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Arrived in Yogyakarta on Tuesday and found a great homestay where there is a Koi carp pond inside the house!
Yogyakarta is a wonderful and peaceful place, people are so laid back you get the impression they don't care, well they 'don't care' in the sense that they have an uncomplicated lifestyle where they go about their business in the way they have been doing for centuries but most westerners I have met here seem frustrated at the way things are, they want things in an instant. Yes things are a little slow here, for example I wanted a train ticket, so I went to the train station expecting to get one and maybe queue for a short while, wrong! The system is you turn up, get a ticket with a number on and wait till your number is called, a bit like at the supermarkets back home when you are at the deli counter but the difference is there is about a 3 hour wait till you are seen to, incredibly people where waiting! I decided to take a stroll and come back later, in the meantime I popped in to a travel agent to see if it was quicker there, of course it was and yes I had to pay an extra £1 fee but it was better that waiting in the baking heat for three hours.
Went to Borodopur temple the other day, hugely impressive with beautiful surrounding landscape, posted a few pictures of it and if you want to be bored rigid of it's historic significance then google it, cos I have forgotten.
I'm heading towards Mount Bromo the place I want to see most in Indonesia over the next few days, it will be an arduous journey but one that's worth it I hope.
I am a great believer in not being afraid of anything and try unconventional methods, call me barmy if you like. The other day I just sat down next to a couple of locals and asked could I join them for a coffee, they obliged and we started talking about everyday things. Then the old boy offered to show me round the real yogyakarta where the locals live, went into an underground mosque of all places and it was a wonderful experience.
70% of Indonesians smoke, it's like a national pastime and you can smoke anywhere, they have great coffee too, so as you can expect I am quite happy here.
Smokers of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but your lungs.
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