Yogyakarta / Jogjakarta.

Tomato, 'tometo' - banana, 'benana' - Yogyakarta, Jogjakarta.

Mike bought me a trip to Jogjakarta for my birthday this year along with many gifts such as striking pink La Senza tiny thongs and a pair of Timberland boots. I should be happy with the gifts but I was insanely sick due to the bad flu during my birthday week so it made me pissed off with everything.

I was so sick, I spent 16 hours sleeping, everyday, with tonnes of pills on my first two days in Jogjakarta.

For the first time in my life, I feel my holiday destination/ choice is the worst one. If it's not because of Borobudur Temple, I won't be going to Jogjakarta at all.

Not even good Puki can make me feel good about this trip.

As for the night time, this city is almost dead. No where to go except to watch the cultural show and dance. It is fine to listen to their traditional music on your first day or two. But when the music follows you 24 hours a day - in hotel lobby, streets, spa, restaurants, temples, park and inside taxi, it does not giving you zen, calming effect already. I started to get really angry. 

Besides the core center for fine art and culture of classical Javanese, Jogjakarta has one busy street called Malioboro street. It is like Jalan Bukit Bintang to Kuala Lumpur or Orchard Road to Singapore or Oxford street to London. Yea, it's like that.

Where you can find a horse and carriage ride, although it is not as romantic as the one in Central Park New York, but this street offers the same trade mark like other busy shopping street in every city.

It has a decent artistic displays along the street too.

The work of new artistic generation to balance with the existing fine arts such as batik paintings also on display along the streets.

Anyways, being a tourist, plus been seeing strolling with a white guy made me as an easy target to those wicked sellers. I was forced to buy a piece of artwork from so called "official art painting shop endorsed by the Jogjakarta government". So, for those who planning to go to Jogjakarta, please beware of this trick. They made it like so friendly, welcoming and chat with you like they are happy to see you willing to choose Jogjakarta as your holiday destination. Then they asked where are you from then they started to relate the story of their siblings and relative working at your home country. Like my case, he said his brother working in Petronas Tower. Pffttt.

Then they invited you to see the paintings at their shop. "JUST LOOK, NO NEED TO PAY" and once you stepped into the shop, you have to be very very strong not to buy any of the paintings. Unless, you wanted to, then you need to slash the price more than 50% even after they already gave you 20% discount. They don't give you a chance to think first, or walk around first. They said it's the last day, shop going to close at 5pm and they even willing to go to your hotel with the painting if you mentioned that you didn't bring any money with you!

It was so frustrating to encounter this kind of tramp on your first day of arrival. It kills every cell in my body to try get away from this kind of situation since I am a gullible type! This happened in China too. You can't enjoy the sightseeing without experiencing everyone around you try to ROB you nowadays. Why oh why world becoming so difficult now.

At Malioboro street, you can find endless of batik product. If you are a batik lovers, this might be the place for you. Me? I got headache to see nothing but batik printings and it drove me crazy just to find souvenir for my mom & sister. It drove me crazy until I choose to go to the shop with fixed price tag/ shopping mall because I was too tired of people trying to rob me for as long as my foot on the street. Those people on Malioboro street really drained me until my head is jammed and refused to do the haggle. That's how crazy it was or maybe I was sick.

Keyboard flip flop for the dork. Apparently Mike isn't that dork to get that flip flop. But he willing to pose with it for my camera.

When you visit to any part of Indonesia, you should drink the avocado juice instead of water. Ha! Well, avocado is so expensive in Kuala Lumpur and I am crazy about avocado.

Was it me or Jogjakarta really do not have a decent bistro for relaxing fancy dinner (for the tourists). Although I'm Malay, and Jogjakarta has no issues with Halal food, but still, I am gastronomic adventure averse. It is not easy just to gobble down local food and assume everything might be delicious and hygiene. Or maybe I was just sick and no appetite to try something local.

So Mike and I choose to eat at Yogyakarta Pizza Hut! I know. Fast food!

But, I still consider this as 'local' because some of franchise/ chain restaurant like Pizza Hut or Mc Donalds has its menu according to 'region'. We don't have the Mozzarella stick in Pizza Hut Kuala Lumpur. Trust me, that thing is freaking awesome. Filled with hot mozzarella cheese and the bread smell delicious!

So, I got the experience of local Pizza Hut the Yogyakarta style.

They have mix for fun bar besides salad bar too. You can have all the M&Ms, chocolate chip and more sugar toppings on your ice cream.

And we don't have Cheesy Ria in Kuala Lumpur. So, yeah. we've had something local in Yogyakarta.

One thing I noticed in here, the staff truly honored the job they have. I felt like I was in Four Seasons Resort or Sheraton, where the staff always have this sweet smile and soft voice while greeting and taking your order. And they never missed to say thank you with their palm on the chest and bow a bit. They do it every time they finished talking to you. That's a FIVE STAR customer service in fast food restaurant! 

Next day, we had McDonalds. LOL. But the chicken nuggets tasted like, um, last week chicken nuggets!

The next day we had our city tours. For your info, most of the taxi driver in Jogjakarta sell tours. Once you hopped into the taxi, they started to ask you whether you had your tour arrange already or not. Or else, you can hire him as your private driver for RP600,000/ RM 165/ USD52 for 10 hours. They can drive you anywhere you want within 10 hours but do not expect them to act as tour guide like giving you the facts about the places you visit. They just drop and pick you up and show you where to eat.

So, besides the temples, we choose to visit Kraton Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta Palace) This place serve as a museum to the King remnants and history. I wasn't really impressed with the building structures and the stuffs left behind by the Royals. Some I've seen it before when I was a child at my great grandfather's house in Kelantan. A lot of things are very similar to the Thai's and Kelantanese too.

For instance, this puppet show (Wayang Kulit). But we sat around for a while to watch the show. Apparently it took forever to start and we were too tired to wait until it started!

The musicians behind the screen.

Batik printing plays a significant role for the Javanese. The Royals had special batik design for every occasion and event. No wonder they are selling batik like there is no tomorrow!

Finally found the golden goose!

Like a boss.

As I said, nothing much interests me here in Kraton. But Mike's blue eyes and his white pale but almost glowing skin interests the school kids in Yogyakarta! He was like Tom Ford or Jay-Z for a while at the palace. I bet he got the most requests to photograph with that day at the Kraton Yogyakarta. So, I was having this moment of "this is how it feels like to have a celebrity boyfriend" for a second. LMAO.

Mike with his 'fans'

Mike is having celebrity moment.

Lucky it was all school girls and boys! Hahahaha.

I was telling Mike that if he teaches English in Indonesia, he prolly will get the most presents from the students on teacher's day!

I will continue with awesome pictures taken in Borobudur and Prambanan Temple on my next post.

Ciao.

Love Note #3

"Who did I travel around the world for?
Who do I walk 47 miles in barbed wire everyday to see?
I might not be rich to buy you the biggest and brightest jewelry, but I would bring hell crashing down for you. So, no matter what anybody's motives, mine are still for you."

A Visit to The Lost City, Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Now then I remember I haven't finish my Cambodia post after I realize I am going to visit another UNESCO world heritage soon. Ppppfftt. Synonym the post title, I lost my memories about some important facts that I gained during my visit to this lost city.

Ok, here we go. After my visit to Phnom Penh, Mike & I spent the rest of our Cambodian trip at Siem Reap and it is for one and only reason - Angkor Wat.

First of all, Mike refused to buy the tour from Travel Agency. He preferred to pay direct to the local TukTuk driver so at least it can help the local earning more for their hard work rather than giving to the commercial agent that pay peanut to the locals. So yes, we only had a TukTuk driver that droves us around without professional Tour Guide that can give us information about the site. But, if we read a lot, we do not need a Tour Guide for facts we already knew. Now we just need to see it with our own eyes.

That's my boyfriend. Sometime he is a saint, to me.

Although Cambodia is still considered the poorest 3rd world country, no tall building and great shopping malls unlike Kuala Lumpur, but to me they have  the most valuable list of monuments and relics which can't be rebuild. Well, maybe it can with the latest technology, but, the historical sentimental can never be recreated and replicated.

By looking at the amount of people visiting this site, I can guarantee it is more than amount of people visiting our Petronas Twin Tower. These old monuments and its old bricks capable to generate income for the country and put Cambodia on the world map just being moldy and old.

When you buy a site tour to Angkor Wat, it will include the other small wats (Temples) surrounds it which are equally significant to the history of Angkor Wat. So, on that one tiring day, we visited Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Preah Khan and Ta Phrom.

  

Go read more facts about Angkor Wat HERE. It's very fascinating, you know. Just don't fall asleep yet.

Mike and I took Sunrise Angkor Wat tour. (Here is a little tip for young traveler). We always figure it out that places like this should be experienced at magical hours, which is sunrise or sunset. And for high towers, we always choose sunset to the dark hours, so that we able to see the whole city glimmering with neon.  

We had to be at hotel lobby as early as 5am. The tuk tuk guy drove us into the darkness with cold breeze while I still have taik mata bertempek in my eyes :(

After 30 minutes tuktuk ride, we arrived Angkor Wat. Surprisingly there were hundreds of people already queuing for the entrance pass which costs us USD20 for a one day pass, (if you have more time, you can take 2 or 3 days pass)  complete with our picture taken and printed on the pass.

At first, I don't understand why those souvenirs and hot drinks sellers along the entrance keep on telling me, "stand at the left of the lake". I just nodded quickly and ran away from them or else they keep pushing me to purchase key chain, posters, postcards or a cup of coffee from their bag.

So Mike and I walked close to the entrance of central tower, took gazillion pictures in the dark and thought we got all the best shot already. Then when the sky starts to light up, I just realized it was too LATE.

No spot for me at the left lake!

And that point of time, I was starting to feel like an ultimate moron when I looked at those fancy big professional camera. BECAUSE I LEFT MINE AT THE HOTEL AND THOUGHT MY SAMSUNG S3 IS GOOD ENOUGH. FML.

To compensate my stupidity, my small body manage to slip in between the crowd and try to get the best spot to capture the complex shot complete with its reflection. THAT'S WHY YOU NEED TO STAY AT THE LEFT LAKE! At that moment, I totally lost Mike. I don't know where he was and I don't care. WTF? 

So ALL of us waited patiently for the sun to come up. Sembahyang subuh pun kau tak gigih macam ni kannnn...

So, here, are the best shot I manage to take with my Samsung S3 and I was regret on every snap that I took because this is DAMN FUGLY.

As I heard the big cameras clicking on my left and right, I just keep on TAPPING my stupid android phone, praying the picture will turn out beautiful.

Trust me, I took more than 500 shot to and selected a few to put it on here and still, I hate the pictures and myself for it.

Look at how these people willing to get their feet soaked in the lake water just to capture the magical sunrise behind Angkor Wat.

So I gave up. I stopped at 501th picture, and when I turned back, Mike was already behind me, smiling. He got the sunrise recorded on video mode.

So he helped me to take the picture of me try to do calm down pose with the sunrise. LOL.

...and the sun is totally up, so my sleepy naked face without make up is revealed :(

Everything is still wet from the morning dew. It was the freshest sights I ever wake up to after so long staring at PC monitor for 20 hours a day, everyday, back at office and home. 

So, all the pictures taken here are by my Samsung S3. I hate the pixel when you zoom it in.

Anyways, if you are a fan of Lara Croft, Angkor Wat is one of the shooting location for the "Tomb Raider" for one week. The conservation authority charging USD10,000 per day to the Paramount Picture for using the location and the money used to conserve the temple. 

And I overheard 'Angelina Jolie' was mentioned over and over again by the tour guides to those tourists. In fact, Angelina Jolie was mentioned more than the real history fact of this sacred place. Man... 

Although 40% of this building is in restoration progress, you still can feel the Ancient World in here. If you wanted to experience "The alignment of Nine Realms" like in latest Thor movie, you should come here. I felt like I was teleported into another, ancient world in a 12th century where Khmer Empire was at its peak.

Although it is very old, but it didn't give the feel of 'Haunted' place at all.

If you pay attention closely, the white bricks are the new installation to the building in attempt to prolong the temple structures from being collapse.

A life size apsara finely carved on the wall. Apsara is not a God, but a celestial nymph, a dayang, pari-pari.

And now, some of the tower can't be climbed anymore due to safety of you, structures.  

Meet the 'guardian' of the temple :D

This place is still use for the religious ceremony and you still can see the monks and the 'sisters' coming to this place and keeping it alive.

One thing I noticed about 'the sisters' of the temple. They shaved their head bald while Christian and Muslim and Jews covers their hair.  

So I manage to edit the picture with some apps on my mobile phone. But I would be crazy to edit all pictures taken that day into something like this. I don't have time for that!

After 2-3 hours, still, we were unable to cover all 500 acres of Angkor Wat. We only managed to circle the first and second enclosure and headed back to our TukTuk driver for our packed breakfast and our next destination which is Angkor Thom.

To be continued.