Hi! I am here again. This is way overdue but here it is. Welcome to Indonesia! We went last November 2023 for 5 days. We departed from Manila, Philippines and arrived on Jakarta, Indonesia with around 3.5 hours travel time. Indonesia is visa-free for Philippine passport holders. All accomodations we have been to during the whole trip was booked ahead on Agoda and all arranged tours were with Klook. I also recommend to book ahead of time to manage your budget and for hassle-free trips. By the way, we stayed on PAGSS lounge NAIA Terminal 3 while waiting for our departure and ate there since our flight was on the evening. My favorite is their siomai and of course, ice cream. There are many varities to choose from and it is an eat and drink all you want. Have I already mentioned they have wines and other alcoholic drinks? So, yeah. It is still best to take advantage on this kind of priveleges. After all, it is a privelege right?
Day 1: Jakarta
We arrived at around 12am on Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and head our way to our hotel. We checked in at Yuan Guarden Pasar Baru. I recommend this place. The room was neast, their staffs were helpful and accomodating, and it was near the tourist spots. We had breakfast buffet and tried their meals.
On this day, we explored the city to see Jakarta Cathedral (The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption) and Istiqlal Mosque. Hotel staff help us on our transportation because not all Indonesians can understand English. We rode a trcycle to get to our destination and back to the hotel. We first went to the Mosque. When you want to explore the mosque, you need to register to their office. Do not worry because the tour is free and there is also a tour guide provided especially at this time when worship is happening. This is to give respect and to not disturb them. At the Mosque, you can see the Cathedral. It says, that this is the sign of friendship and peace shared of both Catholics and Muslims in Indonesia. Both are treated equally and with respect. After the tour, we headed to Jakarta Cathedral. We gave our praise and prayers. Exactly at this time, mass is happening so we stayed and took the mass. We then head back to the hotel afterwards. We would like to visit the National Monument but we were running out of time. We were scheduled to go to Yogyakarta in the afternoon.
ISTIQLAL MOSQUE
JAKARTA CATHEDRAL
We prepare and checked out to the hotel heading to Gambir Station so we can ride the train going to Yogyakarta. Unfortunately, we overlooked the train schedule. There were no trains heading to yogyakarta at this time. We waited at the station and bought our tickets anyway even though we got a 7pm ticket schedule. We ate at the KFC outside the station for lunch. By the way, there are convenience store, restaurants and even starbacks inside. It was my first time seeing donuts sold at KFC and their culture of using hands at eating inside store. I liked their donuts and their fried chicken. I also ordered at starbucks for afternoon snacks.
KFC
STARBUCKS CAFE
GAMBIR STATION
Day 2: Yogyakarta
We arrived at Yugu Station at around 3am. Grab was our main mode of transportation since it was easier to let the driver know where we were heading. We stayed at Hotel New Saphir Yogyakarta. The hotel looks old but the room was spacious. The staffs were accomodating. Though there are areas that looked weird but still manahñgeabme. We ate buffet breakfast and the foods are good. We have not explored the areas fully but the vicinities are great. We enjoyed our stay especially that convenience stores were located in front. For the tour, we availed Dieng Plateau Day Trip and it started at 5:30am. Our trip consisted of Dieng View Point, Arjuna Temple Complex, Sikidang Crater, and Color Lake. Sadly, the weather was not participating but we had a good time because our guide was friendly and knowledgeable. We even had side trips to Pawon Luwak Coffee and Bakpia Store.
DIENG VIEW POINT
COLOR LAKE
SIKIDANG CRATER
ARJUNA TEMPLE COMPLEX
PAWON LUWAK COFFEE
We enjoyed the day that we forgot to have lunch. We were dropped off at a mall near the hotel and ate at an Indonesian restaurant. The foods were great and affordable. We strolled around the mall to buy some clothing and fabrics. We spent some time then came back to our room.
Day 3: Yogyakarta
We were picked up early in the morning at 3:45am. At this time, we availed Sunrise Tour consisted of Punthuk Setumbu, Borobudur Temple, and Prambanan Temple. We first headed to Punthuk Setumbu for the sunrise. Sadly, it was cloudy and the sun did not shine as it rose. We climbed multiple steps to get to the top and just enjoy the view. For the 2nd destination, we went to Borobudur Temple. We had additional purchase so we can climb that top of the temple. Borobudur Temple is declared one of UNESCO World Heritage Site. So, this is a must see. It was beautiful and truly a treasure. Do I need to convince you more to visit Yogyakarta? Words are not enough to give justice to this. So I shared beautiful pictures with you. Our 3rd site was Pramabanan Temple. The sun was so bright and it was exhausting but still good to go around. Since it was too hot, we spent some time and head back home.
PHUNTUK SETUMBU
BOROBUDUR TEMPLE
PRAMBANAN TEMPLE
On the afternoon, we relaxed at our room hotel and prepare for Ramayana Prambanan Ballet. This play was based on an Hindu poem about King Rama. Also, one way of experiencing the culture and exploring the history. It was enjoyable. An addition, you can see Prambanan lightened up at night.
Day 4: Jakarta
In the morning, we went to Tugu station to came back to Jakarta. It was an 8-hour ride. At night, we went straight to Grand Indonesia Mall and bought snacks that we can take home to Philippines and take out for dinner. By the way, we stayed at Jumbuluwuk Thamrin Hotel. The staffs were nice and immediate responded to our needs.
Day 5: Jakarta
We just stayed at the room and extended our room time. We ate dinner here and wait to our departure. We went to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport by 8pm and wait for our flight at 12:05am the following day.
We had fun! For my next adventure, lets go!
