Our journey to Yogyakarta in Indonesia involved flying overnight (Thursday into Friday) from London Heathrow at 22.05 on SQ321 with Singapore Airlines. With an arrival into Singapore Changi at 18.00 on Friday we quickly completed immigration requirements after the 13 hour flight and checked into the Crowne Plaza Hotel for the night as our onward flight was at 08.20 on Saturday morning. This short break would give us a chance for some food, a shower and some sleep before heading to Indonesia.

It was good to have a walk around the public areas of the airport and stretch our legs after the long haul, but little did we know that Jewel, the latest 'destination experience' at Changi Airport had only officially opened the day previous. It seemed that most of Singapore wanted to see this new leisure destination featuring over 250 shops and restaurants as well as a tropical forest environment complete with massive indoor waterfall. It maybe better to experience this place once the novelty has worn off.

With the alarm set for 06.00, we were able to walk, via a much quieter Jewel, from our hotel located in Terminal 3 to Terminal 2. Using the self service emigration gates we were soon able to grab some coffee and breakfast before boarding Silk Air flight MI152, the 08.20 to Yogyakarta with a journey time of just over two hours (and minus one hour for a time zone change). Arriving into Indonesia brings our country count to 76.

Once we had finally located our Grab taxi (which is the UBER equivalent in Indonesia) at the airport, which wasn't at the airport, but actually at the exit to the nearby railway station (and it was a bit of a struggle if honest), we were on our way into Yogyakarta. It did save us over IDR 40,000 in taxi fare using Grab . . . . but as that was only £2.20 was it really worth it?

Our accommodation in Yogyakarta was the Java Villas Boutique Hotel in the Prawirotaman area of the city. The drive into Yogyakarta didn't overly inspire, but fortunately the room was available for us so we could check in and get sorted before heading into the city to see it properly. We probably took the wrong route towards the city when we did head out from the hotel, but we ended up wandering along what seemed to be a busy road with not too much to see either. We ventured into the Meliá Hotel for lunch, it was the only place we came across that we wanted to go into if honest. It was however nicely air-conditioned and the drinks were icy cool.

Once we had regained our bearings, done a bit of research, we headed towards Malioboro Street, one of the main shopping streets in Yogyakarta - it was certainly very good for buying batik style clothes, but not too much else. Our journey back to the hotel took us through part of the Kraton, or old walled city area of Yogyakarta.

We faired much better on our second day in Yogyakarta as we headed out to the city using the guiding services of Surantini, who we came across via the 'With Locals' website. Our first stop was the UNESCO listed Borobudur, the world's largest Buddhist temple which was around an hour and a quarter by car from Yogyakarta. It really was an impressive place to visit and one of the reasons we had decided to come to Yogyakarta. The reconstruction that was undertaken from the early 1900s following earthquake damage, and years of being covered with volcanic ash was impressive.

In the afternoon we ventured towards Parambanan, a Hindu temple complex that was also UNESCO listed. Again, massive amounts of reconstruction work was required at Parambanan, and compared to Borobudur this place seemed much more 'work in progress'. The grounds in which the temple sat were however really well maintained and it was clear that even though the majority of people in Indonesia are Muslim, this was still somewhere that people would probably come and spend the day.

Our final day in Yogyakarta again saw us visit the Kraton area of the city in order to visit the Sultan's Palace. The palace was probably a little bit of a disappointment after seeing the two temple complexes the previous day. Maybe a guide would have brought the place to life a little bit more, but even as a working palace it didn't seem overly grand and the information boards were lacking somewhat.

With the exception of visiting the Borobudur and Prambanan temples costing us £35 each for the entrance fee (international visitors pay a much higher fee than the Indonesians), Yogyakarta did prove to be great value. Food and drink were very cheap compared to the UK and a tasty chicken/rice meal of Nasi Goreng was normally no more than IDR 40,000 or £2.20 at a restaurant (and you could pay even less at a street side stall).

Even though generally great value would Yogyakarta go on our recommended or return to list? With the exception of the two temple complexes, probably not.

We now head to Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia by train. The journey of around 500 km (or 310 miles) is scheduled to take 7 hours and 42 minutes, and being on a day train we should also get to see plenty of scenery. Travelling by train, in Executive Class, cost us just £19.00 each so is great value too.

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