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!

Can't Stop Swaying at Java Jazz Festival 2015

The celebration of Java Jazz Festival 2015 brought Jakarta to life on March 6-8. It was held at Jakarta International Expo Kemayoran. I got the chance to come for two days (unfortunately not on the Special Show day, which was Jessie J's peformance! ). This annual event never fails to amaze me. As a fan of jazz, I've truly enjoyed every single moment there. Great performances,lighting, and atmosphere! We swinged and swayed along the jazzy tunes and applauded vigorously. 

Personally, the show I love the most is by Chris Botti! His playing is really intriguing,soft, and romantic. We stood during his last song, gave a big and long standing ovation. Wanting for more, we shouted for the encore. He replied with a final song "Hallelujah". Though I'm not a Christian, I know and love this legendary song. A perfect piece for ending the show. 

These are perhaps some OK pictures I got during the festival. This year I decided to not snap a lot and just enjoy the performance. The joy and essence of music are much more better when you feel it through your own sense. 

Overall, the music are beyond words!

3 Diva on The Opening Show

Chris Botti on his first day performance

The One and Only Chris Botti playing Hallelujah for the encore 

Kenny Lattimore 

Michael Lington feat. Kenny Lattimore 

Michael Lington 

LIVE" (or not so live, since you watch it through the gadget)  performance 

Glenn Fredly with Yamaha Music Project 

Marcell Siahaan with Yamaha Music Project 

WEEKEND’S ESCAPING TIME : MOUNT PAPANDAYAN

“The first experience is not always sweet, but surely memorable.”

Well, it refers to my mount climbing trip on last September. Mount Papandayan was chosen as it is a ‘friendly’ one to the first timer like us. Besides, it is easy to reach from Jakarta and doesn’t cost much.

The cold night wind stroke our faces as we went out from the bus. It was around 12 a.m on Saturday at that time. Some stalls were still open though the visitors were only in a few. We went there to rest for a while. A glass of warm and sweet tea would be a good starter, we thought.

More climbers arrived. We joined them for renting a vehicle so it was cheaper. We rode a car named Kolbak. It was overloaded with passengers that I couldn’t even move at all after sitting. Then, we switched to a pick up after reaching the gateway. It was a hell of ride on the damaged road in the midst of dark and freezing 2 a.m air. Our pick-up even went backwards twice! Half an hour later we relieved a deep sigh at Camp David, the climbing starting post. We met a lovely couple, kak Fariz and Ayu, and agreed for being a neighbor tent-mate later at the top camp site. The awful ride was soon forgotten after playing guitar and singing with another group near the campfire.

The Crater of Papandayan

We left at dawn after repacking all the stuffs. Not far from the starting point, we stopped by to enjoy the moment when the early light of the sun was rising. The road was rocky and full of pebble but easy to walk. The trip to the crater was supposed to be short, but we spent lots of time to make pictures and leisuring. Later we smelled the sting smell of sulfur and reached the crater. It was releasing the thin smoke when we passed through. Then, we decided to having the breakfast while enjoying the view.

On the way to the crater 

A climber amongst the rocky path beside the crater. Gosh, looking at this, suddenly a thought came by,
"Who are you, to be such an arrogant fool in this big vast world?"
I am reminded how small the human is compared to the universe, His creation.

Just keep walking!

The sulfur smoke from the crater 

The Second Checkpoint

The track to the second post varies from wide to pathway, rocky to sandy, flat, uphill and sometimes steep. The views are more picturesque too and greener than the crater. The wind was chill on that nice day, but we sweat a lot. We stopped several times when the backpack and tent felt heavier than we could handle. We passed a small stream of river and queued at the steep pathway too. Then, we reached the second post and reported for camping at Pondok Saladah.

We continued our trip to the camp and built our first tent with the help of our neighbor tent-mate! It was fun! We were excited like children. Haha. The camp was so crowded at the weekend. Well, I expected quieter surroundings, actually.

A picture before continuing to second post, hehe

Not a kind of my everyday's view while eating breakfast, how nice it is !

Not far after passing the crater, the view started to look more greener.

An uphill pathway 

A sign at the second post. We camped at Pondok Saladah. 

The Death Forest and Tegal Alun

We took a nap after lunch and then left to The Death Forest. The dark, dry and dead trees made  an enchanting scenery when we strolled amongst them. Continuing our climb, there was a big challenge just before Tegal Alun, called Tanjakan Abang. It's a long steep and the most tiring one as far as we went through. Supporting each other with other fellow climbers, we finally made it and Voila! the wide Edelweiss field welcomed us. It was so beautiful that I hardly resist the temptation to pick them. I could say this place marked our final accomplish as we were too tired to see the sunrise the next day.

The death forest 

The death forest 

Tegal Alun Edelweiss Field 

 Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Bless Our Homeland Forever

A fallen edelweiss on the ground.

It was almost dark when we reached our tent at Pondok Salada. The campfires started to be seen all over the place. We cooked and ate together with our new friends beside the campfire. Then, I just laying down inside my sleeping bag, staying silent and listening to the music from my cell phone. There was no signal so it was like being isolated with the outside world for two days, forgetting the hustle and bustle of Jakarta’s crowd. Unfortunately, the camp was busy until morning and it was freaking cold, so I hardly slept.

Our campfire 

Despite the awful ride, harsh temperature, and noisy atmosphere at the camp, it was so fun. We are looking forward to another climb. Hmm, what mount do you think should be next?

Here is the trip details:

• Jakarta to Garut Terminal by Primajasa from Cililitan Terminal ( one way ) = Rp 42.000
• Garut Terminal to Papandayan Gateway using Kolbak ( one way ) = Rp 15.000/ person
• Gateway to Camp David using pick-up ( one way )  = Rp 20.000/person
• First checkpoint is at Camp David
• You have to reconfirm if you are going to camp at the second post
• When you were back, make sure to bring all your own garbage, or you can’t leave the post
• Bring a masker or towel and make it wet if you can’t hold the sting smell of sulfur when passing the crater
• I was surprised I couldn’t find any insect at all so I think the insect repellent might not be a-must-bring-list
• If you prefer the quiet atmosphere at the camp, come on weekdays.

Mount Papandayan , 2665 m

Kecamatan Cisurupan, Kabupaten Garut, West Java

Indonesia