Wonderland Indonesia (Part 3): Yogyakarta's Royal, Colonial, and Cultural Treasures

- April 5-6, 2023, Wednesday to Thursday.

- Yogyakarta is a charming city with so many things to see and do. I feels a bit rural, so the vibe is a lot chiller compared to the highly-urbanized Jakarta. Yogyakarta has a lot of history to its name. Apart from its long royal history from pre-colonial to colonial Indonesia, it was also the capital of Indonesia from 1945 to 1948 during the Indonesian National Revolution (War of Independence). Because of these, Yogyakarta has a lot of offer beyond being the base of visiting Borobudur and Prambanan.

- I started my Wednesday with a trip to the Royal Palace of Yogyakarta (Kraton). It has been continuously used since the mid-1700s. Of course, the actual part of the palace complex where the current sultan lives is off-limits to visitors. A palace-hired guide is also necessary to go around the palace complex. On certain occasions, gamelan and dance performances, as well as wayang kulit puppet performances, are done in the palace. However, since I went during Ramadan when people had to be more reflective, all performances were cancelled for the month. (They would resume after Ramadan.)  

Gamelan in the palace, also, my wonderful guide!

Donopratoro gate to the living quarters.

Gazebo inside the palace.

The sultan's living quarters that visitors aren't allowed to enter for obvious reasons.

Wedding palanquin.

This pavilion has both Indonesian and western influences.

A mix of Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic motifs.

Main pavilion.

Royal ceremonial attires.

- I rode a Gojek motorcycle from the palace complex to another intriguing historical site in Yogyakarta: the Water Castle or Taman Sari. It is a network of buildings used for the pleasure of the sultan in the 1700s. The main bathing complex is the most well preserved, while the other buildings had seen better days and would need a bit of a walk from the bathing complex to reach.

Water Castle.

Sultan's room.

From the second floor.

This is what's left of the Kenongo Building. It used to be an artificial island, but the man-made lake has been drained and is not a small village.

This used to be an underwater tunnel. Without the water, it's just now an underground tunnel.

At the viewing area of the Taman Sari gate.

- I later visited the Sonobudoyo Museum. It opened in 1935 and has one of the most comprehensive collections of Javanese cultural artifacts apart from the National Museum in Jakarta. It is also the perfect place to hide from the heat because of the museum's powerful air conditioning system. The museum also has a new wing with a more modern look.

With a Buto Abang (Red Giant), a raksasa that likes to kidnap naughty children.

The museum.

Javanese batik.

Replica of Balinese architecture.

Human puppets (well, as mannequins).

Making wayang kulit.

- From Sonobudoyo Museum, I walked closer to the city center and went to Fort Vredeburg. It was a Dutch Fort built in the 1700s. It now stands across the presidential palace in Yogyakarta. Since the 1990s, the fort functions mainly as an Indonesian history museum. It has galleries with dioramas of key points in Indonesia's history, focusing on colonial rule and the fight for independence.

Fort Vredeburg entrance.

Dioramas in one of the galleries.

A glimpse of the fort's walls.

It sort of looks like a park in between galleries.

- I walked around Jalan Malioboro after my visit to Fort Vredeburg, and had lunch along the way. Later that day I met my friend Ummul, whom I haven't seen in almost 10 years! And just to squeeze in some more social life, I met Sheryl again and her husband, Adolf. I wasn't able to talk to them much during the couchsurfing get together so it was nice to have a more intimate meet-up.

Ummul gave me some salak, or snake fruit. It was so kind of her to do that, since I asked her before where in Yogyakarta I could find this local fruit. It wasn't in season so it was difficult to find, but Ummul was able to give me sweet juicy ones still! 

Thank you for meeting me Ummul!

I told Ummul that the peacock on the wall matched her dress' colors.

Met Sheryl and Adolf later that evenng! We had a good long chat!

Tried to eat as much of the salak after returning to the hotel. It's called snake fruit or snakeskin fruit because of the snake-like scales on their skin. Each salak most likely has three lobes, each with a seed. The taste is like a jackfruit but not as sweet. I love it, too bad we don't have it in the Philippines! 

- On my last half day in Yogyakarta, I took some time to have a last strut around Malioboro before riding the train to the airport for my flight back to Jakarta. For a final surprise, I saw a performance of Hanuman and Sinta (at least I think it was?) along the walkway from the train station to the airport.

Train to airport.

Random performance.

Saw this airplane-themed play place inside the airport. I like it!

- "You'll be back," said Sheryl during our dinner. "Yogyakarta has some kind of magnet. You'll be back for sure." She continued. Perhaps she's right. Yogyakarta has an enigmatic aura that makes people comfortable. For me, maybe because of the history, maybe because of the convenience of where my hotel was, or maybe because I knew some people in Yogyakarta. Whatever the reason is, it was difficult to part with Yogyakarta. I might be back some day, who knows, but surely I was glad I finally had the chance to visit it at least once!!

- Don't forget to check out my other adventures in Indonesia this trip!!

Part 1 (Jakarta - Kota Tua and MONAS area): here

Part 2 (Yogyakarta - Borobudur and Prambanan): here

Part 4 (Jakarta - Glodok, Taman Mini): here