Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Day 1 -
Water Castle and Jalan Malioboro (24 hours street)
Day 2 -
Merapi volcano (one of the most active volcanoes in the world), Borobudur temple (one of the largest Buddhist temple in the world), and Chicken Church
Day 3 -
Jomblang cave and Pinus Pengger
Unforgettable scenes:
- Active Merapi volcano
2. 15 locals pulled us up from the bottom of the Jomblang cave to the floor
3. On our way to Jalan Malioboro, we observed a kid who did a few cartwheels in front of cars and motorcycles while we were waiting for a red traffic light. After the dangerous performance, he approached each vehicle and begged for pennies with a small container. His eyes were filled with helplessness, and he seemed very hungry
4. There are many carriages near Jalan Malioboro, which were pulled by blind horses. Those horses’ eyes are covered by masks so that they can’t see while being pushed to walk.
5. Crazy traffic jam. (the most challenging thing to travel around there is a traffic jam, which is a typical symptom of the developing countries. If the city received enough budget from its central government, the mayor should consider improving its infrastructure and building MRT station. Which will not only alleviate air pollution and unemployment rate but also improve the GDP and transportation time)
6. People mountain people sea at Jalan Malioboro
Reflection:
1. It seems not to be easy to make local friends there due to the different expectations, culture, and language
2. Surprised that local people may be able to eat pigeon or fried food daily
3. Most of the locals are friendly and always smile at us
4. It’s not easy to travel developing countries alone because of the language barrier and high transportation cost (may need to hire a driver while solo traveler could take MRT or public transportation in most developed countries). Thanks to Ben for being the bridge between locals and us. Thanks to Lianda, Yulia, and Ben for sharing and creating an interesting memory.
5. Need to be more grateful after the trip as everything in Singapore is organized and convenient
View on Indonesia:
- Primary industries include agriculture, o&g, non-o&g manufacturing, mining, trade, hotels, and restaurants, while Yogyakarta does not have a lot of natural resources. So maybe it would be better if the city develops the art (handcrafted drawing, silver, etc.) and tourism sections.
Note: the president, Joko said: I believe that in the future, the creative and service industries will boost the region’s economy because they would be dependent on innovative technology. Jokowi noted that to develop these sectors, Yogyakarta must invest in its human resources and physical and cultural infrastructure.
2. High GDP (top 5 in Asia) but low GDP (nominal) per capita (far below the global average). It’s still investable if we employ local labors in heavy and service industries. For GDP (nominal) per capita, Yogyakarta ranked 25th among 33 Indonesian cities in 2017.
3. The lack of development in the health industry and transportation, along with corruption, would be one of the obstacles to the country’s economic growth
