Holiday is full of sweet in 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.