Author: busker

Wake up early to go to Borobudur.  Although we said we might go “Indonesian style” with the scooters we decide to walk.  The weather looks rainy.

At 6:47.54 we walked to the Buddhist temple in Borobudur where tourists pay double the entry price.  You had to go round the temple clock wise to bring good fortune.  There were many Buddha carvings which all meant different things.

Drinks and ice cream was needed before we left the temple through all the people trying to sell things.  After finally leaving the temple we walked through the market where every 5 shops sold the same thing, bought bananas and ate some pancakes.  At the bus station we took a becak (tuctuc) to the hotel.

A few hours later after Alex had taken many chicken photos we woke up the people working at the hotel and borrowed bicycles to cycle around the quiet tofu village.

The 4am taxi is only welcome because it makes us miss the morning call to prayer.  Check-in and security is very quick and we have time for a snack: some chocolate bread from the supermarket.

The Air Asia A320 flight is efficient and the airplane has advertising inside it.  Has Michael O’Leary missed a trick?  We’re sitting all over the cabin, Jane in the middle, kids next to each other at the back and me in the front.  I get woken up 30 mins before touchdown to take the pancakes I pre-ordered (forgot about that).

Yogya airport is very small.  When you land it seems like the pilot has decided to land in the rice fields until the familiar thud.  A few weeks back a jet did fail to toga and ended up in the rice field at the end.  The terminal building is right on the runway so the taxi is short.

We buy more money and the girls use the toilet which has a long queue.  Jane has worked out that we will take the Trans Jogja busses to get to Borobudur.  For RP 1200 (7.2p) we get to the north bus terminal (with one change).  A further RP 100.000 (£6) gets us to Borobudur bus station in an hour.

The first Trans Jogja has lively music in it to make the working day more pleasant.

From Borobudur bus station we take the motor tuk-tuks to Griya Harja Homestay, another great place with friendly staff.

After a short rest we decide to try to walk up the path to the viewpoint.  It’s a concrete path, then some worn away steps and after that it becomes muddy.  Jane is the only one with sensible shoes so we need to abort.  The views are nice though.  Emma has a mosquito bite on her eyelid.

It stops raining softly as we walk down the road to Borobudur village for dinner.

There is a really cool “Camera House” a few KM down the road:

Because everyone is hungry, it seems a lot further than it is.  We hide from the rain at various houses and shelters and finally find a restaurant.  It’s ok, even if we do spot a large rattus-rattus under the tables.  Finally we walk back to the homestay and mum reads to the kids.

We just have one morning at Tangkahan left and we’re late for breakfast.  We pack and see some of our cohabitant animals.

We forgot to buy some t-shirts at the elephant farm, so we walk back there through the little villages with chickens and cows.

Later in the morning we have some time to swim at the stream with the jumping rock and the hot spring.  We walk through the village where all the fruits and rubber trees are.

We meet our old friend the village dog again at the swimming stream.

Quick lunch and Eddie our driver is ready for us.  Mega Depari and his staff help us with the bags over the bridge and we’re on the road.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9aKGMz0A2Y?rel=0

A sample of the Sumatra roads through the plantations.

After 4 hours or so we’re at K77 guesthouse in Medan which is very friendly and clean.  The owner arranges the hotel driver to take us to the airport in the morning.

We investigate Medan and have a “burger” at a warung which has exactly 4 chairs.  The burger is actually a thin bit of beef, egg and sauce and super spicy.  The kids are on fire.  We walk back and cross the road twice (fear of death etc) to look at a fish shop.  It starts raining and I spot the world’s largest cockroach and a remarkably thin rat.  K77 recommend you bring earplugs because the mosque is next door, but we have to get up before the muezzin calls to prayer.