Yogyakarta is billed as the cultural and craft capital of Java and we were keen to include it in our tour of the island, though we could only afford the time to spend one night there. Although we were only there for a short period, I think we got a feel of the place and had plenty of time to experience the conmen my guidebook had warned me about. The scam these guys use is to tell you that there is ‘a special student exhibition of batik that’s just about to close’ or that it’s ‘the last day of an official government sponsored fine art show’. They then direct you to a showroom where you are subjected to the hard sell. We managed to refuse all of them, but it did make our stroll around the shops rather annoying!
Yogyakarta is famous for its batik and we did pick up one or two gifts for family back in the UK. We also visited a branch of Bata and bought flip-flops. I just hope that they last as long as the pair I’m still wearing – I bought them in Bata in Sri Lanka in 1998 and they cost me the equivalent of 70 pence!!
See our photos of Yogyakarta here.
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