Heart of Java - Yogyakarta

After another full day of travelling we found ourselves in Yogya which is a university city with about 3.1 million people.  It is considered the cultural center of the Java region and is known for it's regional cuisine of noodle and rice dishes.

Our first night there we went to a square where thousands of locals hang out at night.  I don't think I saw any other tourists other than our group.  The bizarre attraction there are the rickshaws that you can rent to ride around the square with dozens of other cars that are all lit up with Christmas lights.  Although I was hoping for the rickshaw with Sponge Bob lights, we settled for another and took it for a spin.  Hilarious.  All of these rickshaws dodging cars and motorbikes on the road while they blast Western rap music.  One of the stranger things I have seen but a cool look into the local culture of Yogya.

The main attractions of Yogya are the temples however.  Right outside the city is the world's largest buddhist temple and another Hindu temple that is equally impressive.  The buddhist temple was a previous Wonder of the World.  Both were built around 1,200 years ago.  Awesome.  The pictures speak for themselves.

Buddhist

Stylin in my sarong at the Buddhist Temple

Hindu

Tonight we're going to see what the nightlife of Yogya has to offer before we head up to the mountains tomorrow to ascend the Mt. Bromo volcano.