INDONESIA: Strolling Yogya

Yogyakarta (derived from Dutch, pronounced as Jogjakarta; "Y" is pronounced as a "J") is small artistic town more popularly known for the nearby Borobudur, an ancient Buddhist temple and UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unknown to many, this town has more to offer than old temples. The city of Yogyakarta is simple yet artistic, busy yet full-of-heart. The main avenue is littered with shops that sell hand-made batik printed shirts in all hues and patterns -- quite an eye-candy for the color-hungry. Though the streets were filled with cars, there weren't any traffic jams or devil-drivers to complain about. At night, acoustic bands, complete with make-shift percussion instruments, play on the streets to serenade lovers walking hand in hand or families eating in the sidewalk restaurants. Later into the night, their songs turn into lullabies that cradle the city to sleep.

The main avenue

Malioboro Street

Your shirt is my canvass!

This is just wrong!

Catching the last bus

Another treat that Yogya had to offer was an organized bus transportation system complete with time schedule for the day. This is a rarity in Southeast Asia; usually it's just "hop-on / hop-off" when the bus comes. This made going to the nearby sights a breeze. Some say that by 2016, the small town of Yogya will have its own monorail and aerobus. Take that, Southeast Asia!

Buses come every 5-minutes (Can you believe it?)

A bus schedule, God's gift to mankind

Bintang Bar is small and cozy beer shack on Sosrowijayan Street - a street popular for backpacker-friendly hostels. Bintang Bar regularly features indie bands of different genres each night -- a tell-tale sign how the arts thrive in this city -- to play music and promote their albums. On the night we went, a ska band called The Brown Sugar gave a fantastic performance. They are extremely popular with the locals. About 30 minutes before their first set started, the house was already jam-packed. Though nights usually end early (12MN), the people still lingered to chit-chat with the band and continue drinking by the convenience store right across the street. I congratulated them after their set and the vocalist gave me a free copy of their album to share with my friends.

The Brown Sugar

Star of the night

For all its simplicity and artsy-ness, Yogyakarta has become my favorite city in all of Southeast Asia. If you're into traditional Indonesian paintings, contemporary visual art and indie music, then Yogya is definitely worth a visit. If you're into history and culture, Prambanan and Borobudur are just around the corner so Yogya would be a convenient place to stay.