Authentic Yogya Bicycle Tour

Myself and two friends from Australia recently participated in this tour. Our tour guide was fantastic and we had so much fun cycling around the local village. Also being able to learn how to make the local foods and play the local musical instruments was a very rewarding experience. I would recommend this tour to anyone wishing to get to know Jogja better.

I booked the Plaosan Bike Tour the night before and soon got confirmation along with a WhatsApp number so I could chat with the organizer, which turned out to be a blessing. First thing in the morning I took Grab to get from Yogya to what I thought was the starting point only to find out that I’d missed a message describing the exact place. When I called they said, stay where you are we’ll come and pick you up. Good service. The tour revolves around an easy cycle on traditional Indonesian bicycles to each of the venues. They even provide traditional local Javanese clothing that one is encouraged to wear. I decided to try the clothes and it indeed added to the ambience of the whole experience. Off we went in a long line like a herd of bicycle riding ducks around various back streets until we reached our first stop. A little old lady emerged from her house in the village to greet us. She then explained the process of making one of Indonesia’s iconic foods, tempeh. A sheet of banana leaf, a handful of ingredients, a fold or two, twist and tie then it’s your turn. After a few attempts you’ve got it down and off you go with your prize and a sample she’s made. She explained that after 2 days your tempeh will have finished the fermentation and will be ready to cook and eat. That’s when you’ll open and compare your attempt to the master’s. From there we rode on to the next stop at the Plaosan temple. Here we got a brief history of the early temple building craze of the 9th and 10th centuries along with a chance to tour these magnificent structures. You’ll find out that this particular temple complex is intended for those seeking their life partner. Your results my vary. Next was my favourite. I love “umping” which are nut crackers somewhat resembling the puffy shrimp crackers that you find everywhere in Indonesia. The young women at the next stop showed us how she roasts,husks and pounds these into the final product. I had to give it a try but after only a few minutes the heavy maul she swings so effortlessly felt like a ton and I had renewed respect for her trade. The final stop, gamelan music lessons, were the hardest for me although probably very easy for anyone who has even the least musical talent. Amazingly, after 10 minutes or so 6-8 of us were adequately in sync as to sound reasonably OK. Hats off to our patient instructor. Then back on the bikes, and back to the starting point to taste a variety of local snacks. The whole 2 ½ hour experience was well worth it and quite educational. They’ve obviously honed the tour so that it works well for even larger groups. Expect to learn something and experience aspects of local life you might otherwise never see.