Overseas Study Trip to Yogyakarta

The pine trees were extremely tall and provided shelter from the sun. It was also quite cooling and the environment was peaceful and quiet. I enjoyed my time here because it was totally different from the usual busy atmosphere in Singapore. 

Besides the amazing view at the top, there was also a small garden with various types of flowers and a swing. 

This is a picture of three of my friends and I standing on a shaky bridge that extended over the edge of the cliff. It was quite scary because it was only supported by wooden poles and the bridge was shaking as we walked across. 

I tried drawing batik for the first time! Although I chose a simple pattern, I still found it difficult to follow the lines because the wax kept dripping on to the cloth. However, it was still a fun experience and one of the most memorable parts of my trip. 

This is mepe, which is drying the fabric under the sun. This is last step in the production of batik. 

These are some examples of hand-drawn batik that were being sold at the village. Knowing the amount of effort it takes to produce batik made me appreciate the beauty and intricacy of each pattern. 

As shown in the picture, the temple is so big such that it can be seen even from far away. It was a long walk from the entrance to the foot of the temple. Unfortunately for us, it was a hot day and I felt quite tired by the time we reached there. 

This is the view from the top. We had an hour to roam around this level before we had to go down. Although it was tiring, the view and scenery was beautiful. 

A picture for memories :)

Some pieces of pottery at Museumku Gerabah.

Playing traditional Indonesian games with our hosts at Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII). 

Visiting the Center of Essential Oil Studies at UII. We were each given a scented candle as a souvenir.

At the Kraton which is the Yogyakarta Palace. Even though it is open to public, certain areas are off-limits as it continues to serve as the Sultan's home. 

Visit to Taman Sari Water Castle, which served as a holiday home for the royal family. There used to be a large artificial lake here but it was destroyed during an earthquake a long time ago. 

It was interesting to visit places such as the Kraton and Taman Sari Water Castle because it gave me a glimpse of the rich history of the Yogyakarta Sultanate. 

In general, the food that was served throughout the trip was tasty. One thing I noticed was that for every meal, they would serve tempeh which is made from fermented soybeans.

This is my favourite meal we had there. I liked the green chili chicken and the mushroom satay which was particularly interesting. The sauce was similar to the ones we have in Singapore but it was not chicken or beef, it was actually mushroom!

Final results of our batik! These were given to us on our final day in Yogyakarta.