YOGYAKARTA in central Java, or Yogya as it is fondly called by the locals, is steeped in mystical Javanese culture and rich history.
My first brush with it was at the Ramayana Ballet performance, held at a beautifully constructed open-air theatre with the Prambanan Temple as a backdrop.
The evening sky cast an orange glow of excitement on our faces. Over two hours, the performance of the ancient Hindu epic Ramayana unveiled the key elements of Javanese dance, drama and music.
The Prambanan Temple forms a backdrop for the Ramayana Ballet in the open-air theatre.
What was spellbinding were the dance movements accompanied by gamelan music. The storyteller, or the sinden, is represented by a female singer who sings Javanese songs to narrate the story. The intricate and colourful costumes complement the dancers' carefully orchestrated steps.
The cultural journey continued the next day when we visited the Prambanan Temple, a big tourist attraction. Rows of shops line the bazaar and women bearing souvenirs enticed us to buy a keepsake of our time spent at this 9th century candi (temple).
The complex is made up of three courtyards and temples that surround three main shrines dedicated to the Hindu trinity: Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer. The carvings on the walls of the temples depict stories from Ramayana.
Dancers in colourful costumes tell the story of Ramayana.
While exploring the site, I felt like Indiana Jones. Here I was looking at architecture put together by ancient hands, stone by stone, as a display of the people's pious devotion to the gods. I circled around one particular temple which housed the Lord Shiva, offering a prayer of peace.
Our 23-year-old guide Andiputera Sparringa, who is also the Asean-Indonesia Youth Ambassador 2007, whispered gently to me: "I don't want to bring my girlfriend here. There's a saying that if couples step onto the site, their relationship might not last."
What an irony, considering the legend that the temples in Prambanan were built in a single night by a prince who took up a dare to win his lady's love. I quickly muttered my thanks that I was there alone with my husband safely ensconced in Singapore.
Visiting the rich cultural site of Prambanan Temple gave me a better insight into the history of Yogya but I was overwhelmed by what greeted me at Borobudur Temple, the largest Buddhist monument in the world and a Unesco World Heritage Site.
We had travelled to Yogya for the Vesak Day celebrations, where 30,000 devotees from Asia were expected to form a procession that started at Mandut Temple towards the Borobudur Temple.
The Prambanan Temple bears detailed and meticulous carvings that have stood the test of time and natural disasters.
Although we did not participate in the procession, I caught sight of the monks in the midst of a 24-hour chanting and prayer session. That was sufficient to warrant another visit to the temple, a day after the Vesak Day procession.
My photographer and I started out at 4am for the 90-minute journey by car from our hotel to Borobudur Temple. The idea was to arrive there at sunrise.
The stillness of the air surrounding the temple was chilly, quiet and meditative. Despite several tourists roaming the area, not a single person spoke to each other - all of us were experiencing a serendipitous moment.
Just some hours before that, the place was filled with monks who paid their respects at the Borobudur Temple. We traced the footsteps of the religious yellow-robed men and it felt like each one of them - and us - had a conversation with God.
The moment to say goodbye could not have happened at a better place.
The trip was sponsored by the Yogyakarta Tourism Board.
