I woke up at 10 today. The hotel staff knocked on my door at around 6:20 AM and brought breakfast. It was like a bento box, but I hadn't expected them to come at 6, so they left it and I went straight back to sleep.
After waking at 10 I hurried to take a shower and pack. They said the airport bus would depart soon, so I told them to wait and that I'd go in five minutes. Anyway, I quickly finished packing. I checked out nine minutes early and boarded the bus.
The flight was delayed by two hours
The flight to Yogyakarta was supposed to depart from Terminal 3, so I headed to Terminal 3.
I was really grateful that the bus was running for free; if I had had to travel from the city center to the airport I'd have had to wake up super early and it would have been hectic, so I was really glad I stayed at a hotel near the airport. It was also 3,000 yen, which was very reasonable.
When I arrived at the airport and went to the check-in counter, it was still marked "Closed." I asked the woman at the counter and she told me the counter would open at 1:00 PM, so I was like, huh?
The flight was supposed to depart at 13:35, so I was a bit confused—really? I don't mind the flight being delayed, but why would check-in be delayed too?
When I went to look at the electronic departure board again, Transnusa was listed as departing around 3:00 PM! I checked Agoda and it still said 13:35, so I was a little bewildered.
Faqi's recommended churros
Well, it couldn't be helped, so I decided to write in my journal at a nearby café. Nearby there was a churros place called Auntie Anne's that Faqi had recommended.
So I bought a cinnamon churro there. It was delicious but had so much sugar that I thought, 'Ah, I'll get fat again.'
But I felt it was worth trying. There I wrote in my journal and looked at photos of yesterday's tour and memories with Faqi, soaking in the afterglow.
Check-in started, I queued briefly, and was soon called to the counter. There were quite a few foreigners, so I thought that maybe fewer locals use domestic flights.
The Google Maps incident at the lounge
I made it through the gate and arrived at the lounge. The lounge had various local Indonesian dishes, which was interesting. While I was writing in my journal someone suddenly asked, 'Cappuccino? Americano?' so I ordered a cappuccino.
I thought they were very proactive. They brought the cappuccino right away and apparently wanted me to leave a review on Google Maps. What the heck! Is that the catch? I thought, but I told them I'd do it later.
I left the lounge and headed to the departure gate. On the contrary, I've rarely experienced on-time departures, so I didn't even have a concept of 'delay.' We departed safely.
I had a bad feeling and was really worried, but we arrived in Yogyakarta safely. The flight was about 1 hour and 10 minutes—it flew by. The sky was so beautiful, it felt like being in the world of Laputa.
Someone was seated next to me, but about four rows behind us were completely empty, so I moved seats midway and chose one with a nice window view. I kept looking out the window the whole flight.
Arrived in Yogyakarta
After arriving in Yogyakarta, my SIM card was down to less than 200MB, so I topped it up and added 20GB. I had just bought 29GB, so I was shocked at how quickly it was already gone.
It was about 46 km to Yogyakarta city, and taxis, buses, and trains ran from the airport. I decided to take the train into town, of course. If I'd been in a group it would probably be cheaper to take a taxi and split the fare, which sounded nice, but that's just the grass-is-greener idea.
There was an attendant nearby selling train tickets, so I was able to buy one immediately and it went very smoothly. I scanned the QR code and boarded the train.
A city of art and culture
I arrived at Yogyakarta station. I walked to check in at a hostel called Bobobox. Yogyakarta felt like a city to learn about Indonesian culture. Jakarta felt more like an economic city, a place to make money.
But Yogyakarta had the vibe of an artistic, cultural city. Maybe because it was the city center, horses and carts were running about and it was very lively.
Bobobox was also very interesting — you had to download an app and scan a QR code there to open your door. I thought it was really cool. The staff gave very thorough directions, which I appreciated.
The more I come to these kinds of local towns, the more I feel they make life easier, or that they somehow energize me.
The Borobudur ticket problem
At night I went to a shopping mall called Malioboro and ate sushi there. I actually wanted to try local food since I was there, but I had a hard time finding it, and when I asked staff they said the mall didn't have any. I was hungry, so I figured sushi would do.
While eating sushi I decided to buy a tour ticket for Borobudur Temple for the next day. There were options for 15,000 yen and 7,000 yen, and since the menu looked the same I bought the 7,000 yen one, but when I checked the details it turned out Indonesians paid 7,000 yen and foreigners 15,000 yen.
I was a bit surprised by the price difference. There was nothing I could do about it. I also wondered if buying it at 8 PM like this would still allow me to go tomorrow.
Walking around Yogyakarta at night
I headed to Uniqlo to buy pants to wear under a batik. There were many batik shops in the city with a wide variety, but they weren't selling the bottoms I needed.
I wanted black long pants, so I decided to buy those. Riding a motorcycle taxi to Uniqlo, I felt a little moved that I was in Yogyakarta, yet it also felt like everyday life. I enjoyed the ride, thinking this is what the ordinary feeling of getting around is like.
After successfully buying the pants at Uniqlo, I called another bike and returned to Bobobox. Before that I walked around the city for a bit.
It was so lively and the energy was such that you wouldn't think it was a Muslim city. Everyone felt free, which I found interesting. But I stood out and many people looked at me. I felt their stares. However, the looks were curious, not cold. They were different from the looks I get in Thailand. That contrast was subtly amusing.
