DI Yogyakarta!

Going to Yogyakarta (Jogja for short) was an 11hr train journey with rice fields and mountains weaving past the window.I opted for the morning train for the scenic view. At six o clock I finally arrived in DI YOGYAKARTA. DI means Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta Special Territory). At first I was amused with the name DI (which means "at" in Malay/Indonesian) until I was told what it meant and explains why this place has a special name, why so special you wonder? It was the government's recognition for Yogyakarta's contribution in the Indonesian National Revolution during the 1940s where Yogyakarta briefly became the capital of Indonesia. Hence, Yogyakarta is the only region to have a monarchy.The Sultan of Yogyakarta is a lifetime governor of his kingdom. The city being only 300 years old, was actually born from a split of the old kingdom of Mataram,into the Sultanate of Yogyakarta and Surakarta(Solo).

Jakarta - my doorway into Indonesia

My entry into Indonesia was through Jakarta. I was afraid of the metropolis,to me it was like a gigantic hive beast that one could easily be swallowed by and then mercilessly spit out into some nameless place. How does one even begin to make sense of the place?! Luckily my host graciously came to meet me at the airport and we took the shuttle to south of Jakarta.It was Ramadan month somehow the traffic was lesser, perhaps because it was a weekend and people prefered staying indoors OR some of the population had begun making their way back to their hometowns. Whatever strange reason it was it just made my first foray into solo travel a little easier, a little less intimidating. (yes yes I'm a big baby!)

MONAS - the candle of Jakarta

What I imagined Jakarta would be like, goodbye to your personal space but that's the economy train!