Stop Twelve, Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia - 2/07/2015 to 6/07/2015 & 9/07/2015 to 14/07/2015
(Written by Her)
(Written by Her)
A Concise History!
Java is the 13th largest island in the world and the most densely populated island on the planet crammed with 143 million residents! Java has a long and colourful history, starting with its Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms from the 8th to the 15th century (leaving a legacy of temples including Prambanan and Borobudur, more on these coming up). In the 16th century Islam swept the island and remains the dominant religion in Java to this day. In the 18th Century, Java was invaded by the Dutch who colonised the island and are responsible for much of the architectural heritage in Yogyakarta. In the 19th century Java briefly came under British rule during which time the renowned Sir Stamford Raffles (founder of Singapore) was appointed Governor before the country was returned to the Dutch. In 1998, Java became independent of the Dutch and subsequently joined the country of Indonesia (although we're not entirely convinced that they wanted to).
| Yogyakarta Yogyakarta, or JogJa for short is a vibrant, happening place with a population the size of Ireland the city has the second highest population density on the Island. Once the capital of the Indonesian Republic for a short 4 year revolution, Jogja is now considered the centre of education and culture in Java. No surprise, we headed here first! Java is very different from other countries in S.E. Asia, it has a bit of an edge about it. It’s not necessarily that the city is unsafe but it is covered in graffiti and the people are less "groomed" than other cities. I think Java's edge is its charm, its what makes Jogja an interesting city to walk around. Overall we spent a fantastic 8 days in Jogja which was plenty of time to soak up the local scene. |  |
Maliboro Street
Jalan Maliboro (not named after the cigarettes) is the main drag. Stretching for 2km we walked the entire thing on more than one occasion. Maliboro is the best place to shop and to people watch and is the centre of life in Jogja. It’s an easy street to stroll along because you really don’t get hassled in Jogja, no one seems to care if you want to buy their wares or not. It was a stark and refreshing change from Bali! JL. Maliboro is lined with colourful Dutch colonial buildings and filled with funky street sculptures.
On Mailboro street, Javanese becaks (human powered 2 person cyclos) park one behind the other at both sides of the street, calling lazily to each potential customer walking by 'becak Sir?' Accompanying them are lines of Andongs (traditional horse and carts), today only to be found in Yogyakarta and Solo. Both becaks and andongs are dying out as a means of regular transport but are still used by tourists. We of course tried both forms of transport but naturally neither can be used for any great distance so we found it easier to walk (even in 36C heat).
The Royal Palace
The Kraton, Jogja’s Royal Palace, is at the centre of Jogja city and still houses the King and his family. A Small portion of the Kraton is open to the public and advertised as Jogja’s main tourist attraction, so we obliged. There wasn’t much to see if I’m being honest. The interior of the Kraton had a series of courtyards, each with some small exhibits. There is also a lack of information for visitors, consciously so according to some royal cynics.
Taman Sari
Beside the Kraton is Taman Sari, home to the bathing pools of the 18th century King. The water baths have been rebuilt for visitors and they really are lovely to walk around. We were assigned a free guide (as is customary with the main city sites) upon entering and he was excellent. The two central pools in Taman Sari were for the wives and children of the King. Overlooking the pools was a tall tower from which the King could observe the activity below and choose a mate to ‘honeymoon’ with. The chosen wife would be handed a flower and led to the Kings private pool. Apparently, some Kings had up to 47 wives and quite a few more children!
| Javanese Food Restaurants in Jogja are not plentiful, even on Jn Maliboro. The norm is to book a taxi to take you to a specific restaurant and afterwards the restaurant will call the taxi back to drop you home. It was a new system for us but we soon started seeking out restaurant recommendations and travelling up to 25 minutes to eat in the evenings. Interestingly, the taxi regulations have also adapted to this system by introducing a minimum fare per trip to make sure they are properly compensated for dropping passengers around the city. Street food is also well represented in Jogja. Outside our hotel there was plenty of satay, BBQ pork and coconut rice to try. The hygiene standards, although they sometimes looked questionable, were certainly higher than other places we’ve visited (i.e. parts of Vietnam and Cambodia). |  |
Sonobudoyo Museum
Jogja’s best museum, Sonobudoyo, houses Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic artifacts from history. On our visit, we were met by an enthusiastic young girl working for the museum and offered to be our guide. Sensing her boredom with the empty museum we were happy to accept. Without her, the museum would have been quite dry, she made the visit much more enjoyable. She answered our many questions about Java and let us in on some local secrets.
 | In particular she spoke to us about the limitations placed on her by Islam. She herself is a muslim but she choses not to wear a hijab – claiming that her relationship with God is a private one and not the business of everyone else. However, due to her personal decisions she was bullied at school and judged negatively by older generations. She suggested that there is an assumption that girls who wear hijabs are good and virtuous but that’s not always the case. Instead, it's like a mask, hiding someone’s ugly behaviour. Because she works for the city of Jogja (in the museum), she has to wear long sleeves and skirts below the knee. She said it's difficult because she can’t dress how she likes. Furthermore, the Islamic rules mean that traditional Javanese costumes (such as wedding dresses) can no longer be worn by the younger generations because girls cannot show their shoulders. |
In Java, a man must have five things to demonstrate his success; a house, a wife, money, a form of transport even if it’s a bicycle and a bird. As a result, pet birds are incredibly common in Java. We spotted numerous locals carrying their birds around in cages, hanging them outside their shops or sitting them on the back of motorbikes as they drive around the city. The sound of birds singing is supposed to sooth and calm any household, therefore eradicating tension and negativity…I wonder if turtles do the same??
Ramayana Ballet
 | The story of Ramayana from the Hindu Mahabharata is hugely important in Java. It’s essentially a love story complete with deities, Kings and magic dating from 500 AD. In fact, Yogyakarta is named after a city in the Ramayana. One of the most popular tourist attractions in Central Java is the Ramayana Ballet. Our hotel was next door to the best outdoor amphitheater hosting the ballet so of course we bought tickets for an evening performance. |
| About 50 people from countries all over the world were seated with us in the sheltered amphitheater. The dance was not a ballet in the western sense, without a plié or jump in sight. Instead, the cast were dressed in elaborate costumes and moved very slowly with precise movements. The performance was accompanied by a live Gamelan orchestra and lasted just under 2 hours. Overall a great night out – check out the short video. | |
Shopping in Yogyakarta
| After a jaunt around the rest of Java we arrived back in Jogja less than a week after visiting Prambanan. Our final days were dedicated to shopping and relaxing! Jogja has really cheap and unusual souvenirs for those who are willing to search through cheap key rings and magnets to find the hidden gems. In fact, Batik in Java was designated as a UNESCO masterpiece of human heritage so it is no surprise that Batik is found everywhere in Yogyakarta, genuine and not so genuine. It's made using wax which is carefully applied to fabric in traditional and artistic patterns before the material is dyed. We picked up a couple of pieces avoiding the scammers...hopefully?!  |  |
Prambanan Temple Complex
After a few days in Jogja, we hired a taxi to take us to Prambanan, a world famous Hindu temple dedicated to the God Shiva. Taxi’s in Jogja are not quite the same as Bali, the cars are less sophisticated, the drivers don’t have a word of English and air-conditioning is non-existent. As we drove along the motorway to Prambanan I opened my window a little to get some air. All I was generating was a warm breeze which carried exhaust fumes from the voluminous traffic outside. The air in Java is noticeably polluted, particularly on roads filled with trucks and beat up old buses emitting clouds of black exhaust fumes. Luckily the drive was just under an hour and we arrived at Prambanan thankful to get out of the car, right up until we were faced with an extortionate entrance fee of 450k rupiah (€30.00).
 | The site at Prambanan is a UNESCO world heritage site and one of the largest temple complexes in S.E. Asia hosting one main temple (shiva) and a host of smaller temples dotted around a one acre site. Originally there were 240 separate temples standing in Prambanan. Unfortunately, Yogyakarta was struck by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in 2006 which killed almost 6,000 people and destroyed the majority of the Prambanan site. The government are making an effort to rebuild the knocked temples but it will take years to correctly replace the hundreds of blocks that fell. The remnants of cracked and fallen stones lie in piles untouched on the site surrounding the remaining temples – some are visible in our photos. |
The Shiva temple is the largest and most holy structure in the complex, standing 47 metres high. Adorning the walls outside the Shiva temple are carvings depicting the story of Ramayana (yes, the same as the ballet). Inside the temple is a shrine housing a three metre high Shiva statue. Himself scaled the largest Shiva temple and took some pictures of the inner chamber. I climbed the steps of the smaller sister temple, Candi Nandi and walked around the gallery with great views of Shiva temple and the courtyard complex.
Before we left Prambanan we were greeted by an eager salesman with copies of a book about the temple complex. Initially we had no intention of buying but he was a nice guy so we bought a copy. He insisted on taking some photos of the two of us together, taking my camera and positioning himself ever so carefully to get the right angle!! Once the pictures were taken he bounded up to us, chuffed as you like and wanted us to review his handy work. Lovely guy. Next stop Solo...
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