Java Days 6-8
Surakarta, Java Man, and Prambanan
Surakarta was the next stop on our Java itinerary. It’s commonly referred to as “Solo.” “Solo” used to be called “Sala,” after the sala tree, but the Dutch couldn’t pronounce it, and “Sala” became “Solo.” I’m going to stick with Solo, just because it is shorter.
Not many people go to Solo. Even my friend who lived in nearby Yogyakarta had never been for a visit. We spent two nights there because it was a convenient stopping point on our way from Jepara to Yogyakarta and more importantly, it was close to the UNESCO site where Java Man was discovered.
We had a charming little Airbnb in an older part of town. The house was very traditional and was decorated with beautiful old family photographs. It had a gorgeous courtyard to relax in filled with pretty birds, but…it did not have hot water. Surprisingly, we weren’t too fussed about it. It was lovely and quiet and peaceful.
Until 3 am the next morning. I had booked our trip completely oblivious to the fact that we would be in Surakarta and Yogyakarta at the beginning of Ramadan. It wouldn’t have stopped me, and it ended up being one of the coolest things about the trip, but we certainly were underprepared.
At approximately 3 am, the Ramadan drummers came banging down the street to wake everyone up so they could eat before sunrise and fasting began. We knew about the morning call to prayers, but we weren’t expecting it until later and we didn’t know anything about the drumming. Honestly, I thought it was really neat. If you’d like to get a sense of what it was like, I found this little video on YouTube.
Our biggest concern was finding food during the daytime, but many restaurants are still open, although the curtains might be drawn or the windows covered by a screen. We found a very adequate coffee shop chain to have breakfast at. We were definitely the only ones there.
We spent the first part of our day in Sangiran, the archaeological site where Java Man (homo erectus) was discovered. They have built a nice big museum, but I don’t think they get a lot of visitors. Perhaps it was because of the holiday.
There was a hawker village surrounding the museum and we were easy prey. I know the economy is still reeling from the pandemic so I indulged in a few souvenirs. One of the more interesting things I picked up was a fossilized elephant vertebrae. I only realized after the fact that I might have accidentally purchased an illegal artifact, so please pray for my soul.
The funniest thing about Sangiran is the money-making scheme the local village has come up with around parking. You aren’t allowed to park anywhere near the museum, and your driver is not allowed to drop you off next to it, either. Instead, you can only alight in the middle of a huge parking lot in a field in the middle of nowhere. From there, you have to arrange a paid ride with one of the local pickup trucks or ojek taxis hanging around nearby.
You also are not “allowed” to walk back to the field from the museum. We thought we would enjoy a leisurely stroll through the village to the parking lot, and I am quite sure this was technically legal because the village was filled with little tourist shops, but the ojek drivers were very insistent that the only way we could enter the parking lot was on one of their bikes. So we negotiated a rate and accepted a ride. No big deal.
We spent the afternoon visiting the House of Danar Hadi. Danar Hadi is an Indonesian batik company based in Surakarta and they have a gorgeous museum displaying the private textile collection of the founder. You aren’t allowed to take pictures at all, so you will just have to believe me when I say that it’s breathtaking. I walked through the whole place going “oooh,” and “aaaaah,” and, “Fletcher, do NOT touch that!”
We were a little surprised to be asked to wear masks in the museum. This isn’t a problem for us, it just isn’t something we’ve been asked to do for a while. Masks are still common on airplanes and in medical facilities in Indonesia, but they haven’t been mandatory for a long time. As it turns out, the founder of Danar Hadi died of COVID during the pandemic, so it’s very understandable that the museum is still feeling shaken up about things.
There was one little room where they had a few ladies demonstrating the batik-making process. The children were allowed to handle the tools and take some pictures.
The next morning, we left Solo and headed for Yogyakarta. But first, we stopped at Prambanan. Prambanan is a 9th-century Hindu temple compound. It’s the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia and the second-largest in South East Asia after Angkor Wat. It’s very impressive.
Unlike Borobodur, you can actually walk up the stairs and inside the structures. It’s such an experience. The space inside is cool and dark and damp, and there are statues inside that you can see once your eyes have adjusted. The carvings are exquisite, and they are everywhere.
A large thunderstorm was brewing during our visit, which made everything seem even more dramatic.
The rain started to pour down just as we were leaving. Like every other tourist site in Indonesia, there was a giant labyrinthine souvenir market that you had to pass through in order to exit the complex, so we took cover inside and wandered slowly through. However, the rain showed no signs of stopping and we really didn’t fancy spending two hours soaking wet in the car for the rest of our drive to Yogyakarta.
As we were pondering our options, a vendor lady approached us with absolutely gorgeous umbrellas. They were thick silk and painted with the most lovely flowers. And what a bargain! They were only 10,000 rupiah each (a little less than a dollar). I spent an absolutely absurd amount of time picking out my favorite ones. This woman looked at me like I was insane, and once we got to the car I figured out why.
I thought she was being so nice to help us walk to the car and help the children hold the umbrellas so they wouldn’t get wet. Then she very sweetly said goodbye, and we thanked her kindly, and she snapped the umbrellas shut and walked back to the market with them.
They were not for sale. Just for rent.
Everybody had a good laugh at me about that one. Apparently, Bob knew what was up the whole time and just couldn’t figure out why I was spending so much time choosing my favorite patterns. You would think he could have figured it out and told me…
I’m still bitter. They were very pretty umbrellas and I was looking forward to having one of my own.
The rest of our drive to Yogyakarta was uneventful. I’m going to save that part of our trip for a separate post, especially because my last one about Karimunjawa was such a lengthy beast. Everyone deserves a bit of a breather, so this one will stay short and sweet. I hope you enjoy it!