May 23rd, 2009 – Yogyakarta, here I am. Not too terribly exciting but the city does have character. I stopped by the Kraton (palace of the sultans of Yogya) and the Taman Sari Water Castle which served as a pleasure park of palaces, pools, and waterways for the sultan and his crew back in the day. They sound grandiose but to be honest neither really tickled my fancy. My fancy could use a good tickling.
I will say that the becak drivers (bicycle taxis) and similar street denizens are a bit more aggressive here than anywhere I’ve yet been in Indonesia. It is nothing for them to follow you for five or six blocks. I fancied a walk this manana but they wanted none of it. It is not just a ride but a potential shopping spree in a one of the kazillion batik shops on offer. They’re not particularly fond of the word ‘no’ and possess a alternate view of personal space. Apparently, they also work in teams. I told one guy I was Canadian and ten minutes later in a different part of the city I had an ojek driver (motorcycle taxi) that I had not met shout, ‘Hey, Canadian!’, followed by an offer for a ride. Nice.
