Desa Sragen (Village of Sragen)

Location:

Sragen, Solo, Central Java, Indonesia
15km away from Solo, Eastward from Yogyakarta, (3 hours by car from Yogyakarta)



My experience there:
I like it there because unlike big cities, Sragen is a small village with its own characters. It has small old javanese type of houses, lots of rice fields, not so many buses and cars, no big buildings, very nice people. What makes the village even more interesting is the pure culture of Java. I enjoy listening to people talking in javanese, settling in the old kitchen watching some ladies cook with these old type of cooking equipments. They still use dry woods and fire to cook. And also some of them still wear javanese dresses called Kebaya with Kemben.
Very natural and quite traditional. I always enjoy it there while visiting my 90yo grandma. Yet, i can also tell a big difference between a big city and such a small village like Sragen by smelling the air, it's still grassy and fresh. lol

Facilities:
Bus terminals, train station, gas stations, taxis, buses, no airports, no ports.
Come on, it's a village! Clean bathrooms, TVs, bedrooms, nice houses. PLUS : living -cows, sheep and goats, free swans and chicken.

Bebeng, Daerah Erupsi Gunung Merapi (Bebeng, Eruption Area of Mount Merapi)

Location:

Bebeng, Kaliurang, Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia
25km away from Yogyakarta (35mins by motorcycle)
5km away from the Mount Merapi


My experience there:
The pictures were taken weeks after the eruption day. It was still completely dusty and gray. Almost like the land of the moon. The dust itself was very smooth and light so i and other visitors were obliged to wear a mask usually used by doctors. Everything covered with dust which was the ashes of the "hot cloud" when it passed the area when the big eruption happened.
Today, caused by the rain and wind, the dust is gone. Only volcanic soil left, and also rocks.
If the sky is clear, we can see the entire mount of Merapi, since this place is only 5km away from the mount.

Facilities:
Bathrooms, parking lot, small vendors of snacks, guides.

Candi Ratu Boko (Ratu Boko Temple)

Location:

Prambanan Area, Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia
25km away from Yogyakarta (30mins by motorcycle)
Near Prambanan temple



My experience there:
The place is very nice, very quite, with a beautiful view downward to the city and always toward to the famous mount of Merapi. Even though this place called a temple, no temples that i found there. I only found ancient stages which is historically used for showing some dances and shows. I also found many of small ponds which used to be the place where people lived there took a bath.
The place is pretty wide but beautiful to visit. I felt like i really went back through the ancient time. I did a little Javanese dance on one of the stages, hehe.

Facilities:
Bathrooms, park, small restaurant, parking lot, gazebo, signs, map.

Tebing Pantai Ngungap (Ngungap Coastline)

Location:
South of Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia
200km from Yogyakarta (2 hours and a half by motorcycle)
Near Krakal beach



My experience there:
One thing about this coast line, the wind is very intense! I can hear the waves hit the rocks, see how each wave formed from the center of the sea to the coastline, see the whole endless ocean of Java, see everything that's green-blue and dark down in the ocean. The place itself is not so wide and very quite. When i went there, there was only a couple of lovers.
To enter the place, i went through a not-very-good-conditioned road. It was all worth it though. Trust me.

Facilities:
Parking lot, a big gazebo, no bathrooms, no vendors.

Pantai Krakal (Krakal Beach)

Location:
South of Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta, Central Java, Indonesia
200km from Yogyakarta (2 hours and a half by motorcycle)


My experience there:
The beach is very clean and white (the sand). No garbage on the sand. All clean and very refreshing. I lied down in the sand feeling the small waves hitting my feet up to my chest. I scrubbed all over my body with the clean sand and it felt so good making my skin clean and smooth. This beach is not crowded with people since the location is very far from the town of Yogyakarta. So it is definitely a perfect place for you to get chillaxed!

Facilities:
Bathrooms, small vendors of drinks and snacks, and parking lot.

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