Jogja: I still haven't moved on
After Jakarta, we headed to Central Java (still on the island of Java) where we covered Purwokerto (my uni town), Cilacap (my hometown), Semarang and Jogjakarta. I made a list of things I wanted to eat while in those places and I'm glad to say that I got most of them checked off, lol.
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| Pool view at Greenhost Boutique Hotel |
Visiting Semarang, the capital of Central Java, was originally not part of the plan.. but since my sister could not come to meet me in Cilacap I just decided to pay the city a brief visit. We booked Chanti Hotel on Gajah Mada street just two days prior to our stay. This hotel has only been around for two years, and what impressed me the most was the hospitality of the staff. Almost everyone asked how our stay was and if we had any complaints or suggestions.
My parents drove us from Cilacap to Semarang and it took eight hours to get there -phew, we arrived Semarang early evening of March 27. We then went out to dinner to see my sister and her family. It was a lot of fun seeing my little nephews again! We left for Jogja the next morning at 10:30 am by Joglosemar travel agency car. Come to think of it.. we were in Semarang for less than 24 hours! What a time crunch we had!
Taking a travel agency car was a poor choice in our case. It took a lot longer (four hrs instead of the usual 2.5) since they also did mail/parcel delivery services. Should we do this itinerary again, I would choose to take a bus instead. There really is no benefit in using a travel agency car. They used to pick you up at your door, but most of them don't do that anymore now and you have to go to their office to catch it. It is 2-3 times more expensive than traveling by bus, and that sometimes they do delivery services and that friggin' slows down the trip. The seats were not as comfortable since they used a van, and they made two rest stops along the way -once is good but I think the second stop was unnecessary, it's a mere 2.5-hr trip just get us to Jogja please!
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| Breakfast seating at Greenhost Boutique Hotel |
Jogja was awesome as always. I easily could have skipped Jogja but I just haven't moved on from it, and probably never will. It is a home to the Javanese culture, including the famous Borobudur and Prambanan Temples -both located on the outskirts of Jogja. It is also one of the very few places in Indonesia with a special regional governance due to its monarchy. If you get a chance, visit the main palace -located not too far from the Malioboro Street.
We stayed at Greenhost Boutique Hotel in Prawirotaman area, which we initially came across when we stayed at another hotel in the area back in November 2016. This industrial-looking hotel didn't disappoint! We booked far in advance and got a great rate at $50/night including breakfast. I got a chance to have an hour massage at their spa as well - quite a bargain at 150,000 IDR! -roughly 12 USD.
We had late lunch at Greenhost' restaurant called 'Art Kitchen' upon arrival and must say that they did a fine job. We just chilled for the rest of the afternoon. A friend of ours and her son met up with us at the hotel, which was awfully nice of them. We only got to meet for 40 minutes since they needed to catch their train later that afternoon -dang, that stupid travel agency car ruined our plan!
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| Eating Padang food on Parangtritis Rd, Prawirotaman |
We left Jogja early the following morning for Labuan Bajo on the island of Flores! Was I ever ecstatic!
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| Parents sitting at the lobby of Greenhost Boutique Hotel |
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| Crab burger by Art Kitchen |
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| Baramundi fish dish at Mediterranea by Kamil. So good! |
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