Before & After (My Jogja)

I didn't know as to why I took all of these pictures when I was driving around Jogja. I guess..I was just intrigued by how green everything was at that time. Yes...I love the fact that Jogja has lots of trees in some part of the city. 

It's near Kotabaru region, just a kilometer away from my campus. 

Then...I turned left and then..I saw a familiar line up of trees in Sudirman Street--one of my favorite streets in Jogjakarta..simply because it boasts itself as having lots of trees. 

And..I kept on taking pictures....still in Sudirman Street. 

Then..I arrived at my campus. Yup, the trees were green and boy oh boy...this time of the year...was the best way to explore the campus. Not many students were back to campus since it was still a semester break. 

Kept on going up.... 

until I reached Kaliurang street with less trees or no trees at all since most of the lots are reserved for shops and restaurants and cafes and...well..business. BUt..boy..the sky's blue.....until... 

February 14, 2014 when I learned that Jogja was covered in volcanic ash from Kelud Volcano (some 300 km away from Jogja).

My Jogja..I learned that it's been raining...and I do hope that everything's back to normal again. Amin.

College Years...

College years in the late 1990s I guess. Wait..I am sure this was back then in 1996. We were having a party in Kaliurang with our fellow friends from UCLA. Our friends from UCLA were studying Indonesian language and culture from 6 months to a year at our PSI (Pusat Studi Indonesia- Center for Indonesian Studies), Gadjah Mada University. 

We were attending the coronation of Surakarata Sultan. All of us must wear the traditional Javanese attires in order to attend the ceremony. We still vividly remember that. Oh, what a happy day that was. 

This is me when I was attending the International Night where international students would show their capabilities in Indonesian dances they'd been learning for the past months during their stay in Jogjakarta. 

And this? 

Well, what would our life be without going to be beach?

Well it takes only an hour or so from our college to the nearest beach. I guess this is in Sundak Beach. 

What about this one? I felt like a James Bond since the girls were all circling me....^-^Anyway..it was a great time we had back then in Jogja Village Inn. 

The smiles we had on our face.

Jadah Tempe Kaliurang

Going to Kaliurang without buying and tasting the famous Jadah & Tempe would be like going to XXI without seeing the movie. Well, it may not seem to be quite a correct analogy, but still..what I want to point out here is...that....this particular Jadah & Tempe is just a specialty worth-tasting in Kaliurang. Although some people may end up disliking it for its being too sweet; yet it is good to try.

So, it was early in the morning.( I think it was around last year)...we woke up and then took the time out of our hotel room.
the mbok mbok or tempe jadah selling ladies were ready to greet us and talk us out of buying their food.
Kinda like it there.
the cool breeze of air up in Kaliurang.
but....I assume things must've changed there after last year's Merapi eruption.
hope that those ladies are back to business as usual.