will i am's delayed diary

glowing dustbin Swiped from eruin_1 . Some random observations about Jogjakarta: The people there seem to have a love affair with dustbins that have a swivel lid. They're everywhere! For cheapo public toilets, shallow cisterns are commonly used with no flushing mechanism. Really not for big business! Over in Malaysia, buildings usually have stone plaques of VIPs who officiated them. In Jogja, they frame up the written messages. They are obsessed with the cartoon "Little Krishna". The blow-up toys are even sold at the roadside. At first I thought they were mini "Avatar" characters! It boggle the minds that Asia's most populous Islamic country has citizens that adore a cartoon with a Hindu god as its main character! This only shows how shallow Malaysians are. Horse carriages are still a common sight. The Jogjakarta Sultanate preserves the traditional dance and music. Even the ancient Javanese writing is still used. This wraps up everything Jogjakarta ...

Duta Garden II Swiped from williamnyk . On our last day in Jogjakarta, it was considered "free and easy day". We had breakfast as usual, but after that I roamed around with my camera. Bumped into the manager again, and he brought me to the new wing of the hotel that's still under construction. Another twelve villas were being constructed opposite the road. Garden concept, with slightly more floor space. At 11:00am, the masseur that we had booked the night before arrived. She started on POD first before working on KH. It was fun seeing him squirm and shout under her ministrations. The masseur was amused seeing that POD on the other hand managed to sleep through it. Traditional Javanese massage seems quite standard, with some minor variations. While she massaged, I observed and chatted with the masseur. According to POD and KH, her skill was good and her hands were strong. We weren't keen on stopping at Malioboro St. . It looked no different from Jalan Petaling or ...

Kraton II Swiped from williamnyk . Breakfast at Duta Garden was nothing special. But still, we were the guests who spent the longest time there. Wakakaka. POD was happily shovelling their bakmi goreng while Nic LOVED their over-sized bananas. No surprises there. Our first stop was at the Kraton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat -- the palace of the Jogjakarta royal family. Ten successive kings had lived there. The current ruler is Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwana X who ascended the throne in 1998. Coincidentally, he is also the Governor by default. Having arrived at the palace a bit too early, we were waylaid for a short time to a nearby batik factory. Seems hard to escape the sharks . The artist was a wild-eyed guy who did interesting batik paintings of dancing magic mushrooms and other weird themes. Beautiful stuff, but also very expensive. As usual, we were given the usual expalanations on the production process. Was surprised to hear that the beeswax they use is imported from the Netherland...

Breakfast @ Surya Swiped from williamnyk . Our day started early again. We had a long drive ahead of us to the Dieng Plateau , so Pak Gadot urged that we start early. On the day before there was news that the mountain pass was closed due to a collapsed bridge ( alarm bells! ), but luckily it was reopened. To be quick, we sat ourselves at the coffee shop at 6:00am sharp. Had some toast and chicken porridge before journeying off. The roads to Dieng was not unlike Cameron Highlands. But truth be told, the scenery was better. As we neared the main market, the roads were super-jammed with cars. Just a single lane each for uphill and downhill traffic ad people still wanna park by the roadside! To add to the chaos, there was a Halal-Bihalal ( a mutual begging of pardon that is distinct to Indonesia ) ceremony going on nearby. Not a total loss, it gave us the opportunity to observe the people there. The highland people there have a distinctive look. The mosey up and down the steep ro...

Breakfast was kinda hearty-- soft-boiled eggs made with love by KH. Had some bread to go with it too. Since time was short, did not have much time to suck on the 'other eggs'. :(. One should never have to rush through a meal. ;P. Unfortunately, KH also did not sleep well the night before. Before you jump to any conclusions, I was not depriving him of his quality sleep. We suspect that the Mojito he took the night before had a role to play. At Changi, the check-in line for Jogjakarta was heavenly. Two long, snaking queues. It was the end of lebaran , so all the rich Jogjakartans were heading home with their multitudes of designer shopping bags. Miu Miu. Prada. Aigner. All a common sight. Luckily it was over in half and hour or so. Was fun going on a trip with Nic and POD again. Our last trip together was to Kuching . Nic had cut his hair even shorter. The couple must have an army fetish in the bedroom I suspect. :P. The flight was not eventful. Just more passengers toting Burber...