Yogyakarta Voucher Hotel

Batik, silverware, leather goods... HEIDI MUNAN visits Jogjakarta and is captivated by its many crafts

These workers are protected from inhaling dust and chemical fumes

IN Java, wearing fine batik has been the prerogative of the high and mighty for as long as anybody can remember. The best artists were employed by the courts and they had no other work but to produce masterpieces for the noble families.

Indonesia, one of the densely populated areas of the world is really a place of attraction for travelers. Enriched with copious tourist places and exciting adventures, Indonesia is certain to deliver the joyful nature of traveling. It is this unique nature which invites people from all over the world. To spend time in Indonesia will definitely be a memorable event for travelers. Its rich source of tourism combined with nature's beauty entertains

The Indonesian Pavilion attracted 20,000 visitors at the opening day on May 1.

If Phileas Fogg and Passepartout need 80 days to travel the globe in Verne's classic Around the World in 80 Days to win £20,270 (US$30,000), we need less than that and less traveling once we are inside the World Expo 2010 Shanghai, China.

Located on a 5.28-square-kilometer plot of land, the 53rd expo features dozens of pavilions from 189 participating countries – after three countries withdrew from the event at the last minute – as well as 50 international organizations.

Semarang is progressing fast and developing into a leading business city, although floods caused by heavy rain and high tides affect some parts of the city.

Semarang is the country's third largest business city after Jakarta and Surabaya. It became a business city during colonial times after the establishment of Dutch trading company Verenigde Oost-Indie Compagnie (VOC) in 1705. Previously, the Dutch business center was in Jepara, Central Java.

The Dutch built Vijhoek fort and a connecting street, called Heeren Straat, which is now Jl. Letjen Soeprapto. One of the gates of the fort is at Berok Bridge, which was formerly called De Zuider Por.

A team of archeologists from the Yogyakarta Archeological Center have reportedly found three wooden houses, believed to be part of a village from the 9th century Ancient Mataram Kingdom.

The excavation, located in Liyangan, Purbasari subdistrict, Ngadirejo, Temanggung, was conducted from April 14-20 by a team comprising researchers Baskoro Daru Tjahjono, Sugeng Riyanto and Heri Priswanto with the assistance of Mujiono and Didik Santosa.

"One of the houses is still intact, one is partially-intact and the other is severely damaged," Baskoro told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He added his team believed the houses were made of wood because they all had turned to charcoal possibly due to the eruption of Mt. Sindoro in the 9th century.

The extremely high temperature from the eruption turned the wooden houses into charcoal before they were buried by time.

He said the find, thanks to sand miners who first spotted the objects, was considered spectacular because it was the first time such a find had been made in Indonesia.

The team's belief that the houses came from the 9th century, according to Baskoro, was supported by the fact that a temple had also been found in the same site in 2008.

"The sand miners here were aware of the importance of ancient buildings. That's why they are extremely careful when they find stone constructions," he said.

"Yet, when they found charcoals, they had no idea they were part of important ancient constructions so they kept on digging," said Baskoro, explaining why one of the houses had been severely damaged when the team arrived on the site.

Sugeng Riyanto said that being reduced to charcoal had made the houses more resistant to aging.

He added the team also found a bronze Rukam script written in ancient Javanese letters not far from the site.

Other findings at the site include Tang Dynasty ceramics and earthenware lamps.

Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Temanggung, Central Java

It's just after sunset in the back streets of Yogyakarta. There are a dozen or so bule standing about awkwardly in front of a small, dark building. Various taxis and motorbikes deliver them from the labyrinth of adjoining side streets.

They are meeting in front of Milas restaurant in the Prawirotaman area for dinner. Milas is where your hungry bohemian, culturally sensitive travellers die and go to heaven, but are then reincarnated because that's way hipper.

It is a very bamboo vegetarian eatery, which uses locally grown organic produce. And the kicker: Profits go to projects which aim to help local street kids. But tonight there's a sign on the door. It says that in 2009 they are closed, for tonight only. "The one night of the year we come," says a companion.

Luckily in Yogyakarta there are plenty of dining opportunities, of various qualities, usually within walking distance of wherever you may find yourself in the city. Not far from Milas we walk to Via Via, an interesting concept for a restaurant.

Owned by some enterprising Belgian travellers, it runs tours, courses and holds art exhibitions. It also offers a world menu as well as a specialised Indonesian selection, which is different for each day of the week. Tonight, tong seng is on the menu and my plate. A subtle mix of lamb, cabbage, spices and rice, it is highly recommended.

We are here because it is one of our companion's birthdays. He decided that a restaurant was the best way to celebrate, after an incident on his birthday last year while staying in a village in Sumatra.

Not knowing anyone, he decided to throw himself a party, not letting a lack of company stop him from singing, dancing and being stupidly happy. Unknown to him at the time, his birthday also happened to be the day Soeharto died.

"I was driven out by the local Soeharto supporters, who didn't understand why I was celebrating, that's why I'm in Yogya now," he jokes.

For lunch the next day we stop by at FM caf* on Jl Sosrowijayan, a happening street off the main road, Jl Malioboro. The caf* is sleepy during the day and we are the only customers. The menu includes lots of Western dishes.

"Let's see how they do pizza," a friend says.

So we all order a small pizza each. Quite some time later the waiter brings out three of our pizzas. Knowing that in Indonesia food for groups arriving at the same time is rare, we tuck in, but the girls at the table are still waiting by the time we finish.

They cancel their pizzas, which are soft and doughy anyway. My friend later insists that she was getting served last because she was a woman. Maybe, I say, could've been a jam in the kitchen, though. She doesn't find it funny.

Still hungry, the girls go looking for food only to hit the jackpot. Wandering the streets is a woman serving satay from atop her head. The girls place their order. The woman, never faltering, reaches up to the top of her head and brings down the food - the only way to serve to satay.

The next night we decide to go and see some reggae at Bintang Cafe. With little time to eat, we decide to go to a small food stall on the way to the bar. Like in other parts of Indonesia, a good bowl of fried noodles from a stall is a gamble.

While some make the dish themselves, many others, this one included, make it from the packets you find in supermarkets. Yogyakarta may be the cultural capital of Indonesia, but the reach of mass-produced packet food is simply too great. Luckily when we arrive at Bintang Caf*, the crowd is young and the reggae is perfect. Atmosphere you can only find in Yogyakarta, not in a packet.

Kyle Taylor, THE JAKARTA POST, YOGYAKARTA

The people with ready smile, becak, the palace, and one-bite size pie bakpia flashed in my mind when I was thinking about Yogyakarta. So, I decided to spend this semester break in the laid-back atmosphere but exotic place.

Together with my parents we started the holiday by visiting my grandfather in Wonosobo, a couple of hours driving in the outskirt of Yogyakarta. The family house is at the hill top and we have to drive circling round the hill to get there.

The view out of the car window was stunning with villages, rice terraces, big trees and the mountains at a distance lining up along the road.

My father had to return to Jakarta for work, so I and my mother took the Prameks train from Kutoarjo station to Tugu station in Yogyakarta.

We stayed at a relative, a retired couple who are still busy running their own business. Pakde Gegeng drove us to place, while Bude Sri, a wonderful cook, treated us local cuisines such as the spicy tempeh plenyet and scrambled tofu.

It was a holiday, but I couldn't ignore my studies. I went to the Gadjah Mada University, the biggest and oldest one in Yogyakarta, and made some search at the Archeology's library and laboratory to get research materials for my undergraduate thesis.

The archeology students were so helpful. They were not only helping me to find some books and research reports relevant to my thesis subject, they gave me a small tour.

My new friends Wiwit, Sari and Inu showed me around the town, the art and cultures Sonobudoyo Museum, the bustling Malioboro Street, the sultanate palace Keraton and the amazing park Taman Pintar.

The museum is located in front of the Keraton. It is filled with Yogyakarta's history, dated ages back. In Malioboro, I went to the Mirota Batik where I bought some souvenirs for friends back home.

We ate lotek for lunch that looks like salad with peanut sauce. It was similar with gado-gado, a specialty in Jakarta, but with bakwan (critters of vegetables) and noodles.

Full with food we continued walking to Taman Pintar, a playground for kids to play and learn. The park is located behind the heritage Vrederburg fortress. In the entrance there was a monument with the picture of the mythical Garuda picture on top and a scripture beneath that reads: "A big nation is one that respects its leaders and heroes".

The toys are very interactive, playful, and educated. There are monuments of presidents, mazes, pulley, and satellite dish speakers for the visitors to play with.

On the next day, my mother and I visited Taman Sari that used to be part of the ancient kingdom ruling in most part of the country. It was used as a bathing place for kings and the nobles, later on as meditation or religion worship place, small batik industry, military training ground and for other purposes throughout the history.

Taman Sari nowadays is a beautiful tourism destination for both domestic and international tourists. The architecture style is an eclectic influence of Hindu, Buddha, Java, Islam, China, Portuguese and Europe, making it one of the province's most prestigious heritage sites.

I had already enough feast for the eyes, but Yogyakarta has more in store to satisfy my taste buds.

Before we left for Jakarta, my mother and I bought some of its specialty snacks, such as bakpia, peanut bars ting-ting, geplak and other sweets. Indeed, most of Yogyakarta's food is sweet. I guess that the people has sweet tooth just as their hospitality.

Prita Nur Aini Student of University of Indonesia.

TheJakartaPost

Semarang is progressing fast and developing into a leading business city, although floods caused by heavy rain and high tides affect some parts of the city.

Semarang is the country's third largest business city after Jakarta and Surabaya. It became a business city during colonial times after the establishment of Dutch trading company Verenigde Oost-Indie Compagnie (VOC) in 1705. Previously, the Dutch business center was in Jepara, Central Java.

The Dutch built Vijhoek fort and a connecting street, called Heeren Straat, which is now Jl. Letjen Soeprapto. One of the gates of the fort is at Berok Bridge, which was formerly called De Zuider Por.

Semarang grew into a business city starting from the fort as its center point. The fort area was called Oudestad van Samarang or the Old City of Semarang and was often called Little Netherlands. The whole area was the city's administration and business center with a number of residential areas that were divided into areas and streets, particularly for Arabs (Pekojan) and Chinese (Pecinan).

After three decades, the Old City is now relatively deserted. The reason is that most of the area is often flooded. The business center gradually moved southward to higher ground. Jl. Mataram turned into one of the city's business centers. Pekojan, where Arabs used to live, is now a residential area for many Chinese-Indonesians.

Business centers in Semarang have now spread all over the city, including to Simpang Lima, which was once a quiet area. Today there are three malls here: Matahari Plaza, Ciputra Mall and Ramayana Mall.

Jl Pandanaran, which is close by, has turned into a snack center. Here modern shops sell bandeng presto (grilled milkfish), wingko babat (coconut and sugar snack), lunpia (shrimp and bamboo snack) as well as many other Indonesian snacks.

Meanwhile, Johar Market, the largest traditional market in Central Java, is a reliable business center in the heart of the city with thousands of large and small vendors.

Chinatown or Pecinan has been preserved and has 10 temples that are actively visited by worshippers. Since the reform era, Chinese culture and traditions have once again flourished. In Semarang, Chinese New Year is celebrated with a fair, namely the two-day Pasar Imlek Semawis prior to Chinese New Year. In Semarang's Chinatown, traditional Chinese drugstores are always crowded with customers.

In Pecinan is Warung Semawis, a food stall selling both Chinese and Javanese food and snacks, such as pork satay, hot mung bean soup, lunpia, fried noodles, fried rice and much more. It is open only on Friday and Saturday evenings. There is a stage where visitors can sing. Food prices here are very reasonable even by local standards.

The night fair, called Jie Kao Mee in the Chinese language, and later the Imlek Semawis Fair has been held since 2004. "The fair has been modified with a modern touch to attract the younger generation as well," said Ong Gwan Djien alias Dharmadi.

The fair sees performances of Chinese, Javanese and even Arabic culture and traditions.

The old temples are also worth a visit, such as Kwan Im Ting (established in 1476) in Gang Belakang, Sioe Hok Bio (1753) in Gang Baru, Tek Hay Bio (1756) in Gang Gambiran, Tay Kak Sie (1771) in Gang Lombok, Tong Pek Bio (1782) in Gang Pinggir, Hoo Hok Bio (1792) in Gang Mangkok, Wie Wie Kiong (1814) in Kampong Sebandaran, Kong Tik Soe (1845) in the Tay Kak Sie complex, Liong Hok Bio (1866) in Gang Besen and See Hoo Kiong (1881) in Sebandaran. Gang means alley in English.

The temple manager will gladly answer any questions related to the Khonghucu, Tao and Buddhist temples. One of the best temples is Tay Kak Sie, which is the largest in Chinatown. It has three large statues of Buddha and a number of small statuettes of Buddha, while there are numerous statues of gods in the other room.

If you want to see Southeast Asia's largest temple then visit Sam Po Kong at Gedung Batu, Simongan, Semarang, which is about five kilometers from Simpang Lima in the heart of the city. Here one can enter the temple complex, but has to pray in the main temple to see the ornamental relic of the trip taken by Adm. Cheng Ho around the world.

When you have finished your tour of Semarang's Chinatown, you can visit the Old City, which is 31 hectares in area. Here you will find 50 buildings built during Dutch times. One of the oldest buildings is the historical Immanuel Church, locally called Gereja Blenduk, which is more than two centuries old and located on Jl. Letjen Suprapto. Just opposite the church is the Murba Building. Most of the buildings are still standing strong. Some are unoccupied, while some have been turned into offices, warehouses or restaurants.

The Semarang city administration is attempting to revive the Old City and make it a tourist destination. Srigunting Park, near the church, has been renovated and the street repaved. Foreign tourists, especially from the Netherlands, often visit the Old City. It seems that Little Netherlands is quite an attraction for them.

"It is a pity that we have not been able to solve the flood problem there. However, the Old City remains one of the city's best tourist destinations, said the marketing head of the Semarang Cultural and Tourism Office.

Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang

Massive waves failed to discourage tourists in Yogyakarta and Bali from flocking to popular beaches Saturday.The long weekend has contributed to an increased number of domestic and foreign tourists visiting Bandung, Bali and Yogyakarta. In Bali, thousands of tourists visited popular Kuta beach trying to get a glance at the giant waves, forcing Water Tourism Safety Agency workers to repeatedly request people to remain a safe distance from the water, Antara news agency reported.

The giant waves caused widespread panic among tourists relaxing on the island's beaches Friday, and destroyed small houses on the Kedongan and Jimbaran beaches.

Austrian tourist Manfred Jelovcan was continuing his holiday at Parangtritis beach in Yogyakarta despite reports of massive waves devastating southern coastal areas in Java, Bali and Sumatra. ""We love the sea so we take every chance we have to go to Parangtritis beach,"" Jelovcan, who lives in Semarang, said Saturday.

On Saturday more than 800 people flocked to Parangtritis beach, a large jump from the average of 500 visitors. However, according to Hadi, a ticket seller at the beach, there were not as many visitors as during other public holidays.

""If there had not been reports of massive waves, the number of visitors might have increased by four times the usual number. These massive waves are an annual phenomenon and there is no need for such fear,"" he said Saturday.

Meanwhile, due to the public holiday, most hotels in Yogyakarta are fully booked.

Melia Purosani hotel's public relations officer, Diyah Fatmawati, said 250 of the hotel's 280 rooms were in use, with the remaining rooms still being repaired following the May 27 earthquake last year.

""All of the 250 rooms were fully booked from Thursday until Sunday,"" she said.

Hyatt Yogyakarta hotel was also experiencing steady business due to the long weekend. A member of the hotel's marketing team, Christoporus Yunanto, said the hotel's 260 rooms were fully booked, with 60 percent of the guests being domestic visitors and 40 percent foreign visitors.

""Yogyakarta's tourism industry has now recovered and many foreign visitors, such as Malaysians, are spending their holidays here,"" he said.

The operator of Saptapari travel agency, Fauzan, said Yogyakarta has become a popular place to hold business meetings and family gatherings.

He said the massive waves had not affected tourism in Yogyakarta. ""Yogyakarta is immune to such things. A month after the earthquake last year and Mount Merapi's eruption, tourists started returning here. As long as there are no security or terrorism issues, people will continue to visit Yogyakarta,"" Fauzan said.

The long weekend has also resulted in train company PT Kereta Api Indonesia having an increase in business. With many tourists returning to Jakarta from Yogyakarta, all tickets for economy and executive trains are sold out until Sunday.

In Bandung, hundreds of hotel rooms were booked by guests who reserved rooms well in advance.

""Three-star hotels in our company have been fully booked since Thursday and most guests are staying until Sunday,"" Dadang, a member of the management team at a popular hotel, told Antara on Saturday, adding that most guests were visiting from Jakarta.

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Yogyakarta