Beez Neez now Chy Whella

Yogy Putter

Big Bear and Pepe Millard

Fri 23 Sep 2016 22:57

Yogy Putter

Along the alley from our lovely ‘digs’ is this massive hotel – from the main road, down a grotty looking street, who would guess..........

We paid a motorised rickshaw driver one pound fifty to take us the few miles to Yogyakarta Palace. Sadly, it was shut and this was all we saw.

Rain threatening, Bear thought it was a good opportunity to look at replacing our clapped out mobile with a cheapy, can you take us to the electronics mall. Instant chance for our driver to turn on the inbuilt sales button, “what about the marionette factory”, “the batik museum” (a cover story for shop), “the batik art museum” (another glorified shop), “a silver factory” (you guessed it – all places our new friend has back handers for delivering wallet-wielding fresh flesh............. Didn’t expect to see The Beatles on a spare wheel cover.

Amazing what you get used to – we are now very unfazed at motorbikes coming at us on our side of the road and fitting through gaps with a gnats hand to spare.

Safely delivered to the mobile and computer mall just as the heavens opened our driver was not giving up. “I will wait for you, take your time, I will take you to lunch (more friends no doubt), I will take you to see many things, good price”. Enough, we paid him and bade him a very firm goodbye...........

The centre of the lower floor of this hot space was a food area with plenty of snack choices, we also saw a Dunkin Donut – could be tempted.

Not exactly crowded we made our way through the four floors all selling the same, genuine or knock-off, similar prices and heavy sales pitch. Luckily, not too many spoke good enough English to compete, then we found out all the phones were region locked so it was definitely time for a treat in the shape of a doughnut and a cuppa.

Opposite the electronics mall was a bike shop, I’ll just nip over for a pump for Baby Beez amphibious wheels. Every bike imaginable.

We decided to head back for a swim and a few games of Tri-ominoes between the torrential downpours. We have it sussed now – Bear sits back, I perch forward and we get a reasonably comfy ride...............

Wiki says: Yogyakarta is a city and the capital of Yogyakarta Special Region in Java, Indonesia. It is renowned as a centre of education (Kota Pelajar), classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry, and puppet shows.

Yogyakarta was the Indonesian capital during the Indonesian National Revolution from 1945 to 1949, with Gedung Agung as the president's office. One of the districts in Yogyakarta,Kotagede, was the capital of the Mataram Sultanate between 1575 and 1640. The city is named after the Indian city of Ayodhya from the Ramayana epic. Yogya means "suitable, fit, proper", and karta, "prosperous, flourishing" (i.e., "a city that is fit to prosper"). Its population was 388,627 inhabitants at the 2010 census and its built-up (or metro) area was home to, 4,010,436 inhabitants spread on two cities (Yogyakarta and Magelang) and 65 districts spread on Sleman, Klaten, Bantul, Kulon Progo and Magelang regencies. While urbanization sprawls, Yogyakarta-Magelang and Surakarta are being agglomerated in a few years.