Sunday, 11 Feb 2024
In the morning, we had breakfast at the hotel before going out. I noticed there was a selection of gudeg too in the breakfast buffet. (refer to yesterday’s dinner)
Today is another day of sightseeing. The plan was to visit the following:
- Visit Kraton (palace)
- Visit Taman Sari Water Castle
- Lunch at Bale Ayu
- Visit Taman Hobbit
- Visit Pantai Parangtritis
Our first stop of the day was the Kraton. It is the Javanese term for palace. The kraton is the official residence of Sultan Hamengkubuwono, the ruler and governor of Yogyakarta. Yogyakarta is the only province in Indonesia with the status “special region”. The current sultanate was formed in 1755 but the ruling family’s history predates that by centuries. The history of the sultanate is long and intricate. In recent times, the sultanate provided unwavering support during the Indonesia war of independence (1945 – 1949) and was granted the special status with the Sultan able to keep his ceremonial title.
Determined not to repeat the mistake at Borobudur, we took a formal guide offered by the Kraton. The guide was ibu Sri Puji, a certified expert in the history of the Kraton and Jogja. She is also one of the Abdi Dalem of the Kraton. Abdi Dalem are the official retinues of the Sultan.
There were 2 parts to the Kraton. The public areas, and the private residence. The tour covers the public areas which has a small museum and the halls where cultural ceremonies take place.
There was also a section showcasing the marriage of Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Bendara (5th daughter of current Sultan) with Yudanegara in 2011. It was very interesting to read about the royal ceremony and to see the traditional costumes.
After the Kraton, we went to Taman Sari. It was just a short ride as it was just next to the Kraton.
Just like the Kraton, we took another guide at Taman Sari. Our guide, Pak Agus, is also a member of the Abdi Dalem and has deep knowledge of Taman Sari, Kraton and the history of Jawa. He also explained to us passionately about Prambanan, Borobudur, and the Mataram Sultanate.
Taman Sari was built in 1765 and was meant as a garden and retreat palace for the royal family. I was amazed with how beautiful the place was, especially given that it was built in 1765!
After visiting the 2 palaces, we were famished. Pak Puji took us for a scrumptious meal at Bale Ayu. The deep fried gurami fish, crunchy squid with hot rice was exactly what we needed.
From Bale Ayu, we headed south. The plan for the afternoon is to visit Pantai Parangtritis, with a short detour at Hobbit Park.
I was intrigued to hear of Hobbit Park. Turns out its a recreational park located slightly on the highlands with a cool weather. The walk along the park towards the Hobbit house was pleasant. It reminds me of the feeling being in Genting Highlands back in Malaysia.
We continued driving south from Taman Hobbit for another 45 minutes until we reached Pantai Parangtritis. Located at the southern most part Yogyakarta province, it is a famous destination for local holiday-goers. Given it’s a Sunday, the place was full with locals enjoying the beach. We had a stroll at the beach and observed the many beachy activities.
I spotted Kopi Paris, a cafe nearby the beach and we went there for teatime. It was refreshing to find a place serving espresso coffee after a long hectic day.
From Kopi Paris, we headed back to the city. The drive back to the city took about 1 hour. I enjoyed the evening scenery as we drove by the villages.
In the evening, as all of us were quite tired, we decided to have dinner at the hotel. I managed to go to the gym for a quick workout.
For dinner, I ordered the famous Indo Mee. Much to my surprise, it was really tasty!
We took lots of photos and videos throughout the day. Check out the summary video below for day 3 and day 4 of our trip in Jogja.
Imran Jaafar 