√ Travel Date: August 2017

When people ask, Where have you been? And you answer, Indonesia; they will instantly ask back Jakarta? Will change something for a bit; my answer was Yogyakarta… They sound the same and rhyme, but they both offer different views of the country. 

The anticipation of flying to Yogyakarta was a thrilling item on my bucket list. When my family learned of my destination, they were curious: Who are you with? Are you not scared? What’ When are friends in that place? They asked questions about the excitement of my upcoming adventure. Only added to t

I have been to these places, especially the ones that were the icing on the cake of the journey; one of my bucket lists has been checked.

Day 1. The flight from Bangkok to Jakarta took around 3.5 hours, and the flight from Jakarta to Yogyakarta took 1.5 hours. I took the early morning flight from Bangkok with a plan to start my itineraries immediately and arrive in Yogyakarta early.

My guide, Lathip, whom I contacted through research and Facebook, welcomed me at the airport. The highlight of my trip was the Jomblang Cave. It is on the city’s outskirts and takes around 1.5 hours to reach. Ting was in the vehicle, and we passed the fields and locals carrying their backs. The real face of life was then driven in front of me. I was struck by the simplicity and resilience of the locals, who did their daily tasks with a smile. While sitting there, I was in awe of appreciation and felt blessed with my life.

When we were approaching the site, my excitement grew, and I was anxious at the same time. There were 6-8 big groups of locals and foreign tourists and 3 solo travelers, including me. Everyone in the groups is chatting, laughing, and playing around; everyone is as excited as I am.

And the prepping started; we were asked to put on the boots they had provided and asked everyone to fall in line to be hoisted down. You heard it right; we are going to a cave, but we need to be hoisted down, and it’s not your typical, normal cave. 😊

So there I was, waiting and falling in line for my turn to be dropped 50 meters down..

Seeing what beholds of the cave whilst they were dropping us down was such a sight. It took about 5 min for each pair to be hoisted down, and we had to wait for the rest of the group to cheer and clap their hands every time a pair was successfully dropped 😊… We trailed into the cave entrance and walked to the muddy pathway, making the experience more fun. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the mouth of the cave.

While we were approaching,  everyone was in awe of the size and the spectacular entrance. There was a breeze coming from the dark alley, but it never stopped everyone from having their photos taken. I negotiated with the lad who guided our group on this tour. I told him to take my pictures and in return I’ll give him some money; well this is the downside of being a solo traveler 🙂  Who would not want their photos taken when it is one of your bucket list items? 🙂

We continued walking the trail inside the cave and looking forward to that particular sight, the journey’s highlight. The way inside was pitched dark, and only our torches gave us light to show our paths. There were rocks everywhere, but they had already made a pavement for easy access. Everyone’s voices echoed, and the cool breeze kissed our skin. A few minutes away, I can listen to water gushing and streaming. I got so excited that I wanted to pass and walk over the couple before me.

Then, there it was! The sun’s rays gave the place a majestic feel. It was such a beautiful sight. I can’t imagine that I could check this one off my bucket list. From the left side of the cave, I could see a little river, and stalagmites and stalactites were everywhere. Everyone was rushing to the center platform for their photos, but the sun’s rays were constantly blocked and shaded by the trees from the top, so some would take a while to wait.

The lad I negotiated with approached me and said, “Just wait. Let everyone return first, and then I will take your photo.” So I was there, patiently waiting for the sun to come out. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that it is raining and showers. Then, when most of the group started walking back, we waited a few more minutes until the sun was out. The day had a b.

And tadah!

As I emerged from the cave, I realized it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. And yes, I was the last one out, a testament to my journey’s unique and personal nature.

As the saying goes, patience is a virtue. Some things in life, especially in travel, cannot be rushed. We often feel that time is slipping away, but it’s important to remember that life is about the moments we savor. So, let’s embrace time and let it create beautiful memories for us to carry forward. Godspeed 🙂