4 Days in Yogyakarta for USD25.65 a day
If any first-time tourist to Indonesia asks me, “What’s the best city to travel to?” I’d answer “Yogyakarta.” in a heartbeat.
Yogyakarta has everything: beaches, an active volcano, massive temples, strong cultural heritage since it has the last few remaining active Sultanate in the country (the Sultan acts as the governor of the region), and ridiculously cheap food. Bali, the island everyone knows of but seem to forget that it’s part of Indonesia, is great and all, but Yogyakarta is much more affordable yet still as tourist friendly.
I’ve been to Yogyakarta six (SIX!) times and there’s always something new. I’ll cover unique places, since I’ve been to many of the more touristy places (like the Borobudur temple and Mt. Merapi) when I was younger. I’ve converted the currency to USD (using USD1 = IDR15,210.55), since the Indonesian Rupiah can seem intimidating with its excessive use of zeros. I wasn’t very budget conscious in this city since I’m in my own country, but even so, everything is ridiculously cheap especially if you come from a country with a strong currency (looking at you dollars, pounds, and euros!).
Where: Yogyakarta, Indonesia
When: Mid-September, 2018
The Basics
Data Plan: IDR33,000(USD2.17) for 1 GB for one month on Telkomsel
Travel Insurance: an add on of IDR33,000 (USD2.17) when booking the departure flight
Flight from Jakarta to Yogyakarta: a one hour flight for X with LionAir, booked six days in advance. - IDR455,000 (USD29.92)
Car ride back from Yogyakarta to Jakarta: My father joined me with his car so we drove back to Jakarta (for about 10 hours!). Fuel cost over IDR 500,000 (so about IDR250,000 or USD16.44 per person) which could be more expensive than a plane ticket, so unless you enjoy road trips or planning on stopping at other cities, take a flight or train to Jakarta instead. - IDR250,000 (USD16.44)
Accommodation: YezYezYez Hostel for the first night for IDR50,000 (USD3.29), but I stayed at a basic room in Wayang Homestay for three nights, IDR195,500 (USD12.85) a night. - IDR636,500 (USD41.85)
Day One
6 AM - It’s early and I’m a bit disoriented, but I’m excited to explore my favourite city in Indonesia! I ordered a Grab (Southeast Asia’s Uber) and drove to the hostel. - IDR44,000 (USD2.89)
7 AM - I met another Indonesian and after 30 minutes of talking, decided to scrap my itinerary and join her for the day. If I’m not on the back of a motorbike of someone that was just a stranger a few moments ago, am I really travelling? I got myself coffee at the hostel which was overpriced, but my sleep-deprived self needed a pick me up. - IDR15,000 (USD 99 cents - yes, 99 cents for a coffee not from a nice cafe in Yogyakarta is overpriced)
9.30 AM - I’ve been to Yogyakarta probably six times in my life, but I’ve actually never been to Taman Sari - a former royal garden and bathing house of the Sultanate. We paid for parking (IDR3000, so IDR1500 each or barely a cent), and I got a domestic tourist ticket (IDR5000 or USD 33 cents) and a photo permit (IDR3000 or USD20 cents). We met a guide and who also serves the Sultan (an abdi dalem) since Yogyakarta is the last few remaining places with a functioning Sultanate that acts not only a cultural and religious figurehead, but also a governing body. We learnt how large the complex is and also visited neighbouring villages, including the Cyber Village, and it’s called so because they have internet connection in nearly all the houses. - IDR9,500 (USD 62 cents)
11 AM - We also went greet our guide’s friends who are mainly artists and dancers, and he told us stories of his younger days when he would go to Parangtritis Beach, get high off shrooms, and get inspired to paint vibrant murals. This tradition is continued by the younger men in the village. He also pointed the village’s medicine man who could make anyone fall in love with you, and told me and my new travel friend that we could “drop by the medicine man’s place so we could find our soulmates.” We gave an awkward laugh and proceeded to walk away from the medicine man’s house. By the end of the trip, my friend tipped him IDR20,000 (USD1.31) and I took a mental note to pay back half of that later. - IDR10,000 (USD 66 cents)
1 PM - We were supposed to to eat at Gudeg Mbah Lindu, which is cooked by the same 97 year old lady every day. Gudeg is a traditional cuisine from this area and is made from a young unripe jack fruit stewed for hours with palm sugar and coconut milk. You have it with rice and other sides, and it’s definitely vegan friendly!
A rickshaw driver told us that she only sells until morning. Bummed, we decided to go Fortunate Café, which is vegan friendly since my friend is. If you’re a vegan, thankfully it’s easy to find plant-based food in Indonesia without needing to go to these kinds of places, because there’s plenty of plant-based dishes and Indonesian dishes usually don’t have dairy in them. Tempeh has been a staple poor-man’s protein here, which is kind of funny given how expensive it could be in other countries. I had an iced filtered coffee and a huge rice bowl with tofu skin and plenty of vegetables. - IDR57,000 (USD3.75)
2 PM - Both our phones and ourselves were fully recharged, so we hopped back on the motorcycle and rode quite a distance to the Sunflower Fields. I get easily tense on the back of scooters, but over time I eased. It was tranquil and we were immersed in the rural scenes of endless corn fields, men fishing at the canals, cows grazing, and children cycling home from school. We paid IDR6,000 each to enter the area. - IDR6,000 (USD 39 cents)
3.30 PM - The sunflower fields barely had anyone else but us and two or three tourists, so we spent the time smelling sunflowers and taking photos. When you’re traveling solo and get a chance to explore with someone, might as well use the opportunity to get some good photos of yourself! We paid the IDR5,000 entrance fee. - IDR5,000 (USD 33 cents)
4.30 PM - We went to the sand dunes, which is already near Parangtritis Beach. The sand here is black, since Yogyakarta has a pretty active volcano, Mt. Merapi, that just ‘coughed’ a month ago. We paid for parking (IDR3,000, so IDR1,500 or barely a cent each) and the entrance fee (IDR7,500 or USD 50 cents each). The sun was getting low which made for nice photos, but the wind was also getting strong and the majority of the time spent was us running after my friend’s sunhat that kept on flying off on its own. - IDR9,000 (USD 59 cents)
5.30 PM - A quick stop at the gas station (split to IDR15,000 or a dollar each) and the convenience store for an electrolyte-rich drink (IDR6,900 or USD 45 cents). - IDR21,900 (USD1.44)
5.55 PM - After parking our scooter (IDR3,000), we came just right in time for the sunset at Parangtritis Beach! The beach is known for many of its horse-drawn carriages that take you along the shoreline and I can imagine it to be quite an experience, but I’m good just strolling around on my own two feet. There’s no better feeling than having sand in between your toes and the foamy waves dragging all the sand back to sea. Also, I was lucky not to wear green. Why? Locals are very superstitious and believe that Nyi Roro Kidul, the Queen of the Sea who wears green would drag you to the ocean if you wear green. A more logical explanation is that the waves can be really strong and could easily drag you to the ocean, and perhaps a green or blue shirt would make you hard to spot. Regardless of whether you’re superstitious or not, it’s better to not take a chance and it’s more out of respect for the local beliefs. - IDR3,000 (USD20 cents)
6.45 PM - We had some snake fruit as the sky turned pink. What’s a snake fruit, you ask? It’s a sweet white-fleshed fruit with a the skin like that of a snake’s, and native to Java and Sumatra, Indonesia. We rode back for about an hour to the city. We came to Prawirotaman which is within walking distance to our hostel and my favorite part of town, as it’s filled with cafes. We had dinner at PLAYON and got ourselves hot tea and a salad. The salad was terrible but the atmosphere was nice. - IDR42,500 (USD2.79)
10.30 PM - Came back and ended up chatting with a girl from Amsterdam. Finally someone who understands my deep love for Patatje Joppiesaus flavored Lay’s and Tony’s Chocolade!
Daily Total: IDR222,900 (USD14.65)
Day Two
8.30 AM - Most places in Yogyakarta only opens at 9 AM because they’re all about the relaxed, taking-it-slow attitude. So I took my time to get ready, checked out, and strolled to the Prawirotaman wet market, where locals go to get their produce.
9 AM - I was the first customer at Ruang Seduh, a small coffee shop and got myself an Ethiopian filtered coffee, which was quite pricey for Indonesia and especially for Yogyakarta (IDR40,000 or USD2.63). I spend the majority of my time writing my journal and talking to the barista, who shared with me how college life is like Yogyakarta. - IDR40,000 (USD2.63)
11 AM - I was starving and wanted to go to Kedai Kebun, a restaurant-cum-art space, but they close on Tuesdays. I decided to walk to Greenhost, a green boutique hotel known for their own ‘urban farm’ and grows their own vegetables. I went to the rooftop restaurant called Agenda and ordered a rice bowl with some grilled dory and sambal matah, and iced lemongrass tea because it is boiling outside. I was on the phone with a friend for nearly two hours so I had company but I did look like I was talking to myself, and my very animated hand gestures (I’m as animated as an Italian) didn’t help. The restaurant was empty, so I wasn’t that person who bothered everyone’s lunch with a phone call. - IDR69,300 USD4.56)
2.30 PM - Went back to the hostel to get the rest of my stuff, refill my water bottle (IDR2,000). Remember that tap water is not drinkable in Indonesia! Bottled water is very affordable; a 1.5 litre bottle is about IDR5,000 so you could just purchase more, but I had a reusable water bottle and didn’t want to waste more plastic. I met my father who finally arrived in the city and rested in the new room. - IDR2,000 (USD 13 cents)
6 PM - After resting at a different cafe, we went to Nanamia Pizzeria for Italian! I ordered a surprisingly good ricotta gnocchi with a creamy pesto, and it was just IDR39,000 (USD2.56). I couldn’t even afford nice cafe creme in Paris with that amount of money. I had a melon juice (IDR17,000 or USD1.12) to accompany it. - IDR46,000 (USD3)
7.45 PM - We went to the local supermarket and I picked up some face wash. - IDR16,000 (USD1)
8 PM - I don’t have a sweet tooth, but we wanted to check out Tempo Gelato. It’s not exactly as good as the one in Italy, but to be fair that is a very high bar. For just IDR25,000, we could get two scoops on a cone. I got speculoos and basil scoops, and my father got mint and lemongrass. - IDR25,000 (USD1.64)
Daily Total:IDR198,300 (USD13.04)
Day Three
9 AM - Today we’re heading up north, but not before we made a stop at Soto Kadipiro for a soto ayam (chicken soup), rice, and iced tea. Indonesians don’t really differ breakfast, lunch, and dinner types of meals and have heavy meals for all three; versus the more “lighter” breakfasts and lunches in the West. The chicken soup was average but filled us enough to start the day. - IDR25,000 (USD1.64)
1 PM - We stopped by a seafood restaurant and shared a whole grilled gourami (a fish native to Southeast Asia), rice, stir fried kangkong, and sambal. I had an iced tea to accompany it. - IDR71,225 (USD4.68)
1.45 PM - We reached Ullen Sentalu, a private museum that tells the story of the Yogyakarta Sultanate. The underground museum was filled with paintings of mystical dancers, photographs of the royals, actual and replica stone carvings from temples… the list goes on. The admission fee (IDR40,000) includes a guide and it was absolutely fascinating to learn how royal life was like. - IDR40,000 (USD2.63)
3.30 PM - The tour lasted about one and a half hours, and as we are high up in the mountains, it was pouring like mad and my attire of choice - a black sleeveless top and a burgundy skirt that stops just above the knee - maybe wasn’t the most appropriate for the weather. To warm myself up, I got a decadent matcha with whipped cream on top at terrace restaurant, Beukenhof. - IDR48,000 (USD3.16)
6 PM - We went back to the hotel to rest, and walked to Kedai Kebun. We sat in the second floor that’s open area, and I ordered a warm ginger and lemongrass drink. - IDR17,000 (USD1.12)
7.30 PM - I had to bring my father back to Greenhost and I went back to the rooftop restaurant and got myself a baked mac and cheese. I know I haven’t been ordering local food that much, but this is the sixth time I’ve been to this city! We’re lucky to have the jazz band playing tonight, so we stayed there for about two hours to dine and enjoy the music. - IDR55,000 (USD3.62)
Daily Total: IDR185,000 (USD12.16)
Day Four
4.30 AM - The day starts early, as we’re trying to catch the sunrise at Puncak Panguk, a sunrise view point at the Southeastern part of Yogykarta. Google Maps did us wrong and kept on giving us narrow dirt roads that were more fit for scooters, not cars.
6.30 AM - We gave up and ended up stopping by at the village breakfast spot, with a ground made out of dirt and a roof made out of a bamboo structure. I had porridge and hot tea. - IDR8,500 (USD 56 cents)
8 AM - It’s nice to be out of the city, and so we drove to the middle of nowhere: a pine forest. After paying for parking and admissions (IDR7,500), we strolled and breathed in fresh pine-scented air. We sat on a platform on the cliff, and the misty forests and small villages lay beneath our feet. - IDR7,500 (USD 49 cents)
9 AM - Feeling refreshed, we drove to Candi Ijo - one of the many temples in Java. For just IDR5,000 for entrance fee and IDR2,500 for parking, we walked around the small complex. Candi Ijo is one of the locals’ favourite spot to see the sunset, so if you could come around sunset, that would be even better. - IDR7,500 (USD49 cents)
10.00 AM - After parking (IDR5,000 per person), we entered another temple complex not far from the more well-known Prambanan Temple, called Ratu Boko. The entrance fee wasn’t cheap (IDR40,000), but we nearly had the entire complex to ourselves. - IDR45,000 (USD2.96)
10.30 AM - There was a random makeshift shop inside the temple grounds (whether that is authorised is highly questionable), and I got a fresh coconut to quench my thirst (IDR5,000) and a fried instant noodle with vegetables and a poached egg (IDR15,000), and ate with the view of the temple.
A man walked by and just mindlessly threw his water bottle plastic seal to the ground, and I tried as nice as possible to say, “Sir, I think you accidentally dropped that,” though we both know that it was no accident. I just though that he’d respond better if I didn’t sound too accusatory. It saddens me to see important temple grounds, nature landscapes, and anywhere really, be covered with trash. I don’t think you need to be an eco warrior to know not to litter. It’s not that difficult to hold on to your rubbish for an extra few seconds or minutes to dispose of it properly. - IDR20,000 (USD1.31)
2 PM - I have no idea where I am. My father told me of this place where you can eat catfish in some a villager’s home. I guess going to random places run in the family. He wasn’t kidding about the ‘rural’ part; we entered a small house and walked through the living room and to the traditional Javanese kitchen that’s blackened from burning firewood. Inside, a 90-year old lady was mixing massive bubbling pots of fish and chilli, and we helped ourselves to rice and fish, and ordered an iced tea. Be warned: Indonesian dishes can be very spicy, and due to me living abroad for years, my tolerance for spicy food has weakened. I feel like such an Indonesian fraud. — IDR25,000 (USD1.64)
2.30 PM - We paid for parking (IDR2,500 each), which was basically in front of another villager’s home. The man helping us park was 90 year old and lost most of his hearing, he said. He spoke in Javanese, the local dialect, and I just nodded along and pretended to understand. - IDR2,500 (USD 16 cents)
4.30 PM - After stretching our feet back at hotel, we walked back to Prawirotaman for afternoon tea. It was golden hour and the streets were oddly empty, except for a pairs of foreign tourists that stroll by every ten minutes or so. We sat outside at House of Sate and I got myself a wedang uwuh, a local hot drink made of ginger, lemongrass, cloves, and some strips of wood that makes the drink pink! I also got some fries, read the paper, and calmly watched the street. - IDR30,000 (USD1.97)
I couldn’t understand Javanese, but his eyes showed such gentleness.
6 PM - My father and I both loved the Italian restaurant… so we came back! I ordered freshly made tortellini filled with mushrooms and spinach, covered in a macadamia-based sauce and ribbons of parmesan. To go with it, I had naturally-sweet melon juice again and it came with a straw that’s made out of a biodegradable material. Baby steps! As this is our last night in Yogyakarta and we’d be driving for more than ten hours the next day, I ordered a torta mia and sour raspberry granita with the warm sweet almond and chocolate cake go well with each other. What better way to end the trip? - IDR93,500 (USD6.15)
Daily Total: IDR239,500 (USD15.75)
BUDGETING TAKEAWAY:
Get Yourself A Scooter
There’s only a really cheap bus that goes around the city, so if you want to go outside the city, you better get yourself a scooter. Most hostels offer an option to rent, and the hostel I stayed at the first night only charged IDR70,000 (USD4.60) per day. Cars work but many of the roads are narrow and rocky and parking would be a tad bit more expensive. If you’re like me and don’t know how to ride a scooter, or weren’t lucky enough to bump into someone who can, download Go-Jek or Grab, the Southeast Asian version of Uber. Locals recommended Grab if you’re ordering a car and Go-Jek if you’re looking to be driven with a scooter. It costs near to nothing and the drivers give great local recommendations on what to eat and where to go.
Written by Nadia Pritta Wibisono