Our first full day in Jogjakarta started out with splitting into two vans and heading to visit the Prambanan Temples, which were a variety of Hindu temples. We met some of the students that the Quinlans’ minister to, and they gave us a tour of the temples. While we were there, many of the locals took pictures with us, out of amazement that Americans were standing on the same ground as them! There was also a gelato stand (durian ftw) and some cheap souvenirs shops after exiting the temples!
For lunch, we had a buffet style at the beautiful Candhari Heaven. It had some of the most stunning views of the city and a volcano that was unfortunately covered by the fog. The bakso soup with noodles was my favorite part of the buffet, where you could add as much bawang goreng, sambal, and kecap manis as your heart desired. I also loved that the iced tea served was from jasmine tea leaves (another thing to love about Indonesia). We took a group photo and taught the Indonesian students to do a Sic ‘em!
After lunch, we went to Hamzah Batik, a store that sold tons of affordable Batik clothes and accessories. There were racks of various Batik-patterned shirts, blouses, dresses, skirts, bags, and more! Each of the Batik pieces I got were less than $20 (yes it was that affordable). We took advantage of exploring the multi-floor shop and trying on different outfits as this is one of our last shopping opportunities before we head back home.
We went to the Quinlans’ home for dinner, fellowship with the other Indonesian students, and Bible study (which as per Indonesian tradition started way later than scheduled). We had some worship led by some our Baylor students, then split into groups and studied and discussed Matthew 16:24-26, which is about taking up your cross and following Christ over your own plans and desires. We got to share our testimonies and practical ways we continue to seek the Lord, especially in a culture that makes it even harder to walk with Him. We ended the night before leaving back to the hotel with some badminton and volleyball!
- Written by Kristina Djaja
