King's private swimming pool

entrance


according to the guide, the king would come here with his many, many wives and children. From the second floor window he'd drop a petal, and whichever wife picks it would have the pleasure of servi(ci)ng him.

royal emblem 

Skyline of Yogya from Water Castle

Densely packed kampung (communities) just outside of palace wall. Talking to a local I found out that many of these people will have to be forcibly relocated soon the king wants to expand his compound.




 

Water Castle ruins

Just north of Kraton is the site of a derelict Portuguese fortres





 

Yogya, old city

the old city has walls all around it


The bird market

cages 

Yogyakarta: Kraton

Kraton is the site of the Royal Family in Yogya, a city with its own distinct culture and history.


entrace to Kraton

inner palace


exotic tree leaves 

Crater at Tangkuban Tarahu

It's alive!





 

Ciater hot spring resort

The water here flows directly from the earth and is warm. First time for me in an all natural hot spring environment


warm waterfals

children playing

clear springs
 

Around Bandung

A friend and his family took me to the mountainous area around Bandung by car.


Rubber tree plantation


rice field

tea plantation

tea hills 

In and around Jakarta: Jalan Sudirman

There's general Sudirman the street is named after


Big flashy cars, rusty old buses and terrible traffic
 

In and around Jakarta: Jalan Sudirman

The commercial centre of Jakarta. Arriving here you'd think there's no poverty in Indonesia...but then look again, and the contrasts are shocking.


Monument Selamat Datang (welcome)...I had a traffic accident here on the second day. A friend who was driving collided with a TransJakarta bus. 200,000Rp (€20) was all it took to settle the dispute. And the policeman was there too.


Bank Indonesia


"Spread the world" Luxury and class all around.