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Central Java |
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Car license numbers:
G: Pekalongan, Tegal, Brebes,
Batang, Pemalang.
H: Semarang, Salatiga, Kendal,
Demak.
K: Pati, Kudus,Jepara, Rembang,
Blora,Grobogan.
R: Banyumas, Cilacap, Purbalingga,
Banjarnegara.
AA: Kedu, Magelang, Purworejo, Kebumen,
Temanggung, Wonosobo.
AB: Yokyakarta, Bantul, Kidul, Sleman,
Kulon Progo.
AD: Surakarta, Sukoharjo, Boyolali,
Sragen, Karanganyar, Wonogiri, Klaten. |
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Yogyakarta |
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http://indahnesia.com/indonesia/ |
Yogyakarta, or short Yogya is one of the
two still excisting traditional royal cities of Central Jawa; the other is
Solo. The city is in the centre of a wide belt of fertile ricefields, which
are dominated in the north by the smouldering Gunung Merapi, and in the south
is limited because of the rough Indian Ocean.
The 3,169 sq.km. province of Yogyakarta counts 3,2 milion residents, on
average more than one thousand per square kilometre. Yogya is among the most
densely populated and most productive traditional agricultural areas in the
world. The fact that low housing dominates, and most people still live in
relatively small, selfsufficient village communities, this is even more
remarkable. In the city itself live less than 500,000 people.
City of education and culture
Yogya is a city with many faces. Proud at it's century-old Jawanese heir it
attracts numerous painters, dancers and writers from all over the planet. The
city where the Taman Siswa-schools and the Islamic Muhammadiyah-schools were
founded, nowadays is a real student city. Besides the Gajad Mada University,
which originates from the time of the revolution and is one of the most
important Universities of the country, Yogya counts over fourty academies and
institutes for higher education.
Besides a traditional Jawanese city, Yogya is also a place of refreshing
ideas. On just a few paces from the serene kraton is the market where batik
painters show their designs, influenced by foreigners. In the main streets
computer stores pop up everywhere while satellite dishes and trendy
residencial quarters dominate the city. During a celebration of Independence
day, no one look if after a traditional golek-dance a group of trendy
pop-dancers appear on the stage. In the tolerant cultural climate in Yogya
traditions and modern things go hand in hand.
The kraton of Yogya was built between 1756
and 1790 by the founder of the city, sultan Hamengku Buwono I. It's a
beautiful example of traditional Jawanese royal architecture. As a royal
residence, but most of all the centre of the principalty, the kraton was to be
a miniature model of the Jawanese universe. All elements - pavilions, courts,
gates and trees - have a symbolic meaning. The thought behind this
constructions was to bring the royal court and the principalty together with
the divine universe. With that, success for the ruler would be assured.
The northern pavilions
Arrivind from the city the first building that the visitor sees is the
beautiful meeting hall, which has a view over the lawn of the northern square
( alun-alun lor ). This is the Pagelaran, where ministers and kratontroups
will gather. The 64 pilars which carry the roof, are representing the
perfection ( 8 times 8, the age at which the representative Muhamad died ).
Now the hall serves at room for gamelan concerts and dancing shows during the
Sekaten-festivities and the birthday of the sultan. Left and right of the
meeting hall there are smaller pavilions where the royal officials were seated
during audiences. Now the royal costumes are displayed.
Behind these pavilions some steps lead to a higher floor, the Siti Hinggil or
'High Ground'. At this place the official inaugurations still take place, On a
step in the centre is the throne of the sultan, or Bangsal Manguntur Tangkul,
decorated with woodcarvings and gold leaf. In the building behind it are the
royal jewelry, but only when the sultan is near.
Al these buildings can be visited. Entry cards can be optained at Pracimasono,
just west of Pagelaran.
On the central court, which also was a sleeping place for Dutch soldiers once,
is now the office of the palace guard and the Habiranda, the school for wayang-players.
Opened on weekdays from 8 o'clock in the morning to 1 in the afternoon, at
Fridays until 11 in the morning. Included with the - low - entry price is a
guided tour.
The palace
The real kraton is accessable from the west side. At the big clock, hardly
ever running on time, you can entere the shadowfull court, the northern
Kemandungan or Keben ( because of the Keben-trees ). Once inside the heat and
noise disappear, and you get a peacefull rest. The wide court exsist from
black sand from the southern coast, and is overshadowed with leaves from big
trees. The feeling of serenety is encouraged by the elegant game of lines
through the buildings, painted with soft green and yellow, and by the friendly
servants. In the centre of the court is a small pendopo, a stone throne, on
which the sultan used to convict law violators.
Directly after the main gate is an enourmous wall, the baturana Just like on
Bali, this barrier serves to protect the building from bad spirits. Since this
bad spirits can only move in straight lines, they will never get in the
building. Behind the wall is a smaller court with two pavilions and fruit
trees. The western Bangsal Sri Manganti, where the sultan meets his guests, is
empty. In the eastern Bangsal Trajumas are the carriages, used at weddings,
and stuff for worship.
Right around the corner, on the central court Gedung Purworetno, is the
private office of the sultan. Behind this is the Gedung Kuning with the
private areas of the sultan. The open gallery contains 19th century European
furniture, baroc mirrors, marble tables and crystal lights. The kantil-tree in
the corner of the square is a holy tree.
Left of the gate is a music pavilion, built in European style. It has painted
windows of trumpets, drums and other instruments. Once the palace musicians
played European music in here, for example national anthems at special
occasions.
The 'Golden throne room'
The court is dominated by the wonderfull Bangsal Kencono or 'Golden throne
room', of which the high joglo-roof represents the mountain Meru as the centre
of the universe. From the bottum and upwards the decoration is a clear example
of the Jawanese power of absorption: gold leafed lotus flowers from the
Bhuddhism, a red with gold Hinduist motif, and the Arabic calligraphy
represents the first line from the Koran: 'There is no God than Allah'.
Behind the throne room is the bangsal Proboyekso, the place where the royal
jewelry is kept behind glass. The Bangsal Kencono and the Bangsal proboyekso
together form the heart of the kraton. These are the only buildings aimed
towards the east - the direction of the rising sun, the source of all power.
Two small pavilions besides the Bangsal Kencono contain Sekaten-gamelans,
which should origin from the 14th century, and are played once a year. Due
south a long dinner room was built, complete with big windows and a marble
floor. A head of a monster, surrounded by two snake-heads, shows the date of
the restauration: 1853 ( A.D.1925 )
The rooms besides the southern and eastern side of the square are used for
several purposes. In one of them, a daily tea is made for the sultan at 7 and
11 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon. Half way the morning tea is brought
to the sultan, under sunshades and by older female servants. In another room,
with the good nickname'Sarangboyo or 'nest full of dangers', liquors are
prepared. Other rooms are used for storage of gamelan instruments and the
treasury room.
Next is a crossing with some colonial buildings: the main post office (built
in 1910), the Bank Negara Indonesia 1946 (built in 1923 at the Javasche Bank/Nillmij)
and the former society (built in 1912, but partially bombarded in 1946), which
nowadays serves as a theathre and gallery (Gedung Senisono); on Saturdays
open-air concerts are given here.
Behind the monument for remembering the guerrilla-attack on the Dutch (1 March
1949), is the old fortress 'Vredenburg' which was built by Hamengku Buwono I
for the same Dutch between 1756 and 1787. Once, 500 soldiers were stationed in
this fortress which contained a hospital, prisons and a magasine. After a
renovation a museum was placed in the old fortress, known as Benteng Budaya or
'Culture Fortress'. in the spaceous airconditioned rooms, diorama's show the
climaxes of the battle for independence.
Across the fortress is one of the few remained colonial houses of Yogya. Built
in 1823 as a residence, and rebuilt after the earthquake of 1869, it
temporarily served as Presidential house during the revolution. Nowadays it is
used to receive heads of state. In the beautiful garden are a few Indo-Jawanese
statues. Just a little ahead is the Margo-Mulyo-church of the Reformed Parish.
The church, sarced in 1830, is the oldest in the city.
The Beringharjo market
The central market of Yogya is north of Benteng Budoyo
The busy half-dark market whith its astonishing variety of goods is a small
world on it's own. Towers with tropical fruits, protected by sunscreens are
varied by knife sellers and clothes, who work in half-dark stalls. In the
narrow paths are many sorts of clothes, old and new batik, colorfull and
bright or just not. The deparment of food is not hard to find after all, just
follow the smell: meat and fish are sold between all kinds of vegetables and
fruits. Somewhere else are the bamboo buckets and other things for daily use.
Who loves to look around in piles, lighted by no more than a few beams of
sunlight, really should be here, but wathc out for muddy holes, pickpockets
and 'guides', who will walk with you and try to get a commision whenever you
buy someting. Some batik sellers will try to impress you with fixed prices,
just bargain on them too, it's normal.
Jalan Malioboro
The real Jalan Malioboro runs from the first major crossing to the railroad
crossing. The main street from Yogya can't handle the daily flood of traffic
anymore. Bikes and becak's already have their own lanes, separted by traffic
islands, but crossing is a combination of luck, courage and timing.
The street is decorated with many shops which sell all kinds of goods: shirts
and cloths, electronics, antiques and much more. The wide pavements are taken
by local sellers which offer a big variety of goods. Many shops and some
stalls have fixed prices, but here too, the law of the jungle, neotiating
until the end.
Around nine o'clock in the evening the shops are closed and the street sellers
will also shut down their businesses. The stalls are closed, and more food
stalls open around that time. Fried chicken, pigeon and rice are common food
in the area, they are prepared in ramshackle food stalls, but taste very good
actually. During eating many people lesehan 'sitting relaxed on the ground.
The next building is the Hotel Garuda, the former Grand Hotel. Across the
streat, south of the train station is the quarter of Pasar Kembang, Flower
Market. This former area of prostitutes now is the place of cheap hotels and
restaurants, populair among cheap travellers.
Jalan P. Mangkubumi
'The old Tugu train station, built by the Dutch in 1936 to break the
two-day-trip from Batavia to Surabaya, is still used. Past the railroads, the
street surrounded by hotels, shops, restaurants and offices is no longer
called Jalan Malioboro, but Jalan P. Mangkubumi.
Kota Gede
Kota Gede, sticking to Yogyakarta at the
southeastern edge,
The reason to bring a visit to Kota Gede is because of the hundreds of silver
shops each selling an unique collection of fine silver, handmade by one of the
many skilled workers here. Almost every little factory (home workshop that
usually is) has it's own little shop at the front of the house, along one of
the small streets of the village. There are some well-known brands like HS
Silver, but others do just as good without that famous name. Generally prices
here are reasonably fixed for retail buyers. Prices are stated on tags. Unlike
in for example Bali, prices here are in Indonesian Rupiah instead of US
dollars. The products sold here are to be found in Bali's tourist area's as
well, they are exported to there from Kota Gede (among others of course).
Southern beaches of Yogyakarta
A trip to the deserted beaches of Baron, Kukup and
Krakal, sixty kilometres southeast of Yogya, not only offers a
fresh ocean wind, but also the wilderness of the Southern Mountains, or Gunung
Kidul. The road to Baron lingers through one of the most dry and poor areas of
central Jawa. The friendly green sawah's have been replaced by bald limestone
rock formations, which were pushed up from the sea thousands of years ago. A
few strange trees are the only sign of something living in the area, besides
some corn. Water is hard to get, and is brought there from kilometres away.
The fierce waves at the coast offer a stark difference between the dry
plateau. Kukup and Krakal are one and six kilometres east of Baron. Take the
minivan to Wonosari from the busstation Rejowinangun in Yogya. Change to
another minivan or andong in Wonosari. Best is to return to Yogya before 4 in
the afternoon, because staying a night can be a problem. A taxi back to Yogya
is somewhat expensive here too.
Samas
Thirty kilometres south of Yogya is Samas, a tremendous hot black beach with
fierce waves breaking on it. Swimming is a very dangerous sport here too.
There are some food stalls, but there is no place to stay for the night. The
beach can be reached with busses with destination Samas (via Bantul). You can
go here with own transport, there is no parking service in Samas, but since
it's a small fishing village, there is nothing more than some polluted beaches
and wilderness. It is for sure a lot more quiet than the beach of Parangtritis,
especially during weekends.
Glagah
Glagah is a big black sandbeach southwest of Yogya, where a recreational park
is to be built. Along the small inlets, shadow rich places form an ideal place
for picknicking and just resting, while the fog over the low waves guarantees
a very good sunset. The bamboo structures in the sea are fish-traps. Swimming
is not allowed here too. There are some foodstalls, but there is no place to
stay for the night. Glagah too, can be reached by busses with destination
Glagah-Congot. It leaves from downtown Yogya.
Parangtritis
The notched rock formations and the fierce seas meet eachother on the black
beach of Parangtritis, 28 kilometers south of Yogyakarta. It's slamming waves,
salty sea winds, humid nights and continuously changing black sand dunes make
Parangtritis into a place of myths, mystics and meditation. Everywhere,
beaches, lakes, paths, caves and burial sites tell their own stories. Watching
over the fierce waves, the steep hills in the back, it looks like if the beach
whispers stories to you about royal meetings, meditating hermits and lost
lives.
On the beach, improvised sunshades give some protection against the burning
hot sun. Strong sucking and pushing currents make swimming a life-treathening
event on this beach. This is the domain of Ratu Kidul, the Queen of the
Southern Sea, which doesn't hesitate to make new victims for serving her
underwater court. Ratu Kidul is attracted by green-yellow colors (gadung
melati). On the beach Jawanese will never wear these clothes, it is strongly
suggested that you don't do that either when you visit these beaches.
The beach itself isn't much to be proud of for the locals here. The beach has
beautiful black sand, but it's not cleaned at all. Paper, plastic and other
junk lies scattered over the lower sand dunes. The waves regularly bring in
new wood and bamboo, washing ashore from another nearby beach probably. Some
wood is picked and taken away by locals to be used for their own house, but
the remaining debris is never cleaned. People here just wait for another layer
of sand to close it off again, or until a next freak wind takes it to a next
beach again. This doesn't make it a nice beach to walk around barefoot.
The story goes that Panembahan Senopati stayed with Ratu Kidul in the
underwater palace, and she tought him about politics and the art of love. The
unresistable goddess became his wife, just as she became with descendants of
Senopati. She is still seen as the thriving force behind the royal families of
Yogyakarta and Solo.
In Parangkusomo, one kilometer southwest of Parangtritis, is the place where
Senopati rose from the sea again, it's surrounded by a stone wall. The sultan
of Yogyakarta brings his ritual sacrifices to Ratu Kidul at this place. Many
Jawanese visit this place for help, good advice and to pray for mercy. The
best moment for a visit is a Thursday evening, especially the one before
Friday Kliwon; but you can go there always.
In many travel guides you will find a short description of the 'Black Sand
Dunes' of Parangtritis. If you buy a map of Java, you will probabl find a star
marking the spot as being a nice tourist attraction or a viewpoint. Both is
much to high of a proper rating for this containerload of sand. These
naturally formed dunes are not too large and are directly along the main road
from Yogyakarta to Parangtritis.
Kaliurang
An ideal place to escape the tremendous heat of the plateau, is the mountain
village of Kaliurang, located higher in the mountains, 24 kilometers north of
the city of Yogyakarta, or about half an hour by car. At an altitude of about
900 metres on the southern side of the Merapi, it's remarkably cool. When the
weather is clear, hard to predict any way, the view is astonishing and the
area is good for walking too.
The first, short route, leads to the Pronojiwo hill. The second ends after 2.5
kilometres at the seismologic station of Plawangan, which precisely looks at
the activity of Merapi. The third route is the most serious one, it will take
you to the crater of the vulcano, whenever it's safe enough to go there. |
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YOGYAKARTA TOUR |
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Day 1 : TRANSFER IN - YOGYAKARTA CITY - ART & CRAFT TOUR
Arrival in Yogyakarta Airport, meeting service, then transfer to Hotel . After
Lunch at local restaurant, immediately Yogyakarta City Tour, to visit "Kraton"
the magnificent palace of the Sultan, Taman Sari water castle and bird market.
Late afternoon, we drive to the rural of the villages in the south part of
Yogyakarta City to see the activities of the local people, to see their
houses, rooms, kitchens, etc. and also visit home industry of batik-making
center to see the artisans at work, the original home of Jogja’s silverware in
Kotagede, then Pucung village, the center of primitive statues from woods,
then we drive on to Kasongan village, see the art of pottery making to unique
designs, afterward Gendeng village to see shadow puppet maker at work and
Krebet village, the center of many kind of handicraft from woods in “batik”
finishing touch. Drive back to hotel in Yogyakarta City for accommodation.
Day 2 : YOGYAKARTA - BOROBUDUR TEMPLE - KETEP PASS - CEPOGO - SOLO
Breakfast at hotel, we check out hotel in the morning then transfer to Solo
with circling of Merapi volcano, include to visit Borobudur Buddhist temple.
If we’re lucky we can see the brown sugar processing near Pawon temple by
local people. Drive to Solo via Ketep Pass between Merapi & Merbabu Volcano,
include stop for observation Merapi Volcano and audiovisual cinema of Mount
Merapi activities. Afterward drive to Solo via Selo village and Boyolali
district include stop to visit Cepogo village, famous as central of cooper
home industry. Lunch and Dinner will be provided at the local restaurant.
Arrival in Solo, overnight at Hotel
Day 3 : SOLO CITY - SUKUH TEMPLE - PRAMBANAN TEMPLE - YOGYAKARTA
Breakfast at hotel, morning at 07.00 AM. depart for Sukuh Temple on the slope
of Mount Lawu to see the erotic Hindu temple from 14th.Century, that similar
with Mayan temple in Mexico. At 10.00 AM. we drive back to Yogyakarta include
visit to Solo City to see Mangkunegaran’s or Kasunanan’s Palace, Klewer batik
super market, flea market and Radya Pustaka Museum. After Lunch at local
restaurant in Solo, we drive to Yogyakarta include to visit Prambanan Hindu
temple, Sewu, Plaosan and Kalasan Budhist temple from 9th.Century. Arrival in
Yogyakarta, then transfer to Hotel .
Day 4 : TRANSFER OUT YOGYAKARTA
Breakfast at hotel. Morning free at leisure until time of departure to the
airport for the next destination.The end of services |
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Historical Buildings |
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