We spent 4 days and 5 nights in the vast city of Yogyakarta trying to absorb what it's like to live in a large, hot, humid, Indonesian city. We took a "tour" by becak (pronounced: Bee-Chack -- basically a bicycle rickshaw) and learned from our driver that many of the becak drivers live in the surrounding villages and come into town to work for a few weeks... sleeping in their becaks and eating from the street vendor carts. Then they head home for a few weeks of R&R and family time. This is one way of life in Indonesia.

Instead of heading to the large Buddhist temple complex of Borobudur (We will get to see the largest Buddhist temple complex in South East Asia when we visit Ankor Wat in Cambodia) or the Hindu temple of Prambanan (We figure there must be one or two of these we'll visit in India...) we enjoyed Java coffee and read the Jakarta Post where we caught up on local politics. The Presidential elections scheduled to be wrapped up in September (with previous rounds earlier) will be the first time that Indonesians will be able to select actual candidates for President. Previously they could only select a party who appointed the actual president. Many Indonesians believe that this will change their way of life.

We shopped in malls that could've been in America or Europe (except that the prices were better!) and wandered the night markets and street stalls admiring Batik artwork and silver craftsmanship. All the while cell phones were ringing all around us. There is certainly a wealthy urban way of life in Indonesia.

And yet, traveling by "Exeutif" class train from Yogya to Bandung with all the urban elite, we passed through small villages that appear not to have changed for centuries. Hand cultivation of crops, traditional "hut" housing, people in conical hats and not a cell phone in sight!! If nothing else,... life is diverse in Indonesia.

As for us, tonight we're wishing we opted for a different hotel. We've discovered we have several cucaracha visitors (Isn't that a much better name than cockroach?!), ripped sheets, no fan & no hot water. As we mentioned before... long term budget travel isn't always fun, but ultimately we feel that the opportunity to learn about other culture's ways of life is worth the discomfort.