Java: Yogyakarta

After a very tiny island we headed to a much bigger one: Java. This is the main island of Indonesia with the capital Jakarta situated in the west end of the island. We didn't visit the capital, though. In stead we went to Yogyakarta - the historic capital of Indonesia. On our way there we say an incredibly beautiful sunrise from above the clouds.

We weren't entirely sure if we'd be able to go to Yogyakarta after all since it's located only 30 km from the Merapi volcano, that had been erupting for a few weeks. But while we were there, the volcano (sadly) stayed quiet

Here we visited the sultan's old palace, some markets and gazed at all the street art that can be found in the city.

Since there's not that many western tourists coming here, the locals also like to come and practise their English with you and take photos. This much attention we haven't had since Vietnam.

Our main purpose for visiting Yogyakarta was, however, the nearby temple of Borobudur. Borobudur is the biggest Buddhist temple in the world and built in the 9th century. To reach the top, you are supposed to circle around the temple one level at a time for 5 km with all the walls filled with amazing stone carvings and statues. Viewed from above, this temple resembles a mandala.

The day we arrived to Borobudur was Vesak or Buddha Day and there were thousands of Buddhists celebrating it in the temple. Thousands of lanterns were released in the night which was a beautiful sight.

Gili Meno

Gili Meno is a paradise island with a quite authentic vibe to it (although the vibe has probably been stronger a few years ago as new hotels keep popping up). There's no cars on the island, just horse carts turquoise water, white beaches and small sandy paths crisscrossing between the shores. You can walk around the entire island in just a little more than an hour.

On the western side of the island there's a salt water lake that you can cross if you're brave enough like us.

The people where very friendly though the atmosphere was very calm and laid back. We visited during the Ramadan season, which turned out to be quite an experience. Not only does it mean that the people dial down a notch during day time, but it also means sleeping next to the island mosque can be a bit challenging. The first prayer started 3.30 in the morning and the last ended at around 10 in the evening. Although many of the singers had a very nice voice, it was still impossible to sleep due to the loudness.

The best part of the island was the underwater world. It didn't matter where we started snorkelling, we always saw something interesting. During our five days we snorkelled at least once every day and saw two beautiful sea turtles (one that was at least 1 m long), a lot of interesting fish and heaps of amazing, colourful corals. Since we don't have an underwater camera, you just have to trust us or come and see for yourself. But here's at least a picture of a rescued baby sea turtle.

And also, what could be better than having drinks and dinner sitting on the beach watching the sunset while dolphins and turtles are swimming in the turquoise waters in front of you?

Bali

And then it was time for our last month of travelling. Next on our list was Indonesia and we decided to start on Bali. We hadn't had time to do research about Indonesia so we chose beach town Sanur as our first stop to get into Indonesia. The beach itself wasn't ideal for swimming or snorkelling since there was too much sea grass but if you enjoy sunbathing, it will do the trick.

Bali has a very distinctive cultural heritage with a lot of interesting buildings, temples and statues all over town. We also witnessed a ceremony where the people made offerings to the sea.

One day we were getting lost in the inner part of Sanur when a local guy invited us to see their family Hindu temple. The temple was used by fifty families on big occasions but they also had a smaller temple for their own family's daily praying.

After chilling on Sanur for a few days we moved inland to the town of Ubud. This town had a lot to offer: nice walking streets, lots of restaurants and shops, loads of art, crafts and culture and beautiful surroundings with rice fields and hills.

We also visited the Monkey Forest Sanctuary and got very well acquainted with the inhabitants.