Solo 2

This morning I want to visit the "Kraton Surakarta" or Surakarta Palace, but before that, have my breakfast. I get my becak driver to take me to Soto Gading which was recommended to me by Retno. I get there and sit down on a long bench and promptly a bowl of steaming soto ayem is placed on my table without me ordering. It appears every one is here for the soto and so there is no need to be specific about your order.

I ask around the table and I am told of course I can eat the many other types of food laid out on the table. There are tahu, telor masak (black in color), buntut ayem, hati ayem, spring rolls, etc. I am thinking " let's play safe and refrain from eating these".

The Soto is a combination of rice and vermicelli in a bowl of chicken soup or broth. There is also the spring onion, fried onion and shreds of chicken meat. It tastes really nice (homely, heart warming) with some sambal and lime I added into it.It's a small bowl of food and I also have my kopi hitam cap kapal api. It's just nice for breakfast, I like it.

It costs me only RP9,500 or about US$1.10.

This sign on the wall says "No urination here except dogs"

Solo 1

This bubur has so many ingredients inside - keropok (2 types), kacang, shreds of chicken meat, special sauces and spring onion.

Today 1/5/12 I awake feeling pretty good and not "cabet" as the Indonesians would say. I do not feel as bad as my old body was telling me yesterday. I put this down to the foot reflexology session and a good night sleep. Had I continued the ascent up Mt Merapi I am sure I would be in a bad shape. That's another story....

After a breakfast of Bubur Ayam Khas Jakarata + kopi hitam cap kapal api with becak driver Tomo at this warung recommended by him we proceed to "KRATON" or the palace of the Yogja Sultan for my final tourist thing to do before leaving for Solo by train.

Just at the warung facing North we look up and see my old friend Mt Merapi "smoking" at the summit.... Tomo says it is abu dari Gunung Merapi.

Entrance to the Kraton or Palace. It is flanked by 2 statues (guards) which are Hindu statutes and the Sultan is a Muslim so it says a lot about the Javanese culture.

One display area inside the Kraton area are some aged old gamelan music instruments. My guide tells me they are 500 years old.

The "anak cucu" of one of the Kraton staff is at the Kraton this morning. He is only about 3+ years old. He is the clear favorite of all the tourists there and so many of them want to have their pictures taken with him because he is so cute. He's dressed in full Javanese dress code.

The emblem and logo of the Yogja Sultanate:

- In the center the huruf Java says H.B. being the sirname of the Sultan

- The sayap (wings) has 8 signifies the 8th Sultan

- The Mahkota (Crown) signifies kekuatan (power or strength)

- The two telinga (ears) by the Crown signify kebijakan (wisdom)

These are all pretty good stories to tell in an official looking royal emblem.

 This is the current Sultan's living quarters inside the Kraton and obviously we cannot go there.

A nice looking reception area built in Dutch architecture. The orang Belanda used to colonize Indonesia.

This symbol of a mask with dragon or snake (I forgot) signifies the Javanese calendar. Each has a meaning of numbers like the creature is 9 or something but I forgot because I did not write it down. The Javanese have their own calendar much like the Chinese do.

 Some artifacts of importance.

The 9th Sultan when he was young. He was an important figure in Javanese history because he was a man of wisdom, political savvy, and power. He is well loved and respected by his "rakyat". He was pronounced a Pahlawan of Indonesia and a past Wakil of Presiden Indonesia. He also served as a Minister for Defence, Finance, Economy and Industry. 

The current Sultan, the 10th, is one of his sons.

What I found out from the guide that Yogyakarta or Yogja, Jogja, Jogjakarta is a city in the Yogyakarta Special Region (Daerah Istimewa). It is renowned as a centre of classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry, and puppet shows. Yogyakarta was the Indonesian capital during the Indonesian National Revolution (armed conflict between Indonesia and the Dutch Empire) from 1945 to 1949.

The Sultan's batik collection.

Yogja 3 - Mt Merapi (Mountain of Fire)

The night before our attempt to ascend Mt Merapi there was widespread rain and lightning. At 1am 30/4 we start our ascent to Mt Merapi from our village at about 1500m AMSL. Me, Phil from England, Damien + Naomi (French couple who live in Singapore) + two guides. We walk for 2 km and I am left behind by the group because I could not continue due mainly to my fitness. My guide Zoko stay with me all the time to make sure of my safety.

It is very dark and I could not see my steps. It is very steep and the ground is slippery due to the rain . I am tired. I stop many times to catch my breadth, often after only 20 steps or so. After conferring with Zoko I decide to descend because there is another 7km to track up to the punchak (at about 2930m AMSL) and there is no point to prolong my struggle up the mountain and then later, down the mountain; even if I can make it up. 

View of the village from where I started the descent. I know I can't see it at all but I want something I can remember of the moment of my descent at 2.40am.

Instead, Zoko takes me to the east side of Mt Merapi to view the sunrise. I am glad I have the chance to experience the moment.

Impending sunrise at about 5.40am. Following photos are when the sun has risen above the horizon. What beautiful colors. The experience is very vivid and I am thankful I can live through this experience. It is, quite a moving experience for me to see a simple sunrise in a rural environment; away frm everybody I know .....

The village scenes:

Looking at the Mt Merapi peak from the lossmen.

Another view of the peak.

A typical home cottage.

This is where we started the ascent.

The village main street view.

This is about 1.5km from where we started the ascent.

View of the steeped ascent from New Selo which is about 1.5km from the losmen. The mountain ahead is not Mt Merapi but Mt Merbabu opposite Mt Merapi. Please note Mt Merbabu is not an active volcano. Zoko calls it "dia tidur".

Typical vegetable plantations.

The warung next to the losmen