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Published: September 17th 2008
This weekend we went to Yogyakarta and stayed with the families of two of our coworkers. Yogya has the undisputed reputation as the cultural center of the island, where Javanese traditions flourish. Not only is it a major hub for silverwork, Wayang puppetry, Batik, and traditional dance; but it is also a place where the Javanese language, both spoken and written, is practiced regularly. The curling Javanese script can be found throughout the city, marking streets and neighborhoods.
Yogya is also known as the “student city”, as it has many universities and students from throughout Indonesia choose to move to Yogya for their studies. The city certainly caters to the younger generation, and we passed countless coffee houses and Internet cafes within moments of arrival. Another thing I instantly observed about the city was the massive amount of graffiti. Multicolored paintings covered crumbling walls and shop fronts; most of it was quite detailed. Yogya is much more accessible that Semarang in terms of geography and many of its shops and restaurants are located in the bustling center surrounding the Kraton, or palace of the sultan.
Technically, Yogyakarta is not a part of Central Java, but rather its own special
region, or sultanate. Aside from Solo, it is the last place in Indonesia governed by a royal family. Though always very independent, Yogya was officially granted this special status after Indonesia gained its independence from the Dutch. During the colonial occupation, Yogya was a strong center of resistance, and the Sultan assisted the rebels; allowing many of them to hide behind the walls of the Kraton.
We arrived late Friday night at the home of our friend’s family. They live outside the city in the quiet village of Pleret. It was already late, but we had a glass of ginger tea and got to meet the family dogs. They have two adorable puppies. When we left, her family actually offered to give me one. They were even about to put it in a box for me (though I don’t know how I would have carried it on a motorbike). Unfortunately, I think Craig and I are gone too often to own a pet (besides our goldfish), but it still took all of my willpower to say no.
Pleret is very near the epicenter of the massive 2006 earthquake that measured 6.3 and claimed the lives of over
Carving
Yogyakarta6000 people. Though the metropolitan area of Yogya recovered quickly, the smaller villages have had a much harder time rebuilding, and even today there are still crumbled ruins of houses dotting the landscape. Even in Yogya, it is still common to spot massive cracks in the walls and floors of buildings as a reminder of the quake’s ferocity.
Around 1628, Pleret was home to a kingdom. Our friends told us they were Buddhist, and ruled for 200 years. As our coworker gave us a tour of her property, she pointed out large carved stones that had risen to the surface, probably once part of a temple. She said there were likely many more ruins still hidden beneath the ground. As we were walking around admiring the stones, one of her older neighbors wandered out to see what was going on. Apparently he saw our interest and mistook us for foreign archaeologists!
One of the most interesting things she showed us were two large, flat stones located on different sides of the property. The ancient Javanese kingdoms used elephants for labor and transportation. When the animal died, its head was cut off and buried under one of
the stones, and its body buried under another.
After breakfast, we all piled onto a horse-drawn cart, one of the traditional modes of transportation. Our first stop was Kota Gede, the heart of the silver-making industry. We went to a place where we could watch the jewelry being made, and observe each step of the process. The detail that went into the products was amazing; the workers were weaving tiny threads of silver into ornate patterns. The majority of the jewelry is destined for export, predominantly to Europe. Most of what we observed being made was earrings and pendants, delicate flowers and butterflies. However, the most amazing was a tiny, ornate set of silver furniture for a dollhouse, a special order from the Netherlands. The man who made it told us it had taken him two weeks, and he had designed the entire thing himself on a scrap of paper.
Afterwards we headed to the Kraton. According to the guidebook, some 25,000 people live within the walls of the compound. I cannot verify this, as the inner ring was closed and we only saw a small portion of the massive palace. We mostly wandered around the courtyard, which
was very quiet and peaceful. Dotting the grounds were colorful roosters in large cages. We were told they are a symbol for the Sultan and his prosperity. Some of this prosperity refers to his ability to have many wives (though the Sultan today only has one).
I was told that it is still customary for Javanese men to have more than one wife. This really shocked me, as I figured this custom was a thing of the past. Though technically discouraged, it is not explicitly prohibited, and our friends told us this practice was still fairly common! It is, however, illegal for government employees, a law that was established by the wife of first President Soekarno.
Yogya is a great shopping destination, and we got in our fair share. One thing I have observed in the last few weeks is that the Indonesian culture is alive and well. That is to say, their traditions have not simply become something to sell to tourists, and are still an important part of daily life. Interestingly enough, I saw very few foreigners shopping in Yogya. Rather than being packed with tour groups, even the larger, fixed-price stores were full of Indonesians,
buying ornaments, batik, dishes, paintings, and souvenirs.
Since it is very expensive for Indonesians to leave the country, there is quite a bit of domestic tourism. However, it is still interesting to find that traditional arts are still a very healthy part of daily life. Batik clothing, once only common in the older generations, has become very popular and “in-style” among the young.
Another example was the Wayang puppet performance we went to that evening. The show lasted an epic eight hours, running from 8:30 pm to 4:30 am. The entire thing is in Javanese, and unfortunately for us we were there for the very slow beginning. Apparently, some time around 1 am there is an epic battle of ferocious puppet armies. However, the most movement we saw was the figures waving their arms, as they had an extremely long discussion about the fate of the war in lilting Javanese. Still, it was really interesting to see, and quite a crowd had gathered. Our friend said many would stay the entire night, sleeping and eating for the boring parts and waking up for the battles.
Puppetry is mostly appreciated by the older generations, but it is still
often incorporated into life events. Families that can afford it will often hire puppets to put on a performance to celebrate birthdays, circumcisions, weddings, etc.
Before the performance we went to a nearby park with three of our friends. Since it is the fasting month of Ramadan many people were lighting off fireworks. We tried “wedang rande”, a type of spicy traditional drink, served hot with pieces of rice, bread, and ginger in the mix. The park, located outside the Kraton, is dominated by two giant trees. According to legend, if you are able to walk, blindfolded, from the edge of the park between the two trees your wish will be granted. We all gave it a try (with one person running ahead to usher groups of people out of the walker’s way) though none of us made it! There were actually many others trying as well, so it was hysterical to watch groups of blindfolded people staggering around like zombies.
For our second evening we moved to another coworker’s house, located much closer to the city center. She lives in a beautiful neighborhood, in a house that belongs to her grandmother. It is now inhabited by three
generations of women, and has mango trees in the front yard.
On Sunday we headed back to Semarang via Prambanan and Solo. The bus journey from Solo was absolutely stunning, passing coffee plantations with huge mountains in the distance. Apparently, coffee comprises a whopping 80% of Indonesia’s exports. Our friends laughed when we explained to them the American phrase “a cup of Java”. Also worth noting: for the first time on the bus I saw a duo of female musicians. They were both shy teens carrying guitars and dressed in spunky punk clothing.
The weekend was a whirlwind but we had a great time and really appreciate the hospitality of our friends and their families. Yogya has an incredible amount to offer, and I feel as though I only got a small taste. Thankfully, it is only three hours from Semarang, so hopefully we will be back soon.
PS. Photo Update: The Internet is still slow and it takes me a long time to upload photos. I will try to add some later, even after I have published each blog. So check back occasionally!
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