Malioboro
Malioboro Street in Yogyakarta
This past Friday night, Malioboro Street, often called the "race" of Indonesia. I passed by it earlier, but there were street performances like belly dancing... It's a lively street. When I travel, I need a street like this to get me excited. It feels like a mix of Myeongdong and Dongdaemun.
I exchanged money as soon as I arrived in Yogyakarta, but I regretted it after changing all my remaining dollars into rupiah. I don't spend much money, so why did I do that? When will I ever come back to Indonesia?; I can't exchange it back into dollars. Duty-free shops in Indonesia are 50% more expensive than in Korea. In developing countries, special consumption taxes and luxury taxes are high.
There are mostly batik shops, and the restaurants are local eateries, along with a few brands like Pizza Hut. The souvenir shops are generally cheap. I bought a miniature drum set. Haha. If you take the alley to the right of the starting point of Malioboro, you'll find Sorowijaya Street, known as a traveler's street with cheap accommodations. To be honest, Malioboro is so crowded that there aren't many good places to stay. If I come back next time, I think I'll go to the Hyatt Regency, 8 kilometers away. It's beautifully built, like the Lijiang Hyatt, for around 90,000 won per night.
This place is more of a local hangout than a tourist destination. Because it's a run-down neighborhood, there aren't many places for young people to hang out. It's similar to Daegu, with the exception of Dongseong-ro. Even if they do hang out, it's mostly window shopping and quick bites. There's practically no culture. And by 11 p.m., the cars and crowds are gone. That's why these kids are obsessed with social media, their only window to the world. If someone's watching, they'll be on Instagram, Facebook, or their local messenger. They also love taking and posting pictures. I once asked if the hijab was hot, and they said it was. Actually, it's more suited to the strong sun and sandstorms of the Middle East, not the humid Southeast Asia. So, it seems like a lot of people take it off. Incidentally, fewer and fewer young people are praying five times a day, as per the law, facing Mecca. The de-religionization of young people seems to be a global phenomenon. #SummerCapture #WithNature #UniqueHotel #MustSeeHistoricalPlaces