Accommodation
Adhisthana Hotel
Explore the typical sights and sounds of Yogyakarta, a city calling itself the vanguard of Javanese culture. The venerable Sultan's palace is the centerpiece. Its location right in the center of town illustrates the respect of the local people for their Sultan. Surrounded by white-clad houses and quiet lanes, there is hardly any traffic in this part of the city, where becaks rule! Taman Sari, as the locals call it, is the former pleasure dome of the Sultans. It features well-restored underground passageways, secret chambers, and frivolous ponds. In Kota Gede, silver factories line the street, ranging from modest family enterprises to real superstores. They have in common, though, mostly older men's skilled hands, producing fabulous homeware and exquisite jewelry. These days the fine art of batik is created at the family compounds in villages surrounding the city. Very few galleries are left in town where the canting and cap are still handled with great care.
In the afternoon, heading to Magelang and visit Borobudur Temple, one of the biggest and most impressive monuments ever erected by mankind, unobtrusively blending in with the splendid background of Menoreh mountain range. The terraced temple tells the times and lives of the Lord Buddha in well over 1.500 expressive reliefs.