The eight-hour train ride from Jakarta to Yogyakarta would not have been so bad if: 1. They would have turned the lights off, or at least down. 2. They would have had some sort of heating system or thicker blankets. 3. It was quiet. However, since it was none of those things it was my least favorite part of Indonesia, and possibly the trip so far. It started out fine. The seats have a lot of legroom and aren’t too uncomfortable, and we left on time. Around 10pm I thought they might at least dim the lights, (they do on airplanes and buses), but they didn’t. And they kept showing loud Indonesian music videos. I put on headphones and attempted to sleep. Midnight rolled around and the music was still loud, the lights were still very, very bright and now it was freezing. Someone kept leaving the doors between cars open, and the train was moving very fast, meaning cold air and even more noise, only this clanging and racing noise was worse than the music. I curled into a ball. I wrapped my feet in a blanket and put on my North Face. I huddled. I did not understand. Everyone on the entire train was trying to sleep. Not one person looked like they wanted to be awake. All eyes were closed, unless opened in what I can only assume was annoyance similar to mine. So WHY would the lights and music still be on? I tried my best, but probably slept about 50 minutes if you add up every time I drifted off, only to be awoken by my body shuddering from cold.
Finally arriving at 4am, we got off the train and wandered to find a hostel. This doesn’t sound safe, but we were given a street name and told there were a lot of backpackers in this area. Sure enough, within 15 minutes of walking we found Srorojaya St, packed with hostels and tour guides and restaurants and Europeans. The hostel we chose offered cheap tours to Borobudor, the Buddhist temple we had come to see, so we booked one for the next day and left to find our own way to Prambanan, a World Heritage Site and the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia. Constructed in the 9th century, it was built in dedication to the Trimurti, which is Brahma, (the creator), Vishna, (the sustainer), and Shiva, (the destroyer). The Trimurti is a personification of god as those functions. The temples are tall, pointed structures built of stone. With the bright early morning sun and only a few other visitors, they were peaceful and beautiful.
Later, after a nap, we found a department store with plain white t-shirts, something we wish we brought because we could wear them every day. Then, we ate in a mall food court, which is a bit shameful, but they had Internet. Avocado chocolate drinks are popular in Indonesia, so I tried one, but of course being me it had coffee in it too. It was surprisingly very good. Next, we explored Marioboro St., the main street near our hostel full people selling jewelry, clothing and trinkets. It was so crowded! We inched through and tried not to get hit by horses pulling carriages of people, very common in Yogyakarta, or rickshaws.
Our tour to Borobudor Wednesday left at 5am, so we woke up early and headed downstairs where we were met with a German student and a French couple, (the couple turned out to be extremely annoying, as they sat in the back of the tour van and made loud, smacking kissing noises every five minutes for the hour and half ride there and back). Borobudor, also a World Heritage Site, is a large Buddhist monument comprised of six square platforms with three circular ones on top. The monument is a tribute to Lord Buddha, and pilgrims follow a path around each level, circling up to the top. To reach the top, you go through the world of desire, the world of forms, and the world of formlessness, the three levels of Buddhist cosmology.
After the temple we stopped at a café near our hostel for lunch and were met with a lovely woman from Bali who was working at the restaurant for her sister. She was a little older, and joked with us about all the boys she was sure we would meet in Bali, then gave us names of everything we should do while we were there as well as her phone number. “Maybe you just call me if you need anything. I will help you. I can talk to taxi and tell them what you want. Whatever you want to do, where you want to go, just call me.” We thanked her, then asked if they served ice cream. They didn’t, but next thing we knew she was running out and then back in with ice cream she bought across the street for us. People in Indonesia, at least in our experiences are genuinely nice and helpful. Whenever we asked for directions, or had any questions, we were always greeted with smiles and laughter. Fiqy’s family opened their home to us, and now this woman we had just met was going out of her way to find us ice cream. We tipped her well and headed to Bali!
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