Adventures in South East Asia

24 ~ Impromptu city tours and live music

Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Since it was my last evening day in Jogja, I changed a bit more money to book my volcano tour through Bromo. I went back to the front desk at the hotel. The place had been great from their generous breakfasts to their helpfulness. I figured if anyone deserved a commission for booking a tour, it should be them. The woman at the front was quite delighted I was booking the pricier three day tour. She even managed to get my Surabaya portion as a discount, proving the shadiness of Guntur and his business partner.

On my quest to find more vegetarian food, I ran into the man met a few days ago and ran into yesterday as well, who I had nicknamed Indo Tee. We chatted for a bit. When I mentioned supper, he offered to show me a nearby restaurant with great vegetarian options, including the jackfruit curry. I was a bit sceptical since it involved a motorcycle ride and I'd rather stay in my comfort zone, so he found a closer option we could walk to.

Tucked away down a little alley, was a larger woman in a white apron behind a food cart. She filled up his plate first, while he explained what each dish was and what dishes were meat-free. I ended up with a heaping plate of jackfruit curry, omelette, soy bean dish, and chili salad. It cost me just over a dollar, which was incredible. We kept chatting at one of two small tables as I found out all about his job and favourite ventures as a tour guide.

"Is there any live music in Jogja?" I asked.

"Yes, people play drums and Indonesian instruments on the streets. I can take you tonight. Do you want to go?"

"I thought you had plans with your friends tonight." Curiosity had prompted my first question. I hadn't expected his invitation.

"No, no plans. I can take you on my motorbike, see Jogja city, see music."

It sounded like a city tour by night. I rarely got the chance to go out at night anymore as I was too cautious to go out on my own, especially in the city. But with a local chaperone, who also by day worked in for a tour group? That seemed legitimate. If he asked for money partway through, so be it. I was willing to pay since he was nice and helpful. My earlier motorbike apprehension melted away.

"Okay, sure, but I have to pack first. I'm leaving for Bromo early tomorrow morning."

We agreed to meet back at this spot in an hour. When I packed my night bag I made sure to bring my less expensive camera and the safety cat, just in case. I also sent another message to my friend to let her know my plans, even if she was half a world away.

At eight, we met up and he had even brought a helmet for me. We went to the central area. We passed the train station and other attractions he continued to point out. He would have made a far better guide than Guntur.

At our first stop, we watched traditional music performances with drums, xylophones, and high pitched mallet instruments that he must have been referring to earlier. It had a fun vibe and apparently several groups performed every night, music students from the university. I wasn't the only woman out either, but it felt a bit safer with a chaperone.

We drove to Sultan's Palace and the grounds outside of it. The whole circle lit up  from the strangely illuminated vehicles. Sets of two bicycles joined together with an added bench seat, and covered in LED lights, depicting all sorts of images of animals or even Angry Birds, drove around blasting music from speakers attached to car batteries. Innovation never failed to impress out here.

In the center of the round road were two large trees. Indo Tee, whose name I found out was Dian when he inquired if I even remembered it, explained that people would get blindfolded by their friends and try to walk through the two trees a total of three times. If they could do this, they'd have a good life, so the legend said. We watched as groups of friends would walk alongside their friends and cheer them on. They'd end up in a fit of laughter if the friend ventured far from the target, which happened often enough.