I am glad we got really good teachers, lessons are very interactive and lively as we are on the intensive programme, classes start at 8am and end at about 4pm daily. A typical day will start with language classes in the morning and culture and history lessons in the afternoon after lunch.

So today let me talk about the pace of life in Yogyakarta. The culture of Indonesia is filled with tradition and after Bali, Yogyakarta is considered to be Indonesia's number two tourist destination. Jogja is full of cultural Javanese and Indonesian traditional attractions, night markets and general sightseeing. Even though it is formally known as a Muslim country, many influences of its Hindu past are still practiced. This is evident by the various monuments and historical sculptures and statues that can be seen on the country’s roads.

Jogja isn’t very big and all the attractions are easily accessible. Tourist attractions are generally located relatively close to each other and accessible by foot. The locals here enjoy chatting and don’t be surprised if a local comes up to you and starts a conversation.

As for service, expect to wait 10 - 15 minutes for just about anything, such as waiting for a meal to be served. In Jogja, you can be assured that things will get done, but you just have to be patient. People here speak in a very gentle and soft manner and you will not see boisterous behavior, people yelling or cursing, and neither will you see a irritated face when you approach a local to ask for directions.

In Jogja the streets are filled with cheap food sold in “warungs”, and if you aren’t choosy, you can be sure you won’t go hungry at night. Prices typically range from 5,000rp (~$0.70) to about 15,000rp – 30,000 for a reasonable meal with satisfactory dishes such as “Cap Cai” (fried vegetables), “mee goreng” dan lain-lain (etc. in bahasa). Tonight we discovered a Warung (Small eating place) near the hostel. Waroeng makan, Soekonandi, Jln Sukonandi 21, telp 8358157. Pretty satisfactory food at 20,000rp per person (about S$2.90)

Popular "Koropok" for only 100rp (1 cent).



Teh panas halia (hot ginger tea)

Pretty satisfactory food at 20,000rp per person (about S$2.90)

Let me talk about transportation in Jogja. Here, the majority of locals travel on motorbikes. You’d rarely see pedestrians walking along the sidewalk of roads and most roads have no sidewalk at all.

The streets are literally filled with motorbikes and you can buy a brand-new reasonably good bike for S$1,500 to $2,500. Second-hand bikes are even cheaper at <$900. However the bike culture here isn’t as extreme as that in Thailand or in Vietnam. The community here relies on the ubiquitous bike just to get from place to place, there are still vans and small <1,600cc> motorbike.
There is almost no bus network here except for the state-owned “TransJogja” but it doesn’t go everywhere and isn’t as versatile. The more common bus that you will see on the roads are private drivers and are not affiliated to any enterprise or authority and have a free reign on wherever they want to go.

So this rickety buses are small in capacity but are numerous on the roads, they are typically operated by either a single driver or a driver and a young conductor. So if you are standing on the side of the road or at a “bus stop” (basically a small indentation at the side of the road curb but with little other markings or signs).

The bus will drive up to you and if the bus is empty, the conductor will ask where you want to go, either that or if the bus is plying a certain route, or heading to a particular direction, the conductor will mention so, (e.g Malioboro). Typically this will require some elementary discussion in Bahasa Indonesia. The buses are small, not air-conditioned, stuffy and drivers typically drive precariously hoping to get as many passengers as possible. They operate like mass “taxis” that are free of any timetable, route or routine.
















Fees for such a bus are a standard 3,000rp regardless of your destination and you have to tell them where you want to stop. It is cheap transportation, but locals warn against it as it is not safe, and many have fallen victim to pickpockets. You might be alone on the bus at one moment, but at the next moment the bus can suddenly pick up a whole horde of guys clambering up and you will be squashed in and absolutely vulnerable knowing that you are foreign.

So for tourists, the cab is the ideal option. It’s safer, very affordable (the daily 3.6km ride to school only costs 16,000rp ($2.30) and air-conditioned. It’s nearly impossible to hail a cab of a sidewalk and locals typically call for a cab, there is no cost to call for a cab (unlike in Singapore) where there is a call charge.

The most popular operator here is known as the “373737” taxi, known for it’s calling number. It is usually the first choice for locals, it’s reliable, always on time and has the most number of “Avanza” taxis, the model of the vehicle which is spacious and comfortable. So if you have bulky items or more than 4 people, you will typically ask for an “Avanza” taxi.

Other taxi operators are typical and are sufficiently reliable.

Blue Ventri Taxi





The meter of almost all taxis start at 5,500rp (S$0.80) but be wary though, if you enter a cab hailed off the sidewalk and not called through an operator, make sure the driver turns on the meter, or request for to be charge via meter. Sometimes a driver will haggle the cost of the destination and might jack up the fare, be sure to discuss in a polite manner and most drivers will be happy at a typical fare offered.

Taxi’s are easy to get with many competing companies but they are unwilling to take on more than 5 people. But you can offer an extra 5,000rp and they should be fine with it. Also when you enter a cab, make sure you have small change as some drivers will feign ignorance at not having small change, and having you “tip” them.

For example, if the fare is 16,000rp and you only have a 20,000rp note, they might refuse to give change. Moreover most cab drivers will definitely not have sufficient change for a 100,000rp note (~S$14) since typical fare are about 20,000 – 60,000rp.

In central Jogja town, traffic is very dense but not immobile and most vehicles on the road average a speed of about 30-40km/h so it’s swift, efficient but not reckless nor dangerous.
That aside, if you are standing forlornly at the side of a road, some enterprising locals will actually come up to you to ask if you need a ride asking when you’d like to go, I’ve not accepted any locals offering me a ride yet but I am sure if you can offer a reasonable sum, they will be happy to take you to wherever you want to go if it’s convenient for them.