Yogyakarta, or Jogja is a city and the capital of Yogyakarta Special Region in Java, Indonesia. It is renowned as a center of education (Kota Pelajar), classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry, and puppet shows. Yogyakarta was the Indonesian capital during the Indonesian National Revolution from 1945 to 1949.  Yogya means "suitable, fit, proper", and karta, "prosperous, flourishing" (i.e., "a city that is fit to prosper").

Always interested in seeing new places, we decided to escape Singapore for Chinese New Year and have a week in Yogyakarta, taking advantage of cheap flights and a good hotel deal.  The first day was spent at the most famous temple complexes, Prambanan and Borobudur. Candi Prambanan is a 9th-century Hindu temple compound dedicated to the Trimurti, the expression of God as the Creator (Brahma), the Preserver (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva). Candi Borobudur is a Mahayana Buddhist Temple from the same century. Both compounds are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. 

Both complexes are impressive… unless, like us, you have already visited Angkor Wat in Cambodia, in which case, these fade a little in comparison.

The following day saw us visit two places, the first being Taman Sari. The name Taman Sari comes from the Javanese words taman, meaning a "garden" or "park" and sari, which means "beautiful" or "flowers". Hence, the name Taman Sari means an area of a beautiful garden adorned with flowers. An old article described it as a "water castle" as by shutting the watergates, the complex would be completely immersed in water, leaving tall structures standing out.

Next on the agenda was Kraton of Yogyakarta (formally known as: Keraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat). This palace complex is the main seat of the Sultan of Yogyakarta and his family. It serves as a cultural center for the Javanese people and contains a museum that displays the sultanate's artifacts.

The last pic there is a very happy Ted, who discovered that in Indonesia, he is a millionaire!  Obviously he was not so happy to discover even an ice-cream cost thousands…. Poor lad!

Well, that was our Chinese New Year trip to Yogyakarta, nice to see somewhere new again.

Take care and keep in touch!

Trevor, Shanhong & Teddy    xxx