Razqa and Eyra @Prambanan Temple, Yogyakarta

It's a late post about Eyra's September visit to Jogjakarta. 

She had a chance to visit one of the Hindu Temples in Jogjakarta. It's Prambanan Temple.

Along with her cousin, Razqa, she enjoyed learning our cultural and historical heritage.

I was busy at the seminar when my brother-in-law (Razqa's Daddy) took Eyra and his son for a day trip.

And. . .it turned out that he took the kids to the temple^^ ok. Thank u for having the kids entertained.^^

Kediri ~~ Jogjakarta

My 3-day visit back home came to an end..and yes..I got to pack my things up..and went back to Jogja...before leaving for Seoul the following day.

My bags got swollen..due to the enormous things I got to bring to Seoul.^^

I know that I could only carry up to 30 kg of luggage but...gee..it weight almost 60kg!!!

ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 

now..let's drink a mango juice that my father made for us....to cool us off.^^ 

Let's not forget that...it's still in Kediri and I got to bring the 60-kg luggage to Jogja first..then Jakarta..then Seoul. oh what a trip..but...that's fine.

My Dad and my Mom saw me off at the train station.

and of course...my lovely nephew Barra...and his sister, Lala. 

It's been a great short 3-day visit...but I'll be back. promised. ^^ 

Bye-Bye Barra, Dad...see you all soon....this year for a short visit again...^^ a week? a month? not for sure..but bismillah we can meet again. 

Take a picture of them ...leaving Kediri Train Station. 

and...then..I was back again to the platform where I got to wait for the train to arrive. 

After 4-hour trip...I safely arrived in Jogjakarta....again...and stayed for one night before leaving for Seoul. 

Then...I got to wait for my brother-in-law to pick me up at Jogjakarta's Tugu Station.

Been a great day..and I felt so exalted being in Jogja again....^^

Back to Jogja and...

The first day..woah..I was back to Jogja. Though it was a short trip, it turned out to be a memorable one.

First, I was trying to find a pair of glasses that I must wear..since I was starting to get my eyes red...as soon as I arrived in Jogja. was it the weather? the air? I didn't know...at first.  

So..I was ushered to the EYE hospital by my colleague, Rio, who was patient enough to take me there.

Yes..on my FIRST day in Jogja, I became a patient at EYE hospital..안과? yes..funny, eh?

It turned out that my eyes becoming red was nothing to be worried upon..since they're just an outcome of my hectic and sleepless nights prior to coming to Jogja.

Yup..busy boy. 

okay..long story short..I could visit the Main Building where I mostly had my tasks done on my short trip back home. 

and...met one of my students who's now working at Hotel Tentrem. 

hmm..what a coincidence. It so happened that I stayed at this very hotel, right?

see the glasses? hmm.....sadly? the funny thing? anyhow...I had to wear them during my stay in Jogja.

HOW COOL was that, eh?

PH (pae-ha:) Stories @ Jogja

Guess...we missed the PH in Jogja. (suddenly...I became delirious^^)....Yup, it's been almost three years since the last time we had PH Time. Frankly..one of the reasons was simply because we never had one in Seoul. So, when I had a chance to meet Nana, my colleague, ..the only place that popped out of my mind was..well, PH.

And..since Eyra & Freya also wanted to meet her (affectionately lovable) eonni a.k.a. baby sitters (no..no...my students, Beth & Dewi whom they met in Seoul), why not asked them to join us @ PH? * Thanks girls..for taking our daughter to Timezone and let us enjoy our dinner. ^^

We might as well .....meet..greet...chat...and catch up what we'd been dying to share for the past two years...(c'mon...like there's no such thing as Whatsup ...and Facebook...

 or Path?) ^^

Then..another time..different location..but still @ PH^^, we had lunch along with my other colleagues. Yes...'spending time' at PH @ Jogja was so much fun.

oops!

And it's Lunar New Year's celebration...and we surely did take some time...

to seize the moment.

*Thanks, friends*

Adi's Visit

Adi (my former student) just graduated from Graduate School. I'm proud to say that he finally finished his Master Degree in Linguistics. Since he knew that I was in Jogja for 3 weeks, he'd told me that he'd wanted to meet me. 

Oh, Adi was also the one who taught Eyra 'Hangeul' prior to Eyra's departure to Korea back in 2011. Congrats, Adi.

Crazy Selfie W/ The Kids

It's almost bed time but we decided to have fun in bed. I wouldn't have done it unless it'd been with my kids.:) ^^ 

So, we teamed up to pose as crazy as possible.... as weird as possible...

wow..turned out to be so much fun...knowing that we'd end up having our twisted poses. 

But....so much so...I was the one who gave up making weird faces...

Boy's Shopping Time: Shoes and Batik Scarf (err what??)

 

Doni drove through a village called 'Desa Manding' where the locals are famous for being artisans of leather stuffs from bags, shoes, and any other leather-based handicrafts. And I was so stupid of not knowing this place earlier although I lived in Jogja for more than 10 years. *gee.....*

And..I felt like I found my heaven for shoes. I was crazy for shoes available there. Bought two pairs of them since they're adorably cute and unbelievably inexpensive.  

Bimo helped me with the selections. Two pairs only cost me Rp 200,000 or a mere 20,000 Won. OMG!!!!!!  With the same price, I would only be able to find ......ones.:)

oops..these are not boy's stuffs. But..I bought these silk scarves for souvenirs.

Since they are silk batik at Batik Keris (one of the trusted brand names for batik in Indonesia)...I could only say that they are well-priced. 

Of course, they're seamlessly beautiful.

@ De Plonthos: Where I Used to Have My Hair Trimmed

I was so happy to be back to Jogja although just for 3 weeks since it meant that I could pay a visit to the place where I always had my hair cut. Yes....and these three guys are my friends who work there.  

We met again, guys. Thanks for being there when I (my hear>:) needed you, guys. 

(at the waiting room of the so-called beauty salon).

See you, again.

@ Mirota Batik (Handicraft Store)

Freya and Eyra were busy selecting key chains and other knick-knacks...brick a brack. I got a feeling that they're lost into a maze of confusion of what to choose from thousands of key chains in front of their eyes.  

Me myself..I was also amused and somewhat entertained. So many things to choose from. Wooden handicrafts to silverware to...well....gold..and silk...and...you name it...you got it. 

Mirota Batik is the must-visit place in Jogja for anyone wishes to buy souvenirs from Jogjakarta. 

One of the highlights that I think cracked me up was THIS. 

Got no idea who put this colorful wooden puppet on this toy-car. What made it strikingly eye-catching was nothing more than its contrasting color. 

Then..to my surprise...I found a statue of Jokowi (the present Jakarta's governor) at the store. Couldn't believe my eyes. How could his statue be arranged right next to the statue of the first president of Indonesia, Mr. Soekarno. ^^??* I found out later ...that Jokowi statues were removed from the store. hmmm.....suspiciously interesting. 

Mirota Batik consists of two-story building where we could immerse ourselves to appreciate Javanese culture as displayed through myriads of souvenirs and handicrafts.  

Now...let's go home. We did our shopping!!!

Lunch @ J.Co Donuts

Donuts?? and they're for lunch? hmm..well...yes..and no. I brought some gimbab along just in case donuts won't do just fine. I've been eager to have J.Co donuts when I got a chance. My craze for J.Co's been subdued due to the distance we had in between. J.Co Donuts have not yet opened any branches in Korea though they have the nearest one in Shanghai and Beijing. ^^ 

Are J.Co donuts so irresistibly delicious that I was madly in craze head over heel for savoring them in  my mouth? well....yes. It's that worth-it. 

but..wait...Freya.....what's with that look? You didn't want to eat? 

oh wait...this was not at donuts store anymore. We moved to Pempek Ny. Kamto...and...Freya..was like...'I wanted my donuts back!!!"ㅋㅋㅋ

even green balloons didn't excite her at all.

*oh, teh botol sosro= the must-have beverage in Indonesia.