Ello ello! So we thoroughly enjoyed Ubud on Bali, it's such a laid back place, and we stayed in a hostel with our own veranda and chaise longes outside where we had banana pancakes and java coffee every morning. It's monsoon season at the moment so there have been some spectacular storms too, but its still so hot we just sit outside watching the rain pour down. In Ubud we caught a traditional Kecak fire dance which was based on an old Hindu myth and used 100 dancers with the women in extravagant, beautiful Hindu outfits, went to the Monkey Forest where you can't MOVE for monkeys (and to think in Iguazu I spent hours searching for a glimpse of one!) and just took in the temples that stand on pretty much every street corner. I didn't want to leave.
But leave we did, heading back to Kuta for christmas. This time our room at the Sari Bali Cottages cost about 3 pounds each a night, and for that we got a double room with en suite, breakfast and a huge pool. We visited the idyllic Jimbaran Bay on the Bukit peninsula in the very south of the island on Christmas eve, watching the sunset there and then heading back into Kuta for arctic cold Bintangs (always necessary, the heat NEVER lets up) we also explored the island on a moped (don't be mad mum!) and I found the holy grail... a REAL Topshop! Obviously I was so excited I almost wept. On Christmas day we found a bookshop and swapped all our old South American guide books for new ones lazed on the beach before heading into town for a - sort of - traditional roast dinner. There was turkey, there was stuffing, but there was also mango, which was unexpected. I also got to speak to my mum very, very briefly on the quietest line ever in a room full of strangers. Not the best of conditions but so comforting to hear her voice on the big day when we are so far apart.
On boxing day we took the 3pm bus to Yogyakarta on Java, a 16 hour journey that goes onto a car ferry between the islands. The bus was new, air conditioned and comfortable, but the drivers here are crazy and certainly don't stick to 70 like the drivers in South America (in Argentina they have a monitor on the bus that automatically makes it slow down if they go too fast) so it was a sleepless night. We arrived in Yogyakarta at 7am and took a cab to the Sosrowijayan district of the city and went from hostel to hostel being told they were all full because it's Christmas (weird, seeing as it's a predominantly Muslim nation). Eventually we found somewhere, small and a little overpriced but fine to rest our weary bones for a night until we found somewhere better. Which we just have, the new place has a pool with a waterfall and a lovely little room, but it is my first experience of... deep breath... a squat toilet. Eek! But hey, I've been to Glastonbury. I can do this.
Yogya is the political and cultural centre of Java so we've been exploring the batik galleries (and learnt all about the process) and trawling the buzzing markets and riding around on tuk tuks. It feels incredibly authentic here, much more like the 'real' Indonesia than Bali. There aren't any other Western tourists around, but as usual the Indonesian people are charming, relaxed and polite. The only problem is it's still as hot as Bali, but as the island is Islamic we have to cover up, so I'm wearing jeans and long sleeves in the sweltering heat. There are mosques everywhere, and the soundtrack to the island is the haunting muezzins call to prayer which starts at 4am every morning and never really stops. But actually I find it quite beautiful, we got up at 4am this morning to visit Borobudur and I popped out onto the dark balcony to listen to the singing and watch the monsoon rains.
So, to Borobudur! One of the seven wonders of the world and the largest Buddhist Temple in existence. It's so huge you can't take a picture of the whole thing at once, and covered in ornate carvings and Buddhist stupas. It was built in the 8th century, but covered in volcanic ash in 1008 and only rediscovered by the rather amazing sir Stanford Raffles in 18?? (I can't quite remember the date). Look up Raffles if you can, he was the most extraordinary Englishman and did an awful lot for Java. After we arrived back in Yogya we visited the Kraton, the palace of the Sultan, then had a great lunch at Via Via. Tomorow we plan to check out a few more markets, catch some traditional dancing and Gamelan and maybe go to the Kota area of the city which has been a huge centre for silver for almost a century, so I'll sharpen my bartering skills (which are getting better by the day) and treat myself to a bangle.
Right, I've gone on quite enough (although I'm sure I'm forgetting loads) so i'll say goodbye for now. I think it's dinnertime. Noodles anyone? I can't remember ever eating anything else...
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