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| wood carving of the Sultan's seal |
For
Christmas break I spent five nights in Yogyakarta (pronounced ‘Jogjakarta’ and
called ‘Yogya’ for short). This city of about 700,000 is the heart and soul of
Java, the place where its traditions, culture and arts are most alive today. I
was indeed very fortunate to have the guide services of Purwana (Mr. Luna), who
is Javan, and a tireless student of Javan culture and language. Among his many talents, Mr. Luna will randomly sing selections by the Bee Gees and Abba
for his clients at no additional charge.*
But I
digress. Yogya is still ruled by a sultan, who lives in the kraton, a small walled city/compound
built in the mid-18th century, with its own cottage industries, the
sultan’s palace, official buildings and a museum. About 1000 of its residents
are employed by the sultan; I was told that service is considered an honor and
without pay. You see the men dressed in sarongs of the sultan’s batik with
headscarves and often a kris or short
ceremonial dagger sheathed at their backs.
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| Sultan's gamelan musician-note puppets in background |
The
Golden Pavilion in the center of the kraton
features a beautiful carved wooden roof, chandeliers, and marble floor. It is the
site of puppet shows, classical dance and gamelan music almost daily.
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| Ceiling detail, Golden Pavilion |
There’s
also a square with two ancient banyan trees where people traditionally waited to petition
the sultan for favors. Nearby, you can see the remains of an amazing pleasure park
of pools, waterways, rooms and terraces called by its Dutch name, waterkasteel or water castle. It was once used
by the sultan and his entourage as a retreat for pleasure and dalliances. My Lonely Planet
says that legend has the Dutch architect executed to preserve the secrecy of
the pleasure rooms and their access.
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| Entrance to the Water Castle |
Not all
of Yogya is ancient. The main drag that runs through the city, JI Malioboro, is
a lively scene of food stalls, stores, and batik shops. After attending a classical
dance performance, Mr. Luna, his brother and I had a fried fish dinner sitting
cross-legged on mats in a warung on
Malioboro. It was quite a scene – lots of hawkers, bad street music and
performances by “lady-men” dancing to Lady Gaga, all wandering from stall to
stall. Here’s the weird thing: everyone gives the performers money. Maybe it’s
to go away, but they get donations. Harvard Square was never this easy.
Also in
town are some great batik factories where the art and tradition of real batik
lives on. And then there's theYogya bird market --- definitely worth a stop if you’re in need
of a pair of lovebirds or fighting cock or trained pigeon.
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| Batik fabric |
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| Colored chicks in the bird market |
Finally,
about 5 km from town is Kota Gede, the hub of Yogya’s traditional silver
industry since the 1930’s. Good shopping and high quality goods specializing in
filigree, all done on site. No, of course I didn’t forget Cheryl.
Where
to stay: I broke up my time by staying at two properties, both highly
recommended. First the Hyatt, which is lush, expansive and boasts great views
of Merapi http://yogyakarta.regency.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-yogyakarta-regency/index.jsp?null. Then, The Phoenix, a lovely deco hotel and Trip Advisor top pick near
downtown http://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-5451-the-phoenix-hotel-yogyakarta-mgallery-collection/index.shtml. Both hotels are a terrific value.
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| Classical dancer at performance for Sultan 12/27/12 |
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Coming up next: Joys of Yogya
(part 2):
Around Yogyakarta, including Merapi Volcano, Borobudur (Buddhist temple site)
and Prambanan (Hindu temple site). Come back soon, okay?
* Singing guides seem to follow me around the world. In Jaipur,
one of our guides sang traditional music from Rajasthan to entertain us. During our tour one of his fans accosted us on the street and pressed our man into
singing a song for Diwali. He did not refuse. See photo at bottom right of: http://www.workingwithenglish.com/contact_us.html
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