Yogyakarta

Keva and I met two nights ago at the luxurious Grand Hyatt in the busy, busy city of Jakarta. We enjoyed being queens for a night! We left the next afternoon for Yogyjakarta on a quick but questionable flight on the infamous Adam Airlines. As the yellow and orange outfitted flight attendant with matching eyeshadow asked us if we wanted a cup of water, we couldn't help thinking that we were suddenly transported into a bad 70s movie starring Austin Powers. Our whiplashed landing shaved off about 8 hours from the original plan of the overnight train.
After finding a hotel for the night, we enjoyed dinner and music at a local watering hole. The next morning (today) we explored the city. The kraton, or the sultan's compound, was unique. The sultan is the religious leader of Java, who is comparable to the Pope. They worship him and especially his father, sultan IX. The current sultan is the first in history to only have one wife. The guide that toured us explained that the others liked to entertain a harem of women. One sultan had 30 wives and over 80 kids! That is one busy household! Today's sultan is said to have married for love, so was devoted to the one wife. She bore only 5 girls, so the next sultan may be a woman! We thought about Hillary Clinton for some reason...
Later we watched traditional dancers perform to the gamela, or the orchestra made of mostly percussion instruments. We thought Thailand's dancing was more engaging. But it was an experience. Following this riveting adventure, we toured more of the town and Keva even tried to walk through the lucky Banyan trees in the town center....blindfolded. Legend says that if you can walk safely through the trees without mishap, then you will have good fortune. Sadly, she'll continue to buy her daily "scratch off" lottery tickets.
Which brings us up to date. More tomorrow after Borobudur.