You are crazy if you are telling me that you’re visiting 3 cities in Indonesia in less than 4 days? I know I was and it even felt kind of like I was in Amazing Race: My Own Version On My Own.
My first flight itinerary was changed. There was some changes to the flight going to Jakarta, and since my leave at work was already filed, all bookings are in place and changes are difficult. I decided to change the Indonesia entry point to Bali – well, you know Bali is very famous and I wanted to have a glimpse of what the deal was.
I had 4 days to spend in Indonesia and this was my itinerary:
Day 1 – Visit Bali and fly to Jakarta in the late afternoon
Day 2 – Tour around Jakarta and take the late train to Yogyakarta
Day 3 – Tour Borobodur and Prambanan
Day 4 – Tour the city area of Yogyakarta then fly back to Jakarta
Is this…looking for an extremely tiring experience? No, I mean just look at that adventure? I was so ready for this challenge!
It was a super random decision that I’d go to Bali, the rebooking didn’t really have additional charges so I decided, why not? There was no clear itinerary when I got to Bali, I looked at google maps and checked which places I can go without being stuck in traffic and miss my flight to Jakarta.
I visited the Bajra Sandhi Monument (for 50,000 idr) and the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park (for 100,000 idr, only because I saw it from afar at the plane). The Garuda Park was too expensive and it was not very interesting for me, I should have just skipped it. After that I went to see the beach, chill and get coffee in Arabica. I went back to the airport, waited there and just did some people watching.
I arrived in Jakarta in the evening. Grab and Gojek were really a great help in traveling around Indonesia, and cheaper compared to the Philippines. It was easy to find my hostel and check in was smooth. They gave me an upper bunk bed and my mid-30s self was challenged. It was too high by standards.
No clear plan in Jakarta as well, but I booked for 2 nights so I can stay late at the hostel the next day and relax before my train ride to Yogyakarta.
The next day I visited museums, the old town and tried some local food, I love Nasi Goreng and would definitely come back to Indonesia for the food. The food? It can only be described as RIP DIET.
In the evening, I went to the train station for my trip to Yogyakarta. The train was clean and modern. I arrived in Yogyakarta and immediately proceeded to the ticketing booth for the return ticket (my flight back to Jakarta got cancelled and I had to find another way). There was none and that made me feel uneasy. Why didn’t I check for a return ticket before boarding the train? I walked to the hostel from the train station, it was safe and the sidewalks are big. Since it was too early to check in, I asked the reception if they can help me book transportation back to Jakarta, there wasn’t any. So I left my stuff and just went to have breakfast from a cart near the hostel. After, I came back to the hostel I freshen up and booked a grab motorcycle to Borobodur. I temporarily forgot my transportation woes and marvel at this magnificent structure. From books to reality, from the stories my professor told to seeing it with my own eyes.
Ah! The grandeur of the old days! Their art, their belief and their way of life. Isn’t it amazing?
The tour was around an hour in the full sun. It was beautiful.
What else is there to say but I did not make a mistake in visiting this site.
After the tour I booked another motorcycle ride back to the city center, ate lunch and came back to the hostel to check in. Lucky it didn’t rain while I was in Borobodur.
Before going to my next destination I went to check for tickets. I could not find any tickets back to Jakarta. I asked around but had difficulty communicating with the local tour agents because of the language barrier. The cheaper train tickets were fully booked and I could not afford the 1st class tickets. There were no safe flights from Yogya that I can take so I wouldn’t miss my flight back to Manila. I finally decided to try the bus station and with the help of google translate we were able to finalize a booking deal. It’s going to be a 12 hour journey by bus. The ticket also included snacks and lunch, which I did not know at first.
I went to Candi Prambanan after securing my ticket. There was a slight to medium rain shower, good thing I always have my umbrella. The temples were majestic. I would have spend more time there, if time and weather permits. I took a last look at the majestic temples and walked towards the theater for the cultural show after having dinner (NASI GORENG of course!) and coffee.
I really like Yogyakarta, it’s laidback and not too crowded with tourists. It’s also rich in history and culture – I wish I’d spent more time there. I got a really cozy, spacious and clean hostel that has great privacy for a solo traveler like me. Although I didn’t get enough time to spend there I’d definitely come back on my next visit. I had to go to the bus station early next morning for my 12 hour bus ride.
It was long.
When we arrived in Jakarta I asked the bus driver to drop me off the nearest bus stop to the airport along the way and took a gojek ride to the airport. I checked in because I wanted to be there early and just decided to eat inside the boarding gates of the airport. There were not a lot of option inside (this is back in late 2024). So for anyone departing in CGK if there’s still time to eat before you check in there are numerous fastfood restaurants before the check-in counters.
After I ate and waited, there was an announcement that my flight got delayed for about an hour or so. I decided to hangout at the seats around the boarding gate and dozed off. I was super tired. When I opened my eyes the staff were already cleaning the boarding area and I was the only passenger there hahaha. I hurried to the gate and there was still a line to enter the plane, it has not left yet.
I boarded the plane and was back home after a few hours of travel with my plastic bag full of pasalubong (I bought bakpia which is a hopia-like pastry from Yogya that received a thumbs down from my mother).
How lucky are you in your travels? Would you do the same itinerary?
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