Also spelled Yogyakarta, but always pronounced Jogjakarta, this city is the cultural capital of Java Island.  Not to be confused with the actual capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, Jogja is a former capital.  The city itself is an unplanned Indonesian mess.  Visitors from Bali will not be surprised when they see the motobike traffic and broken sidewalks.  The famous water temple and old city give the city its charm. 

When I think about my ideal destinations for contemplation and meditation, I think about mountains, swimming and views of nature.  I used to think that beach was everything.  That is no longer the case.  When I met Megan in Flores and described to her my ideal meditative paradise, she immediately demanded that I go to Nusa Lembongan and just chill there…

My entire Indonesian itinerary was inspired by my new friend Richard who I met in Singapore.  I told him about my plans to travel around Asia.  They did not originally include Indonesia.  He only had to show me the pictures of the Komodo National Park to convince me to alter my plans.  Richard sold it!

I knew from Fiji and Samoa that there's a certain feeling I get when I "need" to be in the mountains.  My expectations were also set for mountain time because I know that Bali has big, famous volcanoes.  My research took me to Munduk, another 2.5 hours north of Ubud.  I told you Bali was big!  The first part of my time in Munduk was the beautiful journey there in a taxi where stopped by the famous temple Ulun Danu Beratan and it's beautiful (and sometimes wacky) gardens…

A solid hour drive north of Seminyak is the "Eat, Pray, Love" city of Ubud.  I figured I'd go there after Seminyak based on the recommendation of Fred and Farina (from Samoa).  Yes, it is a full-fledged city.  It is on the outskirts where you can discover the peace in the rice terraces that Julia Roberts found on film…