BALI TRAVEL DIARIES ✈ Gonta Ramen Bar
I am currently reminiscing about Ramen after my post on Ramen Sanpachi Blok M. In November 2011 in the sleepy, but relaxing part of Bali – SANUR – we found the best Ramen place I’ve encountered in Indonesia thanks to the recommendation of Travels with a Gourmet. It’s a small hole in the wall called Gonta Ramen Bar. Photos after the jump!
Read MoreINDONESIAN FINDS ✽ Lulur Body Scrub
One of my favorite Indonesian finds is their amazing beauty secret… LULUR body scrub! It’s basically their local body scrub. I don’t recommend just any Lulur, since there are so many available in the supermarkets, drugstores, etc. When using the right brands, I can say that it’s the best body scrub I’ve ever had, even when compared to professional treatment, which usually irritate the heck out of my sensitive skin. My recos after the jump!
Read MoreTRAVEL DIARIES ✈ Imam Gallery Yogyakarta
On our latest (4th) trip to Yogyakarta, we visited our favorite art gallery – Imam Gallery. Yesterday I told you about the lengths we went to find this particular gallery which compared to many other galleries has a wide variety of paintings. The second time around, despite having the exact name and address, finding it still provided tricky. =P But again totally worth it!
Read MoreTRAVEL DIARIES ✈ Our wild goose chase for art in Jogja
We’ve been looking for art since we arrived in Indonesia. Maybe invest in a few nice paintings by up-and-coming artists, so that it’s cheap but will grow in value through the years. We heard that there are good painters in Bali & Jogjakarta so every time we visit, we look around.
Read MoreHigh Tea at Paprika Resto Yogyakarta
I am totally behind in my high tea mission! But I did get to have high tea during our trip to Yogyakarta…
Read MoreTRAVEL DIARIES ✈ Treated myself to a Spa Pedi in Yogyakarta
I usually get a pedicure before I go on a trip but since I was sick prior to leaving for Jogja, I didn’t get to. Ack. And my polish was peeling off. I should have at least taken off the polish before I left. I guess I really wasn’t feeling well because it didn’t even occur to me to do so. So when I arrived in Yogya it was a choice of looking for a salon (but I am not guaranteed of how clean the utensils will be) or paying big bucks at the hotel spa. Better to be safe than sorry (with a toe infection!) so I decided on the 75minute Spa Pedicure (Rp 290,000) at My Spa of Phoenix hotel. Normally I wouldn’t pay that much but with the massage and mask I consoled myself that it was value for money. Was it worth it? Read on!
Read MoreTRAVEL DIARIES ✈ Sate Buffet at Paprika Resto Yogyakarta
We were lucky to arrive in Yogya on a Friday because there were on-going promos for Phoenix Hotel‘s resto, Paprika and their bar, Vino. We were too tired to drink but definitely not too tired to eat. For dinner we decided to eat early so we could snooze early. Off we went to Paprika for the Friday Sate Dinner Buffet!
Read MoreTRAVEL DIARIES ✈ Our room in Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta
I was apprehensive when I first heard that we were staying in Phoenix Hotel in Yogyakarta. I basically have never heard of it before. I’ve stayed at the Hyatt Yogyakarta but was hoping that it would be nice too – if not at least it should be clean. I checked trip advisor and was pleasantly surprised that it was ranked #2 (#1 was Aman Jiwo Yogyakarta of Aman Resorts fame) for Yogyakarta Hotels and it was #1 for business. Here are pictures of the deluxe room we stayed in.
Read MoreTRAVEL DIARIES ✈ Welcome to Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta
I know I said yesterday I was continuing with the story of my adventure with Ambeth Ocampo and the Adventure Gang but today was so buys (and I’m sick again) that I wasn’t able to do it yet. In the meantime enjoy my posts about Yogyakarta….
Read MoreModes of transportation in Jogja
You'll find many BECAK (tricycles) in Jogja - and with most drivers in this position =P
I tried the ANDONG (horse-drawn carriage) once. It's not for longer distances either, like the becak, but it's a lot of fun too! I think we paid 2 USD for our ride.
This apparently is the main mode of transport in Jogja. But we don't dare try it, because we are not familiar with the routes and the language.
Just like in Jakarta, Jogja is swarming with MOTORCYCLES. If you have a license and know how to drive one, then you can rent one for cheap and get around using one.
I didn’t get a good pic of a CAB, but if you are going to several places, it is cheaper & faster to get around in a cab. You can agree on a price for whole/half-day or if you are only going to a couple of places that are not far apart, you can just let the meter run. We used one on our second day of art gallery hunting and were able to see so many places and cover a lot of ground. And the cab driver was so nice, he was even making phone calls to help us located the gallery we were looking for. After several stores, a long wait as we shopped for art & a ride back to the main street. We only ended up paying 15 USD for 5 persons. So that’s 3 USD per person. Not bad at all
Of all of them, I find the becaks the most interesting. I found all these cool becak photos in this blog. So funny. It really captures what we see all over in Jogja – the drivers sleeping with their feet all over the place! =P
More information about getting around in Jogja.
Read MoreThe biggest temple in the world: Borobudur
One cannot go to Jogja (or Jogjakarta/Yogyakarta) without visiting the magnificent Borobudur Temple. It is the biggest temple in the world & is the most visited tourist spot in Indonesia, with a majority being local tourists.
Read MoreOur very first paintings + my badass staple gun
After a year of looking for art, and a wild goose chase for a “mythical” art gallery in Jogja, we finally had our Sutrisno paintings in hand at the airport on our way back to Jakarta. We hand-carried the small one in its frame & the bigger one rolled up, with the frame checked in. Why should I leave the bigger frame and pay someone to do it for me, when I can frame it myself?
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