OUR Graduation Trip:The Wonder of Yogyakarta

Staring past the rays of sunset through the plane window, finally convincing myself that THE unforgettable trip has came to its end. 

A week has passed in a blink of an eye; the inordinate yet an adventurous graduation trip filled with laughters and excitement with the bunch of Drs. homo sapiens. 

And this very meaningful trip of us took place in a hidden gem within Indonesia, the 'Yogyakarta' (pronounced as JoJakarta) located in Central Java.

Day 1 (6th May 2018)

It was such a buoyant feeling to see all those familiar faces. Nothing has changed. They were still the same old cheekies whom I have known. After having McD breakfast, we headed to Gate L7, KLIA2 to board for the anticipated graduation trip. Thus, our graduation trip began! Towards Yogyakarta, the city of tolerance. 

The flight took roughly 2 hours 30 minutes. Soon upon touching down at Adisucipto airport, we met up with Coco, the local guide and went directly to Ndalem Sarengat, the homestay located in Gamelan to check in.

Upon Arrival at Adisucipto Airport, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Soon after that, we proceeded to our first tourist attraction spot, Tamansari, the water castle which were once the site of the royal garden of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta. It was rather an interesting place owing to its authentic building designs. Not forgetting the role as tourists, we managed to get some shots and better yet, better shots with the Asian squats!

The Entrance of TamanSari

The Inside View of Tamansari

Next, L.U.N.C.H=LUNCH! The first meal we had there was Nasi Gudeg (apparently it is made of jackfruit). Being an extremely picky eater myself, the taste of the traditional cuisine was rather unique. There was sweetness with rich coconut aroma and sambal spiciness. Definitely worth the try.

Nasi Gudeg

Then towards the next destination, the Candi Prambanan. The scenery of the temple was breathtaking in addition to its mesmerising sunset view. 

Prambanan Temple Front View

With the Ladies

Our Very Own Avengers

Day 2 (7th May 2018)

Warning: Not for the Faint of Heart! 

It was a day full of adventures and new experiences. The only thing I regretted was that I packed with zero sporty attires😞...

Our first attraction of the day was Jomblang Cave. Never would have I thought that in order to witness the Heaven Light, in which it is famous for, I need to go 50 meters drop down! Talking about shivers of fear... We were being lowered on a rope MANUALLY in order to reach the bottom of the sinkhole. 

The road towards the Heaven Light was quite a tough one, besides of the mud, it was mostly slippery, wet and dark. Having said that, all the struggles were being paid off once we reached the spot. The light shining above was magnificent. It was thus far one of the most awe-spiring sceneries that I have seen firsthand.

Partner of the Day

The Heaven Light

The next stop was the Pindul Cave. If our first stop was the climbing and trekking episode, then this stop would be the water episode. We did cave tubing and were guided through the cave which was 350 meters long. It was such an enjoyable outdoor activity since we were being floated on the cool water. Then came the next challenge....the river dive in😭😭 Standing high up on the rock 5 meter above the river with mixed feeling of dare and fear, I had been constantly doubting myself whether to join the bunch of crazies to dive in. I have to say the feeling whilst stepping off at the edge of the rock above the running river was indescribable.  Nonetheless, I made it! Thanks to them, my courage to face more odds have boosted. Next up challenge, bungee jump call me maybe?

Day 3 (8th May 2018)

As early as 0330, we have departed to Borobudur temple for the sunrise. Unfortunately, due to the haze, we were not able to witness the sunrise as astonishing as expected. However, we were still able to get a glimpse of the pleasing sceneries there. 

Borobudur Temple Front View

那些年

After that, we went to have lunch in Warung Bu Ageng. I ordered the one of the recommended local cuisine, nasi pecel. Apparently, it was a dish with rice and vegetables mixed with peanut sauce. It had a sweet taste due to the rich peanut flavours. 

Next, we proceeded to Mount Merapi for the lava tour. We were being brought up to the location via jeep. The buoyancy encountered throughout the jeep riding due to the extremely rocky roads was indeed a new yet an exciting experience.

With My Crew

The last spot of the day was Parangkusumo Gumuk Pasir. It was the perfect place for sandboarding. Yet another new experience! 

Our dinner was the local recommended Bakmi (fried noodles with egg). It was also the night in which I got to taste the new level of spiciness of cili padi. The numb and painful tangy feelings were extraordinary and vastly different compared to Malaysia's cili padi. Nevertheless, the meal was awesome~

Day 4 (9th May 2018)

Our first attraction of the day was Timang Beach. Visiting the beach was one of the most exciting beach encounters ever. There were 2 options to cross over to the other side, may it be via Gondola ride or via trippy walk through the bridge. Some opted for the ride and otherwise. Well, I opted for the bridge since it personally appeared to be more fun and adventurous. Not even starting the walk, we have been 'blessed' with the seawater, owing to the strong clashes of waves against the cliffs. Talk about luck😂😂😂

Nonetheless, the walk was all worth it as I could able to savour the beauty of the nature at leisure. 

The Front View of Timang Beach

The View of the Bridge

The Poor Team with Our Swags

The Rich Team with Their Sunny Sunshine Smiles

The last stop of the day was Pinus Pengger, which was famour for its 'Hand of God'. It could easily be ranked the second most beautiful spots after Prambanan based on my own opinion. Standing amidst the memerising pine forest with serene breeze, I was overwhelmed by the calming effect. Besides that, the sunset view was also alluring.

Pinus Pengger View

With the Sunset View

The 'Hand of God'

Towards the night, we went to the Southern City Square to ride on the colourful light cars. Blasting with 'Uptown Funk', we sang to the music and ride around with excitement. Soon after the fun ride, we walked briefly to hunt for street food. Yum~

The LED Car

Day 5 (10th May 2018)

It was rather a relaxing day. We started our day with soto ayam (chicken soup with rice and noodles). Apparently, it was the favourite breakfast of the locals. The taste was BOMB! The peppery in addition to the slight sour taste were just awesome!

We went to several locations which were namely Wista Baru Jurang Tembelan, Kebun Buah Mangunan and Songgo Langit. These were the places whereby the main attraction would be phototaking. Despite being under the scorching hot sun, we managed to hike up to the peak of Songgo Langit. The scenery was great!

Wista Baru Jurang Tembelan View

Kebun Buah Menangan

During Hiking Towards the Peak of Songgo Langit

Reaching the Peak of Songgo Langit

Day 6 (11th May 2018) a.k.a The Day of the Unexpected...

It marked the day of our finale. Saddened by the fact that it was the last day of our graduation trip, we headed to our last destination before departing to the airport. It was Kalibiru National Park. Each of us was taken up to the peak of the mountain by the means of motorbikes. At the peak, I grew fond particularly on the owls. They were Ah Teng, the cute, Ah Boy, the shy and Zico, the naughty. 

With the Cutie Ah Teng

Then the drama came...

During lunch, a news hit us hard...that all the flights from Yogyakarta had been cancelled due to the volcano eruption on that morning. God bless us😭😭 Still in denial state, I could remember how I kept convincing myself that the cancelled flight number was not the plane that we would be taking to go back Malaysia. 

We then went to the airport for confirmation and to reschedule our flight back. Lucky enough, we managed to grab hold of the remaining seats scheduled to return to Malaysia on the next day from Semarang, another city in Indonesia. With the help of Coco our hero, we travelled 4 hours to reach there. It might have been a difficult day stuck in a foreign place but with the presence of the 12 optimists, my 'lucky' day had turned out to be another fun road trip. YOLO😂

Day 7 (Additional Bonus Day)

We were finally going back to our homeland! It took approximately 2 hours 5 minutes to travel from Semarang, Indonesia back to Malaysia. After a short lunch, we bid farewell.

"Yogyakarta is definitely a recommended place for youngsters with adventurous desires. Till we meet again, my awesome family of IMU. See you when I see you💕"