J.Co Durian Flavor, McDonalds + Shopping for Souvenirs in #MALIOBORO STREET

What's with the title you might ask. Seriously, dining in McDonalds in Yogyakarta? Well, I can't blame my companions if they are fed up with gudeg. I personally think Indonesian food is something that you don't fall in love with that easy. You should give it time. 

And while I was so excited to try each food in the list I always carried with us while in Jogja, my colleagues were thinking of something else. And so on our second day in the Central Javan city, we opted to try something more familiar. We thought of something not very "fastfood"but when we tried Malioboro Mall in the famous street with the same name, there was not much choice. McDonalds it was then.

 #MALIOBORO STREET

#BOROBUDUR: A Temple or a Shrine?

A temple or a shrine? Well, both refer to places of holy worship and could be synanymous but there is a nuance between the two. A temple could be a shrine but a shrine is not necessarily a temple.To make the explaination short, a temple has an inner house where worshippers can gather to venerate their god (s). According to our guide, Borobudur is more of a shrine than a temple since it has no inner house or enclosed space which qualifies it for a temple. Makes sense?

This you cannot easily find in books but one that you can discover when you hire a guide when you visit Borobudur Temple.

beautiful #BOROBUDUR

First, here's what you need to know.

1. We stayed at Edu Hostel in downtown Yogyakarta. 

2. Yogyakarta is 45 minutes away by car from Borobudur on early morning when there arr almost no cars on the road. 

3. We availed of 

Golden Sunrise at Punthuk Setumbu Hill -Borobudur 

and Mendut Temple Tour 

(6 hours) 85,000 Rupiah/pax. Leaves at 4 am.

READ: Borobudur Golden Sunrise Tour

Borobudur Golden Sunrise Tour

This is not the main temple tour of Borobudur yet. I also thought we would go to the renown Buddhist temple in Yogyakarta for sunrise but I was wrong. We availed of Golden Sunrise Package Tour through our hotel Edu Hostel where the standard rate is 85,000 Rupiah that we had to reserve the night before. We had to leave the hotel at 4:00am. The hotel car was already waiting for us at the lobby when we went downstairs. The rate is per pax and we had to share the ride with two other tourists since there were only three of us. The car is spacious so it was a comfortable 45-minute ride to our first destination.

Borobudur Nirwana Sunrise

WHAT TO DO IN YOGYAKARTA: Ride a #Becak

Becak is a cycle rickshaw typical in Yogyakarta. This is the equivalent of our pedicabs in Manila except that with this one the driver is at the back. Passengers could therefore have an uninterrupted view of the road.

According to a local blogger friend, becaks were not originally meant for public transportation but tourists became fond of it and so the widespread use of moving people around. Comes at a hefty price though. We find it outrageously expensive for such a ride. A less than five kilometer pedal starts at 20,000 Rupiah, roughly $2. I didn't realize it to be that expensive until we got to Jakarta and the taxi we took only charged us 40,000 Rp from Gombak Station to Hotel Kempinski which is more than five kilometers away. Given the same distance, a becak driver might ask for a premium of twice that amount.

Becak ride in Yogyakarata

Holiday Destinations to feel like a Star

Once again 2014 sees the return of MTV’s World Stage to Malaysia. Since 2009, the Malaysian World Stage event allows 550 million music lovers across the globe to see their favourite acts perform without ever leaving the comfort of their sofas. Yet Malaysia isn’t the only place that has hosted large MTV events. MTV is adept at putting on music events at destinations around the world, bringing music lovers, travellers and celebrity stars together.

Party holidays in the Med

Take Malta, for example. Every June sees fifty thousand party people head to Malta for a huge outdoor event. For the past eight years the Malta Tourism Authority and MTV have partnered to bring ‘Isle of MTV’ to Il Fosos in glorious Floriana. What’s more it’s absolutely free - what a fantastic way to combine a love of travel, culture and music!

Magaluf in Majorca also has a great reputation for clubbing, partying and sunbathing. The season starts in May and doesn’t end until October. The temperature rarely drops below thirty degrees either. That’s six whole months to celeb spot whilst working on both your tan and your disco moves!

Magaluf in Majorca 

#CRUMPLER Convenient Disgrace: Functional, Fashionable camera strap

I finally got a dslr upgrade. Well, my Nikon d3000 finally gave up on me (at least the battery) after three long years of being my travel buddy. Instead of buying a new battery which costs more than 2,000 pesos, I thought it would be better to upgrade to higher, better body. Nikon d7000 it is!

And what could be better than having a new camera and a new camera strap.

I have been looking around for a strap that is durable enough to stand heavy duty use since I travel a lot and at the same time, one that is fashionable. A combination of function and porma, Crunpler Convenient Disgrace was the perfect fit.

CRUMPLER Convenient Disgrace attached to my old Nikon dslr

RED HOT PISO SALE! #AirAsiaZest

Have you made up your mind where to travel this year? Well, you have to make the decision quick because Air Asia Philippines is having RED HOT PISO SALE! Yes, it time to book those flights.

P1 Base Fare Sale!
AirAsia Zest is making it easy and affordable 

#RedHotPiso. Go to www.airasia.com now!

Fly with AirAsia Zest’s, low fares to/from Manila, Cebu, Boracay (Kalibo), Puerto Princesa,Tacloban, Bohol (Tagbilaran) from as low as P537 all-in fare and Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Miri, Macau, Shanghai and Incheon from as low as P461 – everything’s all-in!

Booking Period: Feb 24-March 2,2014
Travel Period: 01 October 2014 till 30 April 2015

#RedHotPiso

WIJILAN GUDEG: Nasi Gudeg Komplit Special Bu Lies

DID YOU KNOW? Yogyakarta until this day is ruled by a sultan. Cool ayt?

And there is a food made for royalty, fit for royalty--- they call it GUDEG.
It is no surprise therefore that it is the most popular dish in Yogyakarta. It can be found in every place in city. Actually, Yogyakarta is sometimes referred to as Kota Gudeg or City of Gudeg. Don't be surprised therefore if I keep talking about this food in my Jogjakarta series.

Gudeg is made from young jack fruit boiled for several hours with palm sugar and coconut milk. Additional spices include garlic, shallot, candlenut, coriander seed, galangal, bay leaves and teak leaves.  It is also called Green Jack Fruit Sweet Stew. Gudeg is usually served with white rice (nasi gudeg), chicken, hard-boiled egg, and tofu.

There are two kinds of Gudeg. Wet and dry gudeg and there are variations in taste depending on where you are in Java. They also sell it in Solo (more watery with lots of coconut milk) and East Java (more spicy).Yogyakarta-style is sweet. Family friendly. haha!

Gudeg Restaurants in Wijilan Yogyakarta

EDU HOSTEL Yogyakarta is about Comfort and Space

I have known about the place because a few travel bloggers from the Philippines have already stayed here. The perk of being one of them. And so this is where we stayed for two nights during the entire duration of our Yogyakarta trip and with a hotel this good and value, I can stay here for a week without even thinking of looking anywhere else.

EDU HOSTEL Yogyakarta

#PRAMBANAN2014: Free Museum, Souvenirs, Nasi Gudeg and the Notorious Becak Ride

You cannot just look around the temple and that's it. I mean, there has to be something else than sightseeing right? Buying souvenirs perhaps or trying some of the food offered in the place? At Prambanan Temple Complex, you will most likely do more than that. For one, the exit (like in Borobudur) is made in such that tourists have no choice but to go through a maze of shops and food stalls which will tempt you to buy and eat.

Gudeg