Yogyakarta

"Yogya," as its called by the locals (sometimes "Jogja"), is a relatively small town, with very little to see in the city itself, and very little nightlife. The main sight is the Kraton , the sultan's palace in the center of Yogya. It's sort of a city within the city. At its center are the sultan's quarters, which are open to the public for guided tours. The bulk of the palace is actually a museum displaying portraits of the previous sultans, family trees and gifts from foreign dignitaries. The old town area of Kota Gede is also worth a visit. Here, there is an interesting old mosque housing the tomb of the first Muslim ruler of Yogya. Around this is a charming old neighborhood that's worth spending a few hours walking around.

At night head down to Jalan Malioboro, the city's main shopping district. It was the annual school holidays when we first visited (early July) so it actually seemed like the whole city was there, shopping and eating at the many stalls along the road. For restaurant fare, try the Legian Garden Restaurant next to the Malioboro Mall.

Yogyakarta Sights

There are few sights within the city of Yogyakarta itself. Here are the ones not to miss.

Kraton

This "city within a city" has been home to the sultans of Yogyakarta for 250 years. Go inside and see how the sultans lived.

Kota Gede

This sleepy district on the edge of was the original capital of the mighty Mataram Kingdom. Not much is left today except for the ancient mosque holding the first sultan's grave.

Around Yogyakarta

Yogya's main attraction is as a handy base camp for exploring the ancient temples and natural scenery of the surrounding countryside. Listed here are the real reasons so many people visit Yogyakarta.

Prambanan

Just about 10 miles outside of Yogyakarta is the temple complex of Prambanan. This huge complex of Hindu temples was constructed in the middle of the 9^th century. The remains of 244 temples have been identified in the complex.

The pyramid-like structure of Borobodur is built on and around a natural hill. Construction was started sometime around the beginning of the 8^th century. In plan, it resembles a tantric mandala with six square terraces supporting three circular ones. It's been called a three dimensional rendering of the Buddhist conception of the cosmos.

Tucked away in the mountains near Solo in central Java is one of the more interesting Hindu temples in all of Southeast Asia. The temple of Candi Sukuh is unique not only in overall design, but also in decoration. This place isn't exactly off the map. Its in all the guidebooks, but is definitely off the tourist trail. From the guest book kept by the gatekeeper, it appears that it only receives a dozen or so visitors a week. Even if you aren't very interested in the ancient structures of Southeast Asia, you may still want to have a look at Candi Sukuh.