Yogyakarta, Indonesia

I don't normally have any luck in lotteries and such, which is also why I never buy scratch cards - what's the point when I'm not going to win anything? :P ..sooo, I was really surprised when I recently won a lot of goodies in a lottery on the postcrossing forum. ..and it was hosted by Shinta, a wonderful Indonesian postcrosser. :) To celebrate, I started my own lottery today. It's here if you want to join. :) Well, that lottery is also to celebrate the fact that I finally finished my big translation assignment yesterday. Or I hope I did, if the client doesn't want any extra work done and is happy with what I've done...



This is one of the many postcards Shinta sent me. This is one of my favourites - I love seeing street views and ordinary life on postcards (wish I could find such cards here, too...).

Yogyakarta is renowned as a centre of classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry, and puppet shows. It is also famous as a centre for Indonesian higher education and the seat of Gadjah Mada University, one of the three most prestigious universities in Indonesia. Yogyakarta was the Indonesian capital during the Indonesian National Revolution from 1945 to 1949. It has a population of roughly 388,000.



...and here's another card from Shinta, showing a typical Indonesian market where you can (=must) bargain over the price, and have a chit-chat with the seller. :)



There were so many pretty, colourful stamps on the envelope! The one on top left is from a set of 6 stamps issued in 2010, showing Indonesian Cultural Heritage. The one next to it is from a set of 2 stamps from 2009, a joint issue with Iran. The stamp on the right is from a set of 7 stamps issued in 2008, with the theme "Road to Jakarta". The bird stamp was issued in 2008 and comes from a set of 11 (or 12?) stamps depicting Indonesian flora and fauna. The stamp at the bottom is from a set of 3 stamps issued in 2009 to commemorate the Year of the Ox.