Single Traveller

Day 1 - Solo to Borobudur

It was great to be on the road again although few hours ago I almost gave up RM300+ worth of air ticket due to some not so nice vibe from the office. Not forgetting dad being a bit apprehensive on letting me go on a short trip before Chinese New Year.

Understandable, who in the right mind would let their children fly to another country a few days before CNY and risk not having them coming back? You know, parents think the worst for their children. But as I've told dad many time, we attract what we fear. If anything were to happen to me, who else to be blamed to have injected all the negative thoughts? Certainly not me.


The flight to Solo was a pleasant one and it gets even better because I am doing it alone this time.

I headed straight to Solo Balapan (train station) to catch the train to Jogja, only to find that I've missed the 8.30am train and had to wait another 2 hours for the next train. So the next few hours was spend chit chatting with the attendant who told me to stop at Station Tugu in Jogja to catch a bus directly to Borobudur.

I reached Station Tugu and had a tough time getting directions on where to board the local bus to Borobudur. Frustrated, I flagged a motobike which took me 4km north of Jogja - Jombor and hopped on the next available bus to Borobudur.

The bus ride to Borobudur took 45 minutes and cost 10,000RP(RM4) This is the standard fee, so don't let the bus conductor tell you otherwise :p

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It can get pretty confusing when not enough research is done prior to a backpacking trip. When the bus stopped at the Borobudur bus station, it took me a while to 'realized' I've arrived! Well at least the bus conductor could have announced our arrival, instead of letting me being 'ambushed' by pool of Becak driver, each eager to take me to Borobudur temple and the guest houses.

Anyway, realizing that I'll probably have little luck wandering on my own looking for a guest house, I surrender my fate to a becak driver who recommended Lotus Guest house as(according to him) is just next to the Borobudur temple.

Well indeed! The guest house was located near the main parking area of the temple. And for 150,000RP(RM57), I got myself a room with 2 double bed, a private bathroom, tv & breakfast. Probably too much for a single traveler but all the single rooms were taken so...

Anyway, the rest of the afternoon was spend cruising the little 'kampung' with the becak driver, whom I paid 50,000RP(RM19)for sight seeing at Mendut Temple and Candi Pawon. Which was kinda crappy...because it rained when we were at Mendut Temple and I realized later that 50,000RP was a bit too much to pay for such a short distance. I really could have rented a bicycle for that. Oh well...

Day 2 - Borobudur Temple

Even though I was the first to arrive at the ticket counter at Borobudur Temple at 6am, the sun rise has long passed.

Crap! There goes the highlight of my trip :( I thought to myself.
After all, the best time to photograph Borobudur Temple is either at sun rise or sunset. And I didn't have the luxury to stay until sunset! Haha...

Not wanting to be just looking at 'stones', I hired a guide for 50,000(RM19). It was alright, only problem was, I couldn't juggle between history lesson and taking artsy photographs. By the time I finish the temple tour (about 2 hours), I was exhausted and the sun was too bright and unforgiving to indulge in any form of photography. sigh!

So, that was it?! The highlight of my trip. Unbelievably funny I thought...I mean, Borobudur temple experience was supposed to wow me. But instead, it gave me nothing of that sort. mm...

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12pm. Made it just in time to Borobudur bus station before it started pouring again.

It pays when you speak (0r make an attempt to speak) the local language in the country you travel in. Before I open my mouth, many locals mistaken me for Japanese/Korean (never chinese!), some even Thai! But when I started speaking in Bahasa Indonesia and told them I am from Malaysia, their reaction was priceless! Haha...

A friend of mine once said that Bahasa Indonesia is a piece of cake. Just say everything in 'Bahasa Baku' and add the word 'bisa' in between and there you have it - Bahasa Indonesia! hehe... Perhaps. But you would sound more convincing if you imitate the slang and know a few common Indonesian words :p

Anyway, Bahasa Indonesia is not hard to master. Almost all the gweilo I came across in Jogja speaks Bahasa Indonesia! So cool!

Day 2 - Borobudur to Jogja

After a couple of bus exchange and a suggestion from Lonely Planet, I ended up at Losmen Setia Kawan, near Jl Malioboro, down the alley of Gang II.

Whoa, my heart skipped a beat when I enter the losmen. Its like stepping into a art gallery! The walls were beautifully decorated with beautiful oil paintings, and the rooms! My jaw almost drop when I saw the beautiful wall murals and the batik bed sheets. Every corner of the losmen was carefully and beautifully designed. For only 60,000RP (RM22), I get to indulged in one of Jogya's finest guest house!


Day 1 in Jogja was spend wandering in the streets of Malioboro. Now Jl Malioboro is some sort like Khaosand Rd in Bangkok. Only, it made Khaosand Rd pale in comparison!


Jl Malioboro is one long stretch of bazaar selling souvenirs, cheap t-shirts, leather work, crafts, batik bags, topeng and wayang kulit puppets.

Jl Malioboro runs straight from Tugu Station till the Kraton (city Palace) at the far end. By foot, it's probably a good 2.5km walk.

Day 3 - Jogja

One of the things I love about Jogja is that everyone is an early riser! The local usually gets up at 5am or Subuh Prayer. By 6am breakfast stalls were full of patrons. And the best part is that the sun rises at 5.30am! Which means we get to do so much more in a day! I totally love it! Since I am an early riser myself hehe...

I got up at 5am today and by 6am I was already looming at the streets with the locals and having breakfast at McDonalds! (a short note on Jogja's McD...their ayam goreng taste much better than our Spicy KFC! A MUST try!)After breakfast, I walked my way to the Kraton (city palace) to catch the Gamelan and Classical Dance performance. The 2km walk was extremely annoying. With becak driver calling out every few meters if I want a ride to the Kraton :s

Even though I had with me the map from Lonely Planet, I seriously had no idea where I was walking to because it can get quite confusing walking in Jogja. (although LP claimed that Jogja is a manageable city by foot!) With some help from the locals, I finally arrived at Alun-alun ('tanah lapang' /spacious land.) where the locals indulged in merry-go-rounds and amusement rides. And since its still an hour before the Kraton is opened to public, I plunged myself at a roadside warung for a cup of hot coffee and casual conversation with the lady boss :P

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The Kraton is a huge palace of the Sultans in Jogja and a small walled city within the city where 25000 people lived within the Kraton compound.


After a good few hours in the Kraton, watching Gamelan and Classical Dance performances, I headed to Pasar Beringharjo for batik SHOPPING! It's fun shopping in Jogja because you'll be spoiled for choices! But be prepared to bargain real hard. Most of the batik products are marked up at least 50-70%!

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Tired and exhausted from the morning walk and batik shopping, the rest of the afternoon was spend chatting with Katot and and teasing Bedhot ;p

How true is the saying 'Never judge a book by it's cover'. If this 38 year old lad were to walk on the streets of KL, many would have mistaken him for a mat rock or mat rempit - with his long wavy hair and skinny build. Who would have thought that this aspiring young artist has held numerous art exhibition in Indonesia and Germany? :)

Bedhot is a talented artist and a great friend to many. A funny, low profile and humble man, destined to do great things in life!

At 7pm, Muji (a local friend who works at the money changer) appeared and ready to take me to the BEST nasi gudeg in Jogja :D

I wished Katot could come with us because we have so much to talk about! But the motorbike can't fit the 3 of us so... :(

Anyway, nasi gudeg is a local specialty where unripe jackfruit is served with rice, chicken and tempe. It's a must-try in everyone's list to eat when you are in Jogja. Along with other local specialty like nasi uduk, scrabi, ronde and avocado juice haha!

After dinner we headed to Alun-alun selatan (not to be mistaken with the alun-alun with funfair), and had a blast laughing at blind-folded locals trying their luck to walk pass between 2 huge banyan trees. It seems that whoever succeeded would receive good fortune! It was really funny to see the locals walking round and round in cycles while their friends refuses to give exact direction to the banyan tree :p

After a few rounds of laughter, we headed back to the losmen. It was only 10.30pm and the lights were off. I had to tip-toed into my room and found Katot sleeping in the hall. I didn't wanna wake him up and hopped to see him in the morning before I leave for Solo.

Day 4 - Jogja to Solo

The morning came and Katot was no where to be found. I was told he went out for breakfast. I could have waited since I have another 2 hours before the train leaves for Solo, but I didn't...I don't know why I didn't and it felt like shit afterwards, leaving without bidding farewell.

The waiting in the train station seems like forever. There were so many tracks and unlike in our KTM station, each train to a particular destination is predetermined to stop at a particular track. The passenger had to wait for the announcer to announce which train at which track for boarding. It's too confusing...especially when I couldn't understand a single word from the announcer. Perhaps I didn't pay enough attention, somehow I just felt crappy leaving Jogja.

I hate leaving Jogja and the friends I came to know, who has shown so much sincerity and hospitality. Sucks...and it sucks even more with the realization that 'play time' is ending soon!

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I reached Solo at about 11am and had no clue which losmen to go to. After some bargaining with a becak driver who agreed to take me to Istana Griya for 10,000RP(RM4), I finally came to my senses that my holiday is ending soon and I had better enjoy my remaining hours in Indonesia than to sulk at what I should have done and didn't do.

According to Lonely Planet, Istana Griya is high on the list of top places to stay in Solo. It's not difficult to see why, tucked in a little alley behind the main street of Jl Slamet Riyadi, Istana Griya is a gem. Full of knowledgeable, english speaking staffs, comfortable rooms and a wide range of activities around Solo which could be arranged here. For 70,000RP(RM26), I get a double bed with private bathroom, TV and breakfast.

The rest of the afternoon was spend walking along Jl Slamet Riyadi. Unlike Jogja, the cries of 'Becak' is less frequent. Everyone just mind their own business, which is quite nice lah for a change.

I only managed to cruise around Pasar Triwindu (Solo's flea market for antiques) before it started pouring again :s

Day 5 - Solo to KL

Reality bites. It happens all the time, the night before I leave a foreign land, I drop dead into a deep depression.

I came to Jogja with the sole intention to photograph Borobudur Temple. Didn't manage to get any great shots but gotten so much more in return!

The people and friends I came to know, their rich culture and creativity that comes alive in graffiti, batik patterns, and painting definitely warrants a 2nd visit.

For more photos on Solo and Jogja, click here.