Backpacker Story

Katro, Bolly and me on the Progo :)

 Last June Bolly, Katro and I went to Wonosari and Yogyakarta in Central Java. We rode a night train, the Progo which departed from Senen train station to Lempuyangan train station on Friday, June 14 2012. The ticket cost each us RP. 35.000,-. It was an economy class night train, so yeah… it’s cheap.

The Travelers :)

By the way, you would need to buy the ticket a week before the departure date and you would need your ID number (KTP’s number) to buy the ticket for the name who printed on the ticket must fit the traveler.

Cute little crab

Unlike Yogyakarta, Wonosari maybe not famous for its recreation spot but just like a diamond which commonly founded in the depth, Wonosari has its own charm and the very spot that I visited was Baron Beach.

Welcome to Baron Beach...

Sensational!!

This beach is sensational, the scenery, the sand, the wind, the waves, everything about it really is gorgeous. 

Gorgeous...

Beautiful scenery

 To reach Baron Beach, you can take a minibus from Giwangan bus station in Yogyakarta. 

The wind

The Water

The Sun

Clear, salty sea water...

The air is salty and fresh :)

I don’t really know the real cost, because when I rode it from Giwangan to Wonosari it just cost me RP. 5000,- but on the way back it cost me RP. 7000,- for just a day interval. 

The prettiest beach ever!!

I knew it weird; if I deceived wouldn’t it suppose to be happening on the first time, right?? So I’ll just put the fare in the range between RP. 5000, - up till RP. 7000, - for the minibus.

The sand is brown

 The minibus looked like a kopaja or metromini in Jakarta but with different color, the destination in this case Wonosari bus station would be written on top of the bus. 

The sky is so blue!!

The bus conductor would shout the destination out loud, so you don’t have to worry even though the minibuses at Giwangan have the same size and color and Wonosari was the last destination of this minibus so, you don’t have to worry about where to get off the bus.

The beach is about 200 meters from parking area

As for the inn, a cheap, clean and comfortable inn located exactly at the right side of Wonosari bus station, behind the pharmacy. Yet, I can’t really remember the name. It was named after the goddess who symbolized rice plant in Javanese mythology. (PS. Bolly said the inn's name is Dewi Ratih, cool name but I can't seem to remember it LOL)

Local fisherman's ship

For a room without a bathroom and toilet inside, it cost RP. 50.000, -/ night. We took this room, so with the three of us used it together, it only cost each of us about RP 17. 000, - for a large double bed with three pillows, a mini fan, a dresser and large mirror. 

So clean and quiet

Since the inn so cheap, I love it so much! Add the fact that the innkeeper was cute to that and it really is a very good inn. (PS. We nicknamed him Mas Tato :D)

From Wonosari you have to take another minibus, this one cost you RP. 10.000,-. Just like the one before, Baron Beach is also the last destination of this bus. This bus would bring you directly to the Baron Beach complex, about 200 meters from the wave line. I tell you this; it's worth every single cent.

This bus started operating at ten AM from Wonosari and the last bus would leave Baron Beach complex at three PM, but you can try to negotiate with the driver. We successfully delay the last bus until four PM and we were the last passenger.

We stay for a night at Wonosari, survived with the help of a Restaurant masakan Padang. Wonosari is so… quiet at night; you practically can sleep on the car road without worry of being hit either by car or motorcycle. 

You can’t find a lot of places to buy dinner here. Even thought there this merchant who sold a very delicious and not very normal fried tofu for RP. 1.000,-/3 pcs. It definitely a very delicious and rich tasted fried tofu, you would crave for it.

From Wonosari we headed for Yogyakarta. There we looked for another inn; the cheapest one we can find was Selekta. 
Hotel Selekta located at Sosrowijayan Wetan Gt1/150 Yogyakarta, with contact number 0274 566 467. 

The Selekta Hotel Business Card

The room cost RR. 100,000, - for two people with double bed, fan, TV, table, two chairs and a bathroom. An extra person cost RP. 50.000, -, so each of us must pay RP. 50.000, - for a night. 

Our room bill

 A slightly escalation, indeed. It’s Yogyakarta for god sake; you needed to consider it as cheap.

Benteng Vredeburg

It was Sunday noon when we arrived at Yogyakarta, so Malioboro Street already crammed with people, merchant, tourist and local residents who spent their own weekend sightseeing or shopping.

\^o^7

We decided to walk instead of taking becak, it’s cheaper. It was backpacking trip, so… cheap is the rule.

Taman Sari

We went to Benteng vandeburg, Keraton Yogyakarta and with a little bit astray experience, Taman sari & Kampung Cyber. By the time we returned to the inn, we definitely exhausted.

Kampung Cyber

I must say, even the destinations increased, the fun of visiting Baron Beach wasn’t equivalent at all. Baron Beach was a thousand times better.

Later that night, our next destination was Alun-Alun Kidul. The trips to reach this place were overwhelming, exhausted from the trips during the day, hunger for it was eight pas thirty PM and not even a single gorengan ever come in, thirsty, and astray (again… I know, sigh). But this strayed experience was totally different, the thrill was awesome!!

I’m not sure how it happened, but on our way to Alun-Alun Kidul we were ending up somewhere, some housing very quiet and quite dark. We can’t find anyone to ask about direction or at least a person who… I don’t know… walk, chat or even just there. None. No one but the three of us.

It was housing, but felt like a cemetery. Creepy, right?? But that's not all yet.

After some time that felt like forever, we saw this bunch of guy who laid back on the sidewalk, on both sides of our path. Some of them just swarmed around the laid’s one. They seem… vile, it was so creepy but it was also impossible to go backward. 

Bolly, Katro and I bravely kept our paces steadily (tried bravely actually), walk up ahead until we reached a bend before we ran away from them, we ran so fast we terrified they would follow and catch us.

That's really a terrified experience. Thankfully, after that with no further ado we reach Alun-Alun Kidul, our very destination.

Alun-Alun Kidu :)

There were two sacred fig tree, who being said across generation can only overran by a very good hearted person and the deal is, Bolly wanted to prove whether she is a good hearted person or not. 

So she did the challenge, walked blindfolded, the start line far behind between the two trees, trying to walk straightly between the trees. But, she couldn’t. She wasn’t the only one thought, honestly I only saw a girl who actually did it.

After that, we headed back to the inn, this time we take becak. We were so worn out, no good thinking about the cheap rule.

On 17 September 2012, Monday morning we started our shopping stuff. First thing first, for breakfast we picked sego kucing. Yeah… the cheap rule came back on. After that, we rode becak to bakpia patok workshop. The price was quite wahh… though. RP. 22.000,- for a box contains ten tiny bakpia patok. 

Oh and I fell in love with Geplak!! Ya Allah!! That’s the sweetest and delicious traditional sweet I ever tasted. I craved for it. Geplak is definitely perfection.

So after the bakpia patok, we head for Malioboro Street to buy souvenirs for our love one. I bought a batik long skirt for Bee, Yogyakarta embroidery gray T-shirt for Hadi and batik clothes for mama, papa and Ais. 

After all the shopping was done, we headed back to the inn and retrieved our belonging, packed the newly bought merchandise and headed for Giwangan bus station. 

Our bus to Pinang Ranti bus station, Jakarta, departed at two past thirty PM. The ticket cost us RP. 130.000, - (hicks... Hicks...). It was 2-2 seat business AC bus, so the price is equivalent; we even got nice late dinner.

Our bus bill

Our bus tickets

 We arrived at Pinang Ranti at ten o’clock in the morning and that concluded our second trip. It was really something awesome. Awe still hit me every time I thought about this trip. 

We are planning the next trip at the moment, I wish it will be as nice as this one or even better.

By the way we used Yogyakarta feeder bus way from the train station to Giwangan, from Giwangan to Malioboro and from Malioboro to Giwangan. It will cost you RP. 3.000, - all trip, just like busway in Jakarta but cleaner. As for the becak it cost us RP. 15.000, -, RP. 5.000, - each one, for each trip.

That’s all, I’m not really talking about the trip, more to the emotion I felt during and after that trip. So if you wanted to know about the trip (the cost, the direction, etc.) Please be free to ask, I’ll get to you as soon as I could.

See you on another post folks…