Yogyakarta, Indonesia - January 2020

 It's a short flight from Kuala Lumpur to Yogyakarta in Central Java, Indonesia. When we entered the airport terminal, our temperature was taken to make sure we were not sick.   It did not register to us at first as what's going on. Later, we realized the airport authorities were trying to prevent the spread of coronavirus.  

Main tourist attraction in Yogyakarta is the two most remarkable UNESCO World Heritage temples in the world: Borobudur and Prambanan. With some planning and a private car with driver, we were able to visit both temples in one long day.  Our driver was very good in arranging the itinerary to give us enough time to visit the temples leisurely and saw other attractions on the way.

Not everyone loves durian :(-

Sign at our hotel in Yogyakarta

Borobudur: This impressive UNESCO World Heritage site is the world's largest Buddhist temple. It has nine stacked platforms, huge squares topped by a central dome with over 500 Buddha statues.  

Magnificent view of Borobudur Complex from the entrance 

Temple entrance 

Climbing the steps

View of the entrance from the top 

Dome tops

One of over 500 Buddha statues in the complex

The garden

Mendut Temple:  Just a few miles from Borobudur temple, we stopped to visit Mendut Temple.

Mendut Temple

Mendut Temple ground

Buddha Statue 

Stained glass window in the sanctuary 

Buddha Statue

Prambanan Temple: A largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia and the second largest in the world after Angkor Wat. We made it our final stop.

Temple entrance

Prambanan - garden 

Prambanan Complex - Restoration effort continued

Sewu Temple: A leisure walk from Prambanan temple complex lead us to Sewu temple. It's a second biggest Buddhist temple after Borobudur and Prambanan which is Hindu temple. Scholars believed Sewu Temple was once the center of religious activities of Buddhist people. 

On going restoration complex of Sewu

Sewu Temple

Sewu Temple - One of the four gates

At sunset

Yogyakarta is also known as a sultanate city and the royal family has lived there since the 18th century.  Many Yogyakarta's attractions and business relate to the royals. The Sultan's Royal Palace and the Water Castle/Palace are worth a visit.

The Sultan's Palace - cultural and art performance building

Shadow puppet performance in the Sultan's Palace

Sultan's Palace

Water Palace

Water Palace 

The Water Palace

We were told not to miss Malioboro street at night. That's where we spent our last evening in Yogyakarta. It's a fun place to shop, dine and people watch. 

The famous Malioboro street at night

Malioboro street

A vendor on Malioboro street