The Journey
This story is not pretended for professional
use, I only want to share about what I feel & what I try during my journey
with my family members. Hopefully it will be useful to all the readers or
anyone who are interested to travel to cities in Java, Indonesia. I started
traveling with airplane from Jakarta to Solo, then go back also by plane from Yogyakarta to Jakarta on mid December 2015.
First of all, I’d like to remind myself for
always bring food (rice) for the children. According to my experience after we check
in at Halim airport, at that time there is no available restaurant in waiting
room area. There is only one coffee shop chain that sells snack and beverages.
So, I and my children have to fasting for several hours. Fortunately I bring
some bread. You can’t depend on the airplane, sometimes they don’t have enough
food to sell or the budget airplane doesn’t serve meals.
Well, in my opinion traveling between cities
in East Java and Central Java nowadays is a big different compare to 8-10 years
ago. The traffic is far more crowded, traffic jam is spread anywhere, the
street also busy with the trucks, container, and big buses. It is not the same
anymore compare with the traffic at this time being to my last visit to my
mother hometown in Ponorogo, east Java from Solo, Central Java about 5 years
ago.
To have a big picture, about 5 years ago, it
took around 3 hours from Solo to Ponorogo by car, but now it takes around 4
hours to travel from Solo to Madiun, the neighbour city of Ponorogo. Madiun, is the nearest city about 24 km to
Ponorogo. Or it took about four and a half hours from Solo to Ponorogo. Our
family travelled with rental car, the routes from Solo- via Sragen-Maospati-then
Madiun City.
In Madiun, I attended my cousin wedding
ceremony. After that, my family went to my grandma and my grandpa cemetery in
around Pasar Pon area in Ponorogo, to
remember and prayed for them. It took around 30 minutes to travel from Madiun
to Ponorogo. Then we visited my grandma & my grandpa home, the historical
house for us, the son, the daughter and granddaughter & the grandson. Just
for memorizing the good times when our ancestors still alive, remembering the
childhood when I traveling there during school break time.
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The Borobudur Temple |
This journey, let say a flash back moment is
very important. It is to remind us as a human being that our existence in this
world because of the God destiny, which we are, determined to be the son, the daughter,
the grandson, the granddaughter of certain people, to live and to run the life.
Also, to remind me as a person, that live is beautiful, & the world is so
wide. To travel means to awake us that Indonesia is a very large country;
consist of hundred cities, different types of people ethnics and cultures.
Traveling is about contemplating about your life, your existence in the world.
Not only to bring happiness, but also to be a better human being in the real
life. It is to learn about how the people life, the ordinary life, the
struggle, the different profession, the various character.
Yogyakarta City
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The Traditional Dance Performance |
Our family trip continued to Yogyakarta, the
special province. It is located in the heart of Central Java. Yogya is an iconic
city, with a long history. There is “Keraton Yogyakarta” The Yogyakarta Palace, which is one of the main tourist attractions
here. The palace had the mystery from the past that is still interesting until now.
It is being preserved and the tradition still alive.
You had better get a tourist guide if
traveling around the palace complex so you can understand the history of the
palace and its people properly. If you are lucky, you can see the performance
of traditional Javanese dances in the palace that shown around 11 am -1 pm in
the afternoon. It’s really entertaining.
If you had a very short time in Yogya, you can
still try to get a “Delman”, horse
ride around Malioboro Street. It’s cost about 100 thousand rupiah for one round.
For a shorter route you may pay around 50 thousand rupiah.
Remember, when you traveling to Yogya around
school break time, at December or around June-July. Malioboro Street and its surrounding
area will be very crowded with local tourist, filled of people.
There are many batik shops in Malioboro Street.
Batik is the traditional art of Indonesia.
In Malioboro Street or Beringharjo market, there
are so many clothes or handicraft seller. But these are bargain markets, if you
are not sure with the price, it’s better to buy from the shops. Several batik
shops usually only sell the fashion things. If you have a little time, you had
better get in the Mirota shop, it’s the one stop shopping centre; there are
many choices of fashion, handicraft, etc. Batik price are very variable,
started from 10 thousand rupiah to millions. Now, the Batik shop is developing
to some boutique shops, which sell certain batik products with limited numbers
of production. The quality is ok, with the price above the average.
The Borobudur Temple
The historical temple built in around the 8th-9th
century. It is always an enjoyable moment while being there. I never feel
bored. As I remember it is the fourth times I came here. And I want to come and
come again next time. It is always being a nice moment, to see the world
miracle, imagine about the life of the people at that time, when the temple is
being built.
To think about the Andesit stones, how to bring
the stones to built the temple; imagine that people are very smart at that
time. This is makes me think deeply, that may be the golden age era has been disappeared
from the world. That we now live in the era on the way to the end of the world may
be....
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The Other Side of Borobudur Temple |
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Well to explore Borobudur temple, you need to
prepare at least 3 hours, to get around, take pictures, enjoys the moment, to
see the beautiful view, to see the mount of Merapi.
It cost about 30 thousand rupiah for adult to
get to Borobudur temple, and twelve thousand and five hundred Rupiah for kids
under 7 years. Then, to exit the temple, you should try to go by “Delman”, horse rides to the car park,
through the traditional villages. It cost about 75 thousand rupiah for one
ride. Or you may walk in to the exit route,
by foot through the handicraft shops.
Wonosobo
From Yogya, we are heading to Wonosobo, my
father’s hometown, through Magelang, via Temanggung city, to see the beautiful
scenery of Sindoro Mount and Sumbing Mount.
I really like the scenery on the way from
Jogjakarta to Wonosobo, there are numerous greenly vegetables on the right side
and on the left side along my trip. There are incredible mount views, Sindoro
Mount and Sumbing Mount.
Even though the beautiful scenery makes my eyes
pleased; some of the areas are already planted by the local resident. The plant
may be almost hit the top of the hills. Of course it became their source of
income, as a farmer. But in the other hand, there is danger behind that;
someday it could be a land slide happens.