Yogyakarta, the city of students

After a rather disappointing trip in Bali, Indonesia redeemed itself with Yogyakarta (aka Yogja/Jogja). After getting off the plane with a 18kg backpack, 5kg dive bag and a massive carry on backpack, I made my way to the local bus for a mere 3000 rupiah (about 30 cents!). The first thing I have noticed is how friendly and helpful everybody is (as opposed to Bali where everybody is out to get some money out of you). Even if some of them speak basic English, they are more than happy than telling me which line to take, tell you that the bus is there, and even tell the staff on the bus the destination where I'm going! The drive through the bus was quite nice too. I noticed that there are less westernized franchises around the city, and it had more of an asian country rather than a tourist infested country.

The city itself is known for the following: massive temple ruins, a really big presidential palace, and a water palace (which is where the sultan brings all of his wives to take a bath). It is so rich in history, and the places are very well preserved (with the exception of Prambanan temples which was greatly devastated by an earthquake in 2006). One important point: when visting the Kraton palace, there are two entrances: the "fake one" which only shows the throne room, and the "real one" which has the rest of the palace. Even if the "fake" entrance only cost 5000 rupiah, it was the principle! :P

And since it's a student city, the food is DIRT CHEAP! Example: in Sanur, I had a nasi goreng (fried rice) and a large bintang beer for about 53,000 rupiah (5ish$). In yogja, I (well my javanese couchsurfing friend) ordered: one very big bowl of congee, 2 drinks, 1 ice cream and 1 bowl of beef balls for the same price!! And that fed 2 person!!

Yogja, you have redeemed yourself! Fine, I have to admit that I had a great time because I met heaps of amazing javanese couchsurfers that showed me all the amazing coffee and hangout spots! They are so nice, helpful and willing to show/drive us around to see things.

Tips:
- Yogja airport has one waiting room, and does NOT have food in it. Purchase your food after checking in and before you cross security
- Even if they have a bus system, there are only 5 or 6 lines that goes through the main streets. The rest can only be accessible by car or moped. Do yourself a favor and rent one (or hail cabs).
- On Malioboro street, there is a "hidden" mall where there is an ENTIRE floor dedicated to buy electronics (cellphones, laptops, digicam). The only way I found it is that I was tired and hungry and saw a Dunkin Donuts (don't ask) and walked in the air con building. I then realized it was a massive mall. I was in heaven.
- Finding food isn't too hard even at 1 am. Walk down any streets and there will be food stalls. There are also several local warung (family owned restaurants) that are opened 24h.

Bali, Indonesia

There is a running balinese joke that goes: BALI = BAnyak LIbur (Indonesian) = Many Holidays. While this island is a holiday paradise, it also seems to be the favorite Australian vacation spot too, mostly the bogans (read: rednecks) and the party animals, which has heavily influenced this island. I have only visited three popular spots in Bali: Sanur, Ubud and Kuta (which is barely 1% of what Bali has to offer), and I was highly disappointed. I was expecting a more traditional experience, but what I have seen is an island riddled with tourist and locals who try to dip their finger in the tourism by constantly harassing and ripping you off for transport or buying things.

Kuta

Words cannot describe how much I hated this city. Getting in and out of the city takes about 20 minutes through the traffic. It is riddled with tourists (mostly Australians) and kids who are here to party and get drunk for quite cheap (Kuta is like the equivalent of Cancun/Varadero for us canucks). Never have I been so annoyed at the locals who are constantly harassing me to grab a taxi or a transport (where the prices are obviously bloated just to get more money off of me). When I asked a "tourism information" booth for a local bus shuttle back to Sanur (which i know exists), he blatantly said "No bus! Only transport. My friend take you". It's also littered with McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Bubba Gump Shrimp and heaps more western restaurants. There is even a massive mall in the middle of town! It's also supposedly known for their beautiful beaches... which i beg to differ. The sand is very rough, and the water looks quite disgusting. Do yourself a favor, unless you want to party with jail bait aussies, don't bother.

Ubud

This city is focused on culture, yoga and nature with beautiful views of the mountain and rice paddies. Contrary to Kuta, it is a bit more quiet and the city has a little more charm. One of the notable tourist activity is to visit the Monkey forest where heaps of macaque monkeys roam free in the forest, in search for bananas that tourist come and feed them. They are incredibly smart creatures and will literally jump on you and go through your bag/pocket for food! Ladies, don't go there wearing a tube top. Why you may ask? Think what happens when a monkey (or two) grabs on to your top to climb on your head. Yes. The rest goes without saying. My favorite of the three cities. It also has a pretty big market where one can practice their haggling skills and come out with Bintang tshirts and other various items for a modest price.

Sanur

What was once a little fishing village, it is now a very busy tourist area, which is mostly occupied by families and older expats. The only reason why I stayed here was for scuba diving (my dive center is located in Sanur). I was highly disappointed with the selection of restaurants and food as it was uniquely catered towards foreigners (there are a few aussie bars with signs saying "Go aussies!") and food that are cheap for aussies but quite expensive for locals (the average meal costs 50,000 rupiah, which is about 5$, but the locals usually spend 1 to 2$ on a meal). The night market offers much more affordable fares (a nasi goreng, aka fried rice goes for 20,000 rupiah, which is 2$ vs 5$ for the main strip). The beach is highly disappointing too as the water is merky and the sand is also very rough.

Diving

Highlight (and reason for travelling to Bali) of my trip. Bali has a few notable dive spots, especially Manta point/bay where, in the right season, one can swim with manta rays! Such majestic creatures. The underwater fauna is quite remarkable and the visibility is just amazing (20 to 30 meters!!!)

Places I didn't get the chance to visit

Due to the lack of time, I didn't get the chance to visit Gili islands, another very popular tourist spots, but supposedly have beautiful white sandy beaches. I read that the western part of Bali is very scenic and offers a variety of activities and it is also possible to hike the active volcano Mount Agung.

All in all, aside from the diving, Bali isn't going to have a very lasting impression. I do have to admit that I've only been here for 6 days (and 2 of them was dedicated to diving). I might come back here, with a travel buddy, and stay a bit longer to explore the northern and western part of Bali.

Next stop: the javanese cultural center, Yogyakarta!