A Bit of Oldies Trail in Solo & Jogjakarta

There's no choice except waiting for a long weekend to go on a trip, especially after being employed. Last May I went in a small group, my fun buddies at heart and TUMMY. Yup, a bit different from my adventurous trip, I decided to just enjoy this leisure trip, eat a lot, sightseeing, and eat again. The local foods are amazing so that we directly eat as soon as it's served (goodbye #instagram #foodporn #foodie ). The price is quite cheap too ( obviously if you compare it to the price in Jakarta ).

I'm still amazed how my friends and I talked all the way from Jakarta to Solo ( Surakarta )! ( more than 10 hours on the train,LOL ). The atmosphere in Solo and Jogja are pleasing. You will find that I wrote many words of "lovely","oldies",and "antique". I think those are suitable keywords for snapshots I posted here. Enjoy!

Lovely signage with Javanese writing found on the way to Triwindu Antique Market, Solo 

"Wayang", Indonesian traditional puppet as the decoration at the front building of Triwindu Antique Market

A vintage typewriter. Wish I could have one :) 

Do you remember seeing these TVs in your younger years ?  

A rickshaw rider who kindly posed for me at the alley of Kauman Batik village

Windows wall.
( Sorry for blurry pict, I also regret not checking thoroughly at that time ) :(

Es Dawet, a traditional drink of Indonesian.
It's made from rice powder & pandan leaves, served with palm sugar 

Spinach noodle with chicken mince at Mie Gajah Mas 

A steam train for tourists rides across the street in Solo ( Surakarta ) city 

Happy passengers on the steam train 

Waiting for our train to Jogjakarta at Purwosari Station, Solo 

The train from Jogja to Solo is pretty comfy. It takes just an hour,making it a nice day trip. Unfortunately, the ticket back to Solo was sold out. Plus, I screwed up by leaving my identity card at the hotel. It was used for a guarantee. I have a spare one, but I forgot to bring it :')  

Then, we rent a car along with three new friends we met at the station. They are so friendly to share the recommended dining place in Solo. After all, it turns out to be a laughable moment now, haha.

The ruins of underground mosque, Taman Sari, Jogjakarta 

The beautiful underground mosque at Taman Sari 

 A random graffiti along the way to the ruins of underground mosque

Despite the hot weather, it was fun visiting these two cities. Thanks so much to my friends : Vinca, Vina, Mike and Rendy for being a nice companion on this trip! Things I'm gonna miss the most are definitely the moments and FOOD! 

A Good Lunch at Indische Koffie Jogjakarta

Visiting a modern cafe isn't really in my priority list when wandering off at this cultural city. However, a random act out of the list doesn't hurt, right? After all, I am a type of rule-breaker though. 

It was a hot sunny day and we arrived at Vrederburg Fort just about lunch time. This cafe will be seen on the right side as soon as you pass through the front gate. Such a nice place to see when you were on an-empty-stomach-and-overheated mood, so my friend and I decided to stop by.

Indische Koffie turns out to be a great place to dine in. Its interior is the typical style of Dutch colonial architecture in Indonesia with blue-grey and brown color dominating the building. Furnished with nicely designed lamp and furniture, not to mention the paintings and old photographs on the wall, this cafe gives the classic and elegant impression.

Nice Interior of Indische Koffie 

The cafe has a quite big space for indoor and outdoor. I prefer staying inside with the dim sunlight and artificial lamp illuminating the room. Calm and chilly. Perhaps it's because of the weather, haha.

The serving is quite slow, but it's okay for me personally since I have enough time to see around the cafe. It offers the traditional and western menus. We ordered Tahu Guling, Teh Tarik, pasta, Cream Soup, Orange Punch, and Lime Squash.

I had a nicely plated Tahu Guling. Its broth has savory taste of peanuts sauce with fresh sour flavour of vinegar and citrus.The Tahu (Tofu) is fried slightly, giving a crispy skin texture. The addition of fried onion makes the final touch to its rich flavors. 

Traditional & Western Cuisine in one frame:
Tahu Guling vs Aglio E Olio
Both are yummy!

Orange Punch

Overall, the foods are tasty. Plus, the price isn't as expensive as we expected ( of course, it's a habit to compare to Jakarta's standard ). The soothing oldies songs with "Keroncong" ( Javanese music) style will make you enjoy to stay for a bit longer. A good ambience for drawing, reading or writing. Surely worth to visit!

Snapshots around Central Java

A quick glance to some moments during the trip around Central Java ( Semarang, Jogjakarta, and Karimun Jawa ) . Enjoy it !

Happy "Becak" Riding ! 

The Silence inside Underground Mosque of Taman Sari, Jogjakarta

Feeling Blue

A Gloomy Afternoon in the Beach  

The Beginning of The Day in Karimun Jawa 

See You Tomorrow, Sunshine! 

Old and Beautiful

Backside of Underground Mosque of Taman Sari

Can't resist to take a picture of myself too with the building, lol

The Graceful Steps in Prambanan

Coming to Central Java is not complete without visiting Prambanan Temple. Located in Jogjakarta, the center of Javanese culture and its exotic art, Prambanan Temple is the biggest Hindu Temple site in Indonesia.

My friends and I arrived in the afternoon. Prambanan Temple was full of visitors, just like always. I started walking around and looking for a nice spot to wait for the sunset. Beautiful pictures of Prambanan Temple are everywhere to be found, but I couldn't keep my urge to portray its glory in the midst of golden light.

After posing together with the temple, we left for having dinner, preparing an extra energy for the night show. Yup, we were back to the temple to watch the Ramayana Ballet. It was adapted from a Hindu epic poem and mixed with Javanese music and cultural style. We were on the right side of the stage. There was just some viewers below my seat, so I sneaked until close enough to the stage ( all I've got back then and until now are a lens kit 18-55 mm and a tripod. And that was a large stage, hiks ).  

It began with Sinta, the wife of Prince Rama, was abducted by giant Rahwana because of her beauty and she was believed as the reincarnation of Rahwana's former lover. Rama saved her wife with the help from Hanoman, the white monkey. The dance was slowly getting intense till the climax of story, showing Hanoman succeeded burning Rahwana's kingdom and Rama won the fight against Rahwana.

Silhouette of A Temple

The Beautiful Sinta 

Prince Rama received the help from Hanoman, White Monkey 

Sugriwa, The Monkey King, joined Hanoman for the rescue
  

The Action of Hanoman

Hanoman burnt down Rahwana's Kingdom 

Rama sent his brother Laksmana for the fight against Rahwana

Rahwana beat the monkey troops with his mighty power
( this is my favourite scene )

Rama's beating down on of Rahwana's alliance.

It was a massive performance on an open air theatre with more than 200 crews total and Prambanan Temple as the background. It was quite windy that night but the heat on the stage made me didn't feel cold at all ! And I still can rewind the graceful steps of the dancers in my mind.

*taken on August 2012, copyright: Dian Permatasari

 please kindly insert the credit or relink to this blog for reposting the pictures

Between Worship and Tourism

Worship places nowadays are known not only for praying activities but also for the tourism destinations. Supported by gorgeous buildings, they are surely interesting to be visited, especially for the architecture lovers ( like me, btw ) . I got a chance to visit two famous worship places during the trip around Semarang city ( Central Java ) , The Great Mosque of Central Java and Sam Poo kong Temple.

It was a lovely day when my photography club friends and I woke up early to chase the morning view at The Great Mosque. It is the biggest one in Central Java. Established in 2001, the building's designed with the mixture of Javanese, Arabic, and Roman architectural style. There are six large hydraulic umbrellas in front of the mosque. The yard is surrounded by 'Colosseum-style' pillars and decorated with Arabian calligraphy. Another attraction is a 99-metres -high tower named Al Husna that provides a museum, cafe, and viewing tower.

Agung Mosque 

Beautiful Architecture of Agung Mosque

Pretty curve of 'Colosseum Style' Mosque Pillars

Al Husna Tower 

Luckily, on the last day of our club's trip schedule, we got a half day of free time . Most members spent it leisurely in the city mall. Meanwhile, two of my friends and I decided to visit Sam Poo Kong Temple. We thought it's gonna be such a waste to miss this place since we could find a mall in any city. We took a public transport ( angkot ) there in the midst of sunny day. Yeah, Semarang city's so hot.

Sam Poo Kong Temple is the oldest Chinese temple in Semarang. It was first established by Chinese explorer, Admiral Zheng He ( Cheng Ho ) . Sam Poo Kong temple complex has five temples : Sam Poo Kong, Tho Hee Kong, Kyai Juru Mudi,Kyai Jangkar, and Cundrik Bumi Temple. There are also stone carvings on the wall illustrating the journey of Admiral Cheng Ho.

The Complex of Sam Poo Kong Temple 

The temple is full of beautiful carving

One of the Altar Inside Temple

The Front Gate 

The Stone Carving of Admiral Cheng Ho's Journey

The Statue of Admiral Cheng Ho 

Both mosque and temple buildings are so beautiful. Just try to see the differences with an open mind and heart, and you can always find the good in them. Despite what religion you believe in, you will feel one thing for sure, filled in every worship places, The Serenity.

*taken on August 2012, copyright: Dian Permatasari

 please kindly insert the credit for reposting