YOGYAKARTA

Yogyakarta (often spelled as Jogja) is officially one of Indonesia's 34 provinces and Yogyakarta is the premier tour destination of Java Island. Yogyakarta is one of tehe foremost cultural centers of Java and has the best inherited of tradition.

Yogyakarta was the center of the Ancient Mataram Kingdom which was prosperous and had high civilization. The Kingdom built Borobudur Temple which was the biggest Buddhist temple in the word. The other archaeological heritages are Prambanan Temple, Ratu Boko Palace, and tens of temples spread out in Yogyakarta.

This province is one of the most densely populated areas of Indonesia. The city came into being in 1755, after the Mataram division into the Sultanates of Yogyakarta and Surakarta (Solo). Gamelan, classical and contemporary Javanese dances, wayang kulit (leather puppet), theater and other expressions of traditional art will keep the visitor spellbound. Local craftsmen excel in arts such batiks, silver and leather works. Next to the traditional, contemporary art has found fertile soil in Yogya's culture oriented society. ASRI, the Academy of Fine Arts is the center of arts and Yogyakarta itself has given its name to an important school of modern painting in Indonesia, perhaps best personified by the famed Indonesian impressionist, the late Affandi.

Kraton Jogja

Yogyakarta at the present time is a place where traditions and modern dynamics can walk side by side. In Yogyakarta, there is a Kraton (palace) with hundreds of royal servants who hold the traditions faithfully, but there is also Gadjah Mada University which is one of the reputable universities in Southeast Asia. Most of the citizens of Yogyakarta live in a strong agricultural tradition, but there are also many college students that live in a modern lifestyle. There is a traditional market in Yogyakarta which stand side by side with modern mall.

At the north end of Yogyakarta, you will see the Mount Merapi stands as high as 9738 feet above sea level. This mountain is one of the most active volcano in Indonesia. The impressions of it's eruption in 2006 can be witnessed in the village of Kaliadem, 30 km from the city of Jogja. The Mooi Indie scenery of green paddy field and Mount Merapi as the background can still be seen on the outskirts of the Jogja City (see Nature & Outdoors).

In the southern part of Yogyakarta, you will find many beaches. The most famous beach is Parangtritis with the legend of Nyi Roro Kidul (Queen of the South), but Yogyakarta also has beautiful natural beaches in Gunung Kidul. You can see Sadeng Beach which was the ancient mouth of the Bengawan Solo River before a powerful tectonic force lifted the surface of the southern part of Java so that the flow of the river turned to the north like today. You can also visit Siung Beach which has 250 points of rock climbing, Sundak Beach, etc (see Beaches).

Transportation

Yogyakarta Map

Yogyakarta is served by Adisucipto International Airport which connects the city with some other major cities in Indonesia, such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Bali, Makassar, Balikpapan, Banjarmasin, and Pontianak. It also connects the city with Singapore (operated by Garuda Indonesia) and Kuala Lumpur (operated by AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines).

The city is located on one of the two major railway lines across Java between Jakarta / Bandung and Surabaya. It has two passenger railway stations, Tugu Railway Station serves business and executive class trains while Lempuyangan Station serves economy class trains. Both stations are located in downtown Yogyakarta city.

Andong

The city has an extensive system of public city buses, and is a major destination for inter-city buses to elsewhere on Java or Bali, as well as taxis, andongs, and becaks. Motorbikes are by far the most commonly used personal transportation, but an increasing number of residents own automobiles.

Starting from early 2008, the city has operated a bus rapid transit system called Trans Jogja. This system is modeled after TransJakarta. But unlike Trans Jakarta, there is no particular lane for Trans Jogja buses, they run on main streets. Currently there are six lines of Trans Jogja service, with routes throughout main streets of Yogyakarta, which some overlap one another. The lines extend from Jombor bus station in the north as far as Giwangan main bus terminal in the south and Prambanan bus shelter in the east via Adisucipto International Airport. Trans Jogja has now become a new trademark of Yogyakarta and frequently used by local citizens and tourists alike.