on the pock-marked roads in tightly enclosed space.

All in all, it was a pretty fun day with lots of laughter mixed in even though I was a little carsick by the end of the day. Will I come back? Probably not, unless it is for work. :)