THE INDONESIAN NATURE TOUR

Compared to Prambanan and Borobudur Temples, Ratu-Boko Temple is as well known as both of them. Ratu-Boko Temple or Ratu-Boko Palace, which is situated on a hill, however, hides some tourism potentiality, which both Borobudur and Prambanan don't have. Trekking as a hidden potentiality has now started attracting tourists.
The beautiful scenery and the unspoiled nature in the area have made trekking a new selling adventure. The beauty and natural potentiality for trekking tours has inspired the management of Borobudur, Prambanan & Ratu-Boko to make Ratu-Boko area an impressive cultural adventure site. The effort has come to materialize with the cultural and trekking tour package.
The highlight on this unforgetable tour is the tremendous silk sunrise viewed from Tugel Hill over the colorful of beauty rice field. We don't try to be all things to all people, we only operate in Jogja and we only operate our own unique, quirky style of trips. So right now by visiting this webpage, you are literally holding our world in your hands.
The trek starts from Kraton Ratu-Boko's headquarter at 03:00 pm and return home again at 09:00 am. Having traced the hills of Ratu-Boko up to Gunung Tugel (or Gunung Pegat), the participants can, if the weather is fine, enjoy sunrise while having a rest. The trekking trip is then continued to the nearest temple like Candi Ijo. You may spend the night on your tents, cottages, or if you like, you can stay in the locals' house appointed by us. On the way back to Ratu-Boko, breakfast will be served in the small bamboo hut, on top of the hill, viewing towering active volcanos of Sumbing, Sindoro, Merapi and Lawu. Those taking part in the trekking can also have breakfast while enjoying the ambience of the countryside.
English-speaking guide, light traditional breakfast and mineral water included. Minimum participant to run the tour is 2 pax. We also prepare luxury tent for those who want to camp overnight at our quiet backyard before starting the tour. Here you can watch superb and fantastic sunset and the lava flows from Mt. Merapi.

Yogyakarta Toponym, Tracing the History of Kampongs Naming
Some kampongs in Yogyakarta are unique because of their similar naming process. Some kampongs are named based on the profession of most of the dwellers, kinship and position, the skill of the inhabitants or the name of the troops. The kampongs are especially those around Kingdom area that are divided into two namely Jeron Beteng or those living inside the area of the Kingdom complex and Jaban Beteng for those living outside of the Kingdom area.
The kampongs inside the Kingdom area were mostly named based on the skill of the people most of them served the kingdom to handle the household daily affairs. Walking to the east of the North Square and turning to the right to enter Plengkung Wijilan or Wijilan Gate, you will see Mantrigawen, Gamelan, Namburan, and Siliran kampongs. If you continue walking southwards, you will come to Nagan and Patehan kampongs.
The name of Mantrigawen denotes the position of the officers who worked as the heads of the employees, while the name of Gamelan was taken from the profession of the dwellers that worked as horseshoe makers. Siliran was the dwelling place for the servants whose job was lighting lamps and Namburan was dwelled by the servants whose job were playing traditional snare drum. Patehan was the home for tea makers while Nagan was the residence for Javanese gamelan players.
In the outside of the Kingdom area, you will see other kampongs where kingdom servants working as administrative officers, soldiers, craftsmen, professionals or other noblemen lived. Some kampongs according to YogYES.COM's data are Pajeksan, Jlagran, Dagen, Gandekan, Gowongan, Wirobrajan, Patangpuluhan, Prawirotaman, Mantrijeron and Bugisan. To encircle the areas, you may begin from north side to the south part since the distribution of the kampongs began from Tugu to Panggung Krapyak.
The name Pajeksan was taken since the area was dwelled by prosecutors or jaksa, while Dagen was used because the place was the living place of carpenters or dagi in Javanese word. Gowongan was the home of the house builders and Jlagran was resided by bricklayers. Other kampongs such as Prawirotaman, Mantrijeron, Bugisan, Wirobrajan, Patangpuluhan and Jogokaryan were the places where the soldiers of Prawirotomo, Mantrijero, Wirobrojo, Bugis, Patangpuluh and Jogokoryo troops lived.
Along with the progress and plurality of the inhabitants in Yogyakarta, starting from 1900s other kampongs outside the Kingdom area existed. Generally, the kampongs were divided based on its ethnic so that they were named based on the dominating ethic. Some kampongs that you may visit are Kranggan, Pecinan, Sayidan, Menduran, Loji Kecil, Kotabaru, and Sagan. In addition to functioning as dwelling places, those areas also become centers of economy activities.
Kranggan kampong that is located north of Tugu and Pecinan that is situated to the south of Malioboro used to be dwelled by Chinese people. Sayidan kampong is a place for Arabians while Menduran was the living place of Madurese people. European descendants who mostly were Dutch people lived in Loji Kecil area that is located close to Vredeburg Fortress, Kotabaru in the northeast of Malioboro and Sagan that is close to Solo Street.
Feeling the atmosphere of the kampongs or spending a while to interact with the inhabitants, you will find more about the history of the kampongs naming and the condition of Yogyakarta in the past. You may wonder that some kampongs do not show suitability with their names. However, the changes shall make the kampongs more interesting to visit.
Prawirotaman kampong, for example, is not the dwelling place for the kingdom soldiers anymore; it functions as a tourism area where people open lodgings or souvenir shops. Sayidan kampong becomes more popular as the activity center for street musicians. Kranggan still has its enchantment with its traditional market and the area around Siliran is crowded with murals on the walls.
The traces of the past triumph in those kampongs are still noticeable. Loji Kecil and Kotabaru areas have buildings with Indies nuance as the evidence that those are places for Europeans. Some shops in Pecinan (now it is named Ahmad Yani Street) are still in operation so that they become witnesses of the triumph of Chinese merchants in the past. The kampongs inside the Kingdom area preserve Javanese typical buildings where the kingdom servants are living now.
Those kampongs are located close one to each other so that they can be reached by pedicab or bicycle. You can enjoy riding the pedicab and the romanticism of pedaling bicycle going along those kampongs.

There are different names for Yogyakarta. Senior citizens call it Ngayogyakarta; people from East Java and Central Java name it Yogya or Yoja. Yogya is called Jogja in the slogan of Jogja Never Ending Asia. Recently, there is another name: Djokdja. All of the names refer to the same city. How could those various names for one city appear?
There are at least 3 development periods to be explained. The name Ngayogyakarta existed in 1755 when Mangkubumi Prince whose title was Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono I founded the Kingdom of Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat. The kingdom that was built on the Bering Forest area was a realization of Giyanti Agreement done with Pakubuwono III from Surakarta.
It is unclear when the name Yogyakarta first existed, whether it is a contraction of the name Ngayogyakarto or because of other reasons. However, the name of Yogyakarta has been used formally since the independence of Indonesia. When it became the capital of Indonesia in 1949, this student city had been called Yogyakarta. Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX also used the name of Yogyakarta when he announced that this kingdom is part of Indonesian Republic.
Some other names such as Yogja, Jogja, Jogya and Yogya came afterwards. The variations may exist from different pronunciation of people from different parts of Indonesia. Interestingly, people will refer to the same area when they hear those different names.
For business purpose, the name of Jogja becomes more popular and it is used in the slogan Jogja Never Ending Asia. The slogan is intended to build the image of Yogyakarta as a tourism city having great natural and culture enchantments. The reason to choose the name 'Jogja' is that the pronunciation of the word is relatively easy for most people, including foreigners. Some institutions once replaced Yogyakarta with Jogjakarta.
YogYES.COM uses the name Djokdja in Tour de Djokdja rubric. This name was used during the Dutch colonial time. The proof was the presence of a hotel named Grand Hotel de Djokdja at the north end of Malioboro Street by that time. Now, the hotel is still in operation but the name changes to Inna Garuda. The name of 'Djokdja' is chosen to give an impression of an old city and to invite the readers to fill with nostalgia.
With various spellings and pronunciations, Yogyakarta is the only city with many variations of name. Jakarta only has one variation: Jayakarta, while Bali does not have any other name. Other tourism cities in the world such as Bangkok, Singapore, Cartagena, or Venice do not seem to have variations; neither metropolitan cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and London.Now, you do not have to be confused when you find someone writing the name of Yogyakarta city as the way he spells it. When you browse in the Internet to find out more about this city, you would better use the name Yogyakarta as it is the most commonly used in writing. The second commonly used name is Jogja.

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For the Newcomer of the sport or for the younger members of the family, our 460 meters Track is an excellent place to start, with a range of Karts available for rental. Children from 4 years up wards can ride as passenggers in the 2 (two) seat Karts. Our staff will be happy to offer advice on which Kart will best suit your needs.
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Wediombo Beach, Fishing from the Coral Hill
The imagination of very wide, white-sand beach that enables you to see different angles of the beach will rise when you hear the mention of Wediombo (wedi=sand, ombo=wide) Beach. Nonetheless, Wediombo Beach actually does not have such wide spread of sands. The west and east parts of the beach are planked by coral hills so that the spread of the sands is not as wide as the one in Parangtritis, Glagah, and possibly Kuta beaches.
In fact, local people tell that the name of this beach that was given by the predecessors does not represent the real situation. Some people say that more appropriate name for this beach is Teluk Ombo (The Wide Bay), since the beach looks like a wide bay. There are two flanking coral hills with the seawater protrudes to the land but it is wider that common bays.
Apart from the inappropriate name, however, Wediombo still provides extraordinary beach view. The seawater looks clear blue; it is different from other beaches of which seawater looks greenish resulted from water pollution. The white sands with ornaments of the seashells are maintained well. The atmosphere of the beach is quiet so that it becomes the right place to get out of noisiness.
Wediombo is located in Jepitu village of Girisubo Sub-District in Gunung Kidul Regency. If you have come to Siung Beach, you will easily reach this beach. You only have to get back to a T-junction in Tepus before the road leading to Siung Beach, then turn right following the road until you get to a sign board asking you to turn right to get to Wediombo.
The location of this beach is far lower that the surrounding lands. You have to get down by the stairs in order to reach the beach and enjoy the panorama. While descending the stairs, you will be able to see the field, houses and mangrove vegetation on your left and right sides. Some people are seen carrying herbs for their cattle or taking care of the cattle in its stall.
In addition to the enchanting coastal panorama, Wediombo offers a unique tour experience, if not an extreme one, namely fishing from the height of the coral cliff. This kind of tour originating from the fishing habit of local people is popular with fishing hobbyists from Yogyakarta and Wonogiri. The main objective is, according to local people to YogYES, to catch big fish.
It is not easy to reach the fishing location at the top of the coral cliff. We have to walk eastwards through the shore; climbing steep and slippery cliff and sometimes the waves will hit us before arriving at the cliff that directly faces the deep ocean. For those who have been familiar with the route, it will take them one-hour walk.
The difficult way to the cliff, however, is paid well. Big fish are sometimes caught by the hobbyists. At least they will catch fish that local people name it panjo fish. The fish of which size is as big as man's arm are of two kinds, the cylindrical one that exist more during dry season and the flat one during the rainy season.
The baits are small fish that can even be collected at the seashore. We can use either fishing pole or fishnet to catch the small fish. It's cheap and easy, isn't it?
For those who do not dare to get to the top of the cliff, they might just buy the fish they the fishermen catch. They sell the panjo fish at IDR 3,000 one fish, or IDR 20,000 for a string of fish containing 5-6 fish. Some local people are willing to cook them for you if you wish. Otherwise, you can take them home as a gift for your family.
Cooked panjo fish are also available. Served with rice and condiment from chili pepper, fried Panjo fish is sold at IDR 7,000 only. The rice is served in the traditional container called bakul and the condiment is on traditional saucer called cobek. The portion is big enough for two persons. YogYES tried this menu in a warong located close to the parking area. Fried sea urchin that tastes like fried chicken is also available if you want to try.
At certain occasions, you can see Ngalangi ceremony that is held by local people. This ceremony takes place once in a year, just like the labuhan besar ceremony, of which objective is to express the gratitude to God for what have been granted and asking for good fortune for the future. The fortune is mainly good catches in sufficient quantity to fulfill daily needs.
The procession of the ceremony is unique; it begins by spreading gawar - the fishnet made from wawar tree. This kind of fishnet was used to catch fish before the present nylon fishnet. The gawar is spread out from Kedongkowok hill to the area of the rise and fall of the tides in order to trap the fish that are washed away by the waves and that cannot get back to the sea.
When seawater falls, the fish are collected. People are then busy cleaning and cooking the fish. Some of the fish are returned to the sea with some rice ans offerings. Most part of the dish is shared to the families. This ceremony is known as kenduri besar or great shared-meals as the form of local wisdom that fish are livelihood for all people.
In addition to Ngalangi ceremony, the enchantment of the beach can be enjoyed everyday. The entrance fee is only IDR 5,000 for two persons. If you want to spend the night and gather with some of your friends, you can use a small hut located close to the warongs alongside the beach. It is so refreshing to be in this beach.

Wayang Kulit (Leather Puppet), the Masterpiece of Javanese Performance Arts
When you spend the night in Yogyakarta while enjoying leather puppet show, it will feel vivid. The melodious rhythm of the gamelan in harmony with the voice of the female singers will not let you fall asleep. The story presented by the dalang as the puppeteer as well as the storyteller will bring you into being one of the characters in the story. You will soon learn the greatness of Javanese culture in the past.
Leather puppet show is a performance art that has been more than half a millennium of age. Its presence has its own story, in relation with the entrance of Javanese Islam. One of the Wali Songo or the nine pious leaders who spread Islam in Java created the puppet by adopting Wayang Beber or Beber Puppet that grew during the triumph of Hindu-Buddha. Such an adoption was done since leather puppet had been attached to Javanese people so that it became the proper media to spread Islam, while Islam prohibited plastic arts. Consequently, leather puppet was made in order for people to be able to see shadow.
Leather puppet show is done by the puppeteer who is also the storyteller who is possibly considered the best entertainer in the world. All the night, he plays all the characters of the leather puppets forming human characters made from buffalo skin decorated with motif as the product of leather carving. He has to change the voice character, switch the intonation, produce humor and even sing. In order to make the atmosphere vivid, the storyteller is assisted by musicians who play gamelan - the traditional Javanese music instruments - and the female singers called sinden who sing Javanese songs.
The total characters in leather puppet show number in the hundreds. The puppets that are not played are stuck in banana stem that is placed close to the storyteller. While being played, the puppets will look as shadow from rear view of the white screen in front of the storyteller. The shadow is created by the light from the oil lamp placed at the upper rear of the storyteller that is cut off by the puppets being played on the screen.
Each puppet performance presents different story or act. The act variations are divided into four categories namely lakon pakem, lakon carangan, lakon gubahan, and lakon karangan. Lakon pakem is the standard story that entirely originates from leather puppet literature while lakon carangan is only the main story that also refers to the leather puppet literature. Lakon gubahan does not origin from the leather puppet stories but it uses the places in accordance with leather puppet literature; lakon karangan is entirely a free story.
The stories in the leather puppet originated from some old books such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Pustaka Raja Purwa and Purwakanda. Now, there are some books containing lakon gubahan and karangan that have been hundreds years to be liked by the society such as Abimanyu Kerem, Doraweca, Suryatmaja Maling and so on. Among the old books, Purwakanda book is most often used by the puppeteers from Yogyakarta Kingdom.
The leather puppet show begins when the dalang takes out a puppet in the shape of a mountain called gunungan. A nightlong leather puppet show in Yogyakarta style is divided into 3 scenes with 7 jejeran or acts and 7 war acts. The first scene, called pathet lasem, has 3 jejeran and 2 acts of war accompanied by pathet lasem Javanese musical composition. Pathet Sanga as the second scene has 2 jejeran and 2 war acts, while Pathet Manyura as the second scene has 2 jejeran and 3 war acts. One of the scenes that most spectators mostly wait is gara-gara that presents typical Javanese humor.
Sasono Hinggil that is located in the south square is the place that very often performs nightlong leather puppet shows. Usually, the performances are done on the second and fourth weeks, beginning at 09.00 p.m. Another place for leather puppet performance is Bangsal Sri Manganti in the complex of Yogyakarta Kingdom. The leather puppet performance in that place is done on Saturdays, beginning at 10.00 a.m. for two hours at Rp.5,000 for the ticket entrance.

This forest area as wide as 600 hectares was once visited by President Megawati and some important officials of the country. Even, Prince Charles and Prince Bernhard left remembrance in this place. The path they took now becomes favorite path for visitors.
Funds from Silkworm
As long as 35 kilometers journey from the city center, under the hot sun, was quite tiring. Arriving at Gading village, however, the weather began to be cloudy. We turned to the right at the first junctions, passing through a street that only accommodated two cars. Arriving at the T-junction, we turned right and went straight the natural street with fields on both sides. At the end of the street, there was a gate with the writing "Welcome" greeted us accompanied with fresh air.
Wanagama that means Gadjah Mada Forest was only 10 hectares and was on barn areas. The Forestry Department of Gadjah Mada University, initiated by Oemi Hani'in Suseno and Tri Setyo assisted by Wagiran, a local inhabitant, reforested the area in 1964. The main objective was to find a model to cope with critical land in Gunung Kidul to be functioned as education forest and field research for the students of Gadjah Mada University.
The first planted plantation was mulberry (Morus Alba). The leaves can be used to feed silkworm and they do not fall off easily. The leaves are sold at 1 Ringgit (2,50 Rupiah) per kilogram by that time. The management as the buyer used them as silkworm feed. The results of the cocoon sales are used as development fund.
In this forest, there are camp site, lodging, dining room, sport facilities, hall, and - of course - classroom.
Enjoying the Scenery from Cendana Hill
Wanagama is located in Banaran Village, Playen District of Gunung Kidul Regency. There are two entrance ways but end at the same point. Unfortunately, the connecting bridge was hit by the quake and is under reconstruction now.
Going around Wanagama can be done by motorcycle of on foot by choosing challenging route. Riding motorcycle feels like going through the jungle in Jurassic Park film where visitors can only see the border of the forest on both sides.
The trip becomes an encouraging challenge. Groups of sandalwood, teakwood, acacia, mahogany, sengon, and many other trees will accompany your journey.
Climbing Cendana Hill that is higher compared to the others, you can see beautiful scenery of Wanagama forest. The green color of the forest and meadow, and the stream of Oya River of which water flows calmly in brownish color is reflected brightly by the sun. On bright days, the top of Merapi Mountain will be seen; it adds the beauty of Wanagama enchantment.
Sometimes, there are some deer relaxing around Cendana Hill. Visitors can see them clearly if they are lucky.
Relaxing at Oya River
Continuing the trip from west side to the north, visitors will see Oya River flowing beautifully in front of them. They can relax themselves enjoying the bright air and fresh water. Soaking face with the water will be so refreshing. Looking at the dragonflies and hearing the sound of water flowing in a small stream and the chirp of prenjak bird gives quietness to the mind. YogYES gets relax for a while here and breathe in the fresh natural air.
Close to Oya River, there is a waterfall flowing all the time. It is encircled by trees so that it looks like hiding its beauty.
In this forest with more than 65 types of timbers and hundreds of herbs, Prince Charles and Prince Bernhard left remembrance of teakwood (Tectona Grandis). The teakwood planted by Prince Charles is named Jati Londo. This tree becomes more interesting when it dried before reaching 1 meter high. It was coincidental with the publication of his separation with the late Diana Princess. After growing and reaching three meters high, this tree withered and broke. This was coincidental with the publication of his divorce. Then, this tree grew again with two branches.Enjoy the evening while looking at the sun setting behind the horizon. When the sun begins to set in the west, tens of birds fly back to their nest. When night begins to hang in between the trees, the silence will slowly be broken by the choir of crickets. Tiredness of the adventure in Wanagama Forest is redeemed by the peace of nature.

The Village of Krebet, Learning to Make Batik on Wooden Puppet
Puppet can originate from the idea of Sunan Kudus who spread Islam to Java Island, but current forms of puppet are not just based on the ones developed by the pioneer. Wayang klithik, for example, is a kind of puppet made from wood that was developed late after Sunan Kudus time.
Since 1970s, Krebet village becomes one of the pioneers that developed wooden handicrafts by adopting the form of wayang klithik. Not long after the time, around the year 1992, existed new innovation combining the puppet handicraft with classic batik pattern in the village. The surface of the puppet is not plain anymore, but is decorated a la Yogyakarta Kingdom.
Now, after more than ten years this batik puppet was developed in Krebet Village, the production can be learned. You can reserve tour ticket to visit the village that includes the package of learning the batik puppet making. Of course, you will learn the process of the batik making only, since it takes longer time to produce the puppet.
The process of batik making can be seen and learned in other places, but making batik on puppet will give you different sensation. The process of batik making on this medium requires carefulness since the pattern is made manually instead of printed like making batik on other media.
Other sensation, the patterns you learn while making batik in this village are classic Kingdom patterns such as parangrusak, parangbarong, kawung, garuda, sidomukti, sidorahayu and tens other patterns. Thanks to those patterns, the batik puppet handicraft in this village is famous in foreign markets.
In fact, the facilities of batik learning in this village are simple and no instructors who can speak foreign languages. Nonetheless, by observing the craftsmen who make puppet and batik will give you sufficient knowledge to start making batik. You can also choose the batik pattern you are going to make.
In order to enjoy the learning of puppet batik making, you should spend around IDR 200,000. Apparently, it seems expensive, but you enjoy other things in addition to puppet making. During your tour, you will stay a night in local people's house without additional charge.
To reach Krebet village, please take Jalan Bantul. There are some alternatives to take, for instance by passing Kasongan village or turn right after the Great Mosque of Bantul. You have to prepare your personal vehicle or contact your travel agent since there is no public transportation to reach this place.
In addition to learning making batik puppet, you can learn climbing coconut tree and taking the nira or the substance to make palm sugar. You will also enjoy a package of going around teakwood forest on a jeep. When you get tired, you can enjoy special menu of the village, namely lodeh (mixed vegetable curry), gudeg manggar (flowers of coconut trees cooked sweet), tempe garit (salt, fried soybean), peyek (crackers with peanuts on it) and wedang legen (beverage made from the substance of coconut flowers as main material to make palm sugar).

The Story of the Mural at Galeria Crossroad
Galeria crossroad is presumably one of the hearts of Yogyakarta city. This crossroad connects the busiest areas in this gudeg city, namely Jalan Jendral Sudirman with the old Bethesda on it, the busy Jalan Sagan, Jalan Solo as the shopping centre and Lempuyangan area that is famous for its Lempuyangan railway station, the oldest station in Yogyakarta. The crossroad now becomes one of the most crowded areas with the busiest traffic.
If you only look or pass by the crossroad, it will be meaningless. However, when you know the history further, you will find it more meaningful. To the north east of the crossroad, there used to be a gambling centre. The place was always busy every night; it seemed like the Las Vegas in the small Yogyakarta city. As the story tells, whosoever got into the gambling centre would certainly be addicted and would be trapped into the gambling network in it.
In the past, in the west part of the gambling centre, there was a small warong. The small food stall witnessed the losers who lamented over their fate after loosing their belongings in the gamble. Those who got their fortune in the gamble rarely dropped by in this warong since they would spend their money for luxurious things. It was in that small warong that the losers would stare at the luxurious thing, Galeria Mall.
Now, the gambling centre has disappeared. Nonetheless, the trace of its existence is represented by the mural inspired by Farhanski and Apotik Komik with the theme of "Buying Dreams". The mural is painted on the west wall of the gambling centre. The idea of the mural originated from Farhanski's experience when he saw the losers lamented over their fate in the warong. The mural seems like teasing the gamblers who depend their entire life on fortune.
The description of the murals intending to satire the gamblers who used to gamble in the east area of the wall is clear. The big writing, for example, says "Urip Waton Ngglindhing", meaning life just goes on. The text satires the life of gamblers that seems lying on the dice, or just rotates like wheels, without planning or efforts to achieve better life. When they win, they become rich at once; when they lose, they become poor at once, too.
Another text still satires the gamblers, saying "Ngglindhinge wong ndhuwur iso mabur, ngglindhinge wong ngisor mundhak ndlosor", which means the winning of the rich will make them fly even higher but the lose of the poor will make them even worse. Another text reminds people of the livelihood, "Rejeki iku Gusti allah sing ngatur, ora usah ngoyo lan nggresulo", which means God has determined how much we get; we do not have to exert and to complaint.
The pictures in the murals highlight the messages of the text. There are pictures of 'king' and 'queen', the characters in the cards used in gambling. Pictures of luxurious goods such as diamond are also depicted in the murals. There are also pictures of wheels and feet that might symbolize the message of the text that the life of a gambler is like the wheel that must always rotate without anyone can predict what is going to happen.
Initially, the murals teasing the gamblers cover the entire wall, but now only some parts of them can bee seen. The other parts, especially the bottom part, are decorated with other murals by different muralists. The latter might be considered to damage the previous pictures, but actually they response to the previous ones by depicting other activities done at this crossroad. Again, murals can tell daily activities of Galeria crossroad.
The daily activities include posters sticking on the wall. Galeria crossroad with its crowdedness is certainly a strategic place to promote different products. Unfortunately, the posters seem do not care of the murals existence on the wall that are intended to take care of the neglected wall. As a result, some people paint the posters covering the murals as form of protest.
The protest against posters sticking is clear. The murals in the form of texts are made directly on the posters. When YogYES took a close look, the surface of the murals were not smooth; that indicated the posters underlying the murals. With such a protest, the sticking of the posters is still done until now.So special the murals in this area that people in the location that make their living as vendors were involved in the making process. hus, the murals are not exclusive work of the artists but they were made by local community because what were described in the murals were discussed and made together with the people. During the completion of the works, they even had to change the themes three times.

The Peak of Suroloyo, Observing Borobudur from Sultan Agung's Meditating Place
The sun rises in reddish color at around 05:00a.m.; emerges among the green branches of trees. Its light divides the sky into three main colors: blue, magenta and yellow. When the sky color starts to be divided, a group of black birds starts to liven up the sky and turn down the loud voice of earth insects.
Four big mountains in Java Island, namely Merapi, Merbabu, Sumbing and Sindoro emerge among the white fog. The thick fog looks like the waves sinking the land that leaves only rice field forming track of ditch and trees on higher land. At the back of the fog, the black dome of Borobudur Temple emerges on the surface of the fog ocean.
You can see that scenery at dawn while standing at the Peak of Suroloyo, the highest hill at Menoreh Mountains at 1,091 meters above sea level. To reach the place, you must go through sharp binding road with steep grade, and start the journey at least at 02:00 a.m. There are two alternative roads to take; the first is Godean - Sentolo - Kalibawang route and the second is Magelang Street - Muntilan Market - Kalibawang. The first route is recommended for it takes you shorter time. You have to be physically in prime condition, your vehicle must be fully fuelled, and it is necessary to take reserved tire.
After 40 kilometers journey, you will find signing board directing to Sendang Sono. You can turn left to lead you to the Peak of Suroloyo, however, we suggest that you go straight ahead as far as 500 meters to reach small T-junction and turn left for smoother road. You still have to take 15 kilometers further to reach the Peak of Suroloyo. In fact, it will be a tiring journey, but the beautiful scenery pays for it.
You reach the Peak of Suroloyo when you find three viewing posts that are also well known as meditating places, each of which named Suroloyo, Sariloyo and Kaendran. Suroloyo is the first meditating place to see; it can be reached on foot by ascending 286 staircases at the slope of 300 - 600. If the fog does not block your view, you can see Borobudur Temple, Merapi and Merbabu Mountains and the view of Magelang city more clearly.
Suroloyo meditating place is the most legendary. The story tells that Raden Mas Rangsang who later was named Sultan Agung Hanyokrokusuma meditated in the place. In Cabolek book written by Ngabehi Yosodipuro in the eighteenth century, Sultan Agung received two divine inspirations. First, he will be the ruler of Java so that he was encouraged to walk westwards of Kotagede to reach Menoreh Mountains; second, he had to live asceticism in order to become a ruler.
Going to another meditating place, you will see different view. At the peak of Sariloyo that is located 200 meters west of Suroloyo, you will see Sumbing and Sindoro mountains more clearly. Before reaching the place, you will see a monument bordering Yogyakarta province with Central Java that stands on Tegal Kepanasan flat land. From Sariloyo, if you walk 250 meters and ascend to Kaendran meditating place, you will see Kulon Progo city with the beautiful view of Glagah beach.
After enjoying the scenery from the three places, you can walk around the Peak of Suroloyo to see the activities of local people in the morning time. Usually, beginning at around five o'clock in the morning, men go to field while smoking hand-rolled cigarette. When you walk by those smoking people, you will smell fragrant aroma of the incense that is mixed with the tobacco.
In addition to the enchanting view, the Peak of Suroloyo also keeps myth. This peak is believed to be the center of the four directions in Java Island. Local people believe that this peak is the meeting point of two lines drawn from north to south and from west to east of Java Island. With the myth, history and its natural scenery, this place is worth visiting on the first day of the New Year.

The Mysterious Pesanggrahan Gua Siluman
Not many people know Pesanggrahan Gua Siluman. We understand it because this building that was built by Hamengku Buwono II was not as popular as the Tamansari Water Castle. Nonetheless, behind is unpopularity, this pesanggrahan was once served an important function for the family of Yogyakarta kingdom, as the place for meditation. Together with pesanggrahan Warungboto, this place was mentioned in one of traditional Javanese songs telling about the success achieved during the governance of Hamengku Buwono II in Yogyakarta.
Pesanggrahan Gua Siluman is located in the area of Wonocatur, Sleman Regency, on the side of a road connecting the East Ring Road and Berbah area of Bantul Regency. We can visit this location through Jalan Raya Janti until the crossroad of Block O, and then we turn right. When we get to a sign plank directing to Berbah, we turn left. This pesanggrahan is located precisely on the roadside, with high wall as thick as 75 cm of which color is blackening as the sign of its existence.
The area of the pesanggrahan encompasses the left and right sides of the road. This might be astonishing, but that is the truth. Is there any part of the building that is cut off with existence of the road? In fact, there is not! YogYES made sure by examining part of the building on the left side of the road as the entrance gate to this building. This gate is adjacent to a tunnel connecting to the other building across the road. This means that the tunnel is beneath the main road leading to Berbah.
On the gate, we saw relief of Beri bird. Its unique shape is still visible even though some parts of it have damaged. At the lower part of the gate, there are some staircases connecting the outer part of the building to the tunnel. If we go further, we will see one door with an arch shape of the upper part that might function as sign of entering the tunnel.
Actually, YogYES intended to explore the tunnel but ended up with crossing the road. Then, we got down to the building on the right side of the road and found a square door. The door is connecting with the tunnel connecting the right and left sides of the road. Unlike the north door that is decorated with relief of Beri bird, this door on the southern part is simple, without any decoration.
Through this door in the south, YogYES could see parts of the other pesanggrahan. There is a building stretching eastwards, directly connects to the tunnel. The building is divided into some rooms each of which is connected by one door. Close to the door connecting to the farthest east room, there is a divider ornamented with beautiful batik-like motifs. While in the farthest east room, a square pond is still filled with full water until present.
Just like many other pesanggrahans in the early time of Yogyakarta kingdom, Gua Siluman also has garden and pond. Today, the garden area is plated with various plants so that it looks green. Those decorative plants grow in both sides of the two square ponds that are also parts of the pesanggrahan building. The base and sides of the ponds were actually cemented well but unfortunately we cannot see those parts because of the unclear water.
Walking to the southwest side, there is another pond in the shape of a circle. The pond is decorated with the statue of Beri bird with its protruding beak. The shape is unique, particularly that the beak also functions as a water fountain. Similar pond is actually found in the southeast side, but the statue has been damaged and the pond starts to sink in the earth.
Until today, no one knows exactly what other activities done by the members of the kingdom family other than meditation in Pesanggrahan Gua Siluman, including whosoever meditated in this place. Other thing still becomes the mystery is the building itself. The traditional Javanese song containing the history of the construction of this building tells that the name of the building is Gua Seluman, but the signboard in the complex of the building writes its name as Gua Siluman. Apakah Do Seluman and Siluman mean the same?
In the past, many people considered this building eerie so that not any people dared to get into it. Now, the belief disappears and many people even use this area to have a chat. Thus, you can visit one of the historical sites without feeling scared.

The Glagah Beach, from Lagoon Scenery to Agro Tourism
When you come to Glagah Beach, you will directly find plain coastal land. This gives you an opportunity to get wide view of all directions. Looking straight ahead, you will see the long horizon uniting the ocean and the sky. The beauty of the bending coastal line will satisfy your view when you look either westward or eastward.
Both the plain coastal land and the long coastal line also give you some alternative locations to see the beauty of the coastal scenery. Every location seems to have different nuance even though they are located in the same area. In each location, you can enjoy the overall view of the beautiful beach without boundaries of huge coral reefs.
The first location to get best view of the coastal area is the one that is planned to become a harbor in the future. You will find the place when you follow a 'PP' sign at the fist turn after the ticket post. The full-of-harmony meeting point between the river stream and the ocean waves can be seen by climbing to the view post in the location.
From the first location to some hundreds meters westwards, you can find a loog with the water flowing to the river estuary. This lagoon divides the coastal area into two, the one with coastal plants and weeds and the other place with the sand dune that directly borders on the sea. You can cross to the sand dune area through a connecting bridge that is located close to the river estuary.
Walking further to the west, you can see the activities of local people and some people fishing. When YogYES visited, they are standing in shoulders along the coastal line holding their fishing rods. The slightly sloping area gives much fish for local fishermen. Some kiosks sell seafood with various menus worth trying.
In addition to the beautiful coastal scenery, Glagah Beach also has various beach tourism facilities. One of them is the motocross circuit that is located at the seaside that will satisfy hobbyists of this sport. Meanwhile, the asphalted road connectiong the Glagah Beach and other beaches can be utilized for fun bike activity.
You can even enjoy the agro tourism facility by visiting Kusumo Wanadri plantation. There, you can observe the cultivation process of medication herbs such as dragon fruit and Roselle flower. Besides, you can also hire the bamboo-boat (in Javanese language: gethek), canoe, and rowing duck that you can use to explore the lagoon or you can just cross the wooden bridge to come to the sand dune area at the seaside.
When you feel tired after taking a long walk, you can take arrest in cross-legged sitting hut in the area of Kusumo Wanadri plantation. Some exotic menus and beverages are worth trying. You can try fresh dragon fruit juice and is famous for its efficacy to heal some illnesses, or you may order Roselle flower syrup that will quench your thirst and neutralize various toxins in your body.
In order to enjoy the entire beautiful Glagah scenery, you can take either one of the two alternatives roads. First, go southwards via Bantul road and turn right to Bantul - Purworejo road after you come to Palbapang. Second, go westwards via Yogyakarta - Wates - Purworejo road and turn left after finding a signboard directing to Glagah Beach. You would better drive your own vehicle to reach the access more easily.
The trip to this beach is not as difficult as reaching the beaches in Gunung Kidul area. The road is flat and not much so climbs that you can reach the beaches while relaxing your mind. The road leading to Purworejo city also connects Glagah beach with other beaches in Kulon Progo Regency. In other words, you can kill two birds with one stone.

The Church of Ganjuran, Seeing Jesus in Javanese Face
Ganjuran Jesus Sacred Heart Church, as its complete name, which is located around 20 kilometers from Yogyakarta can be reached by motorcycle or car. The scenery of the green rice field and pine trees will welcome you upon entering the Ganjuran village where this church is located. Visiting this church, you will know the history of the church, enculturation of Catholic people with local community and finally you will get peacefulness.
The complex of Ganjuran church was built in 1924 with the initiative of two Dutch relatives, namely Joseph Smutzer and Julius Smutzer. This church is one of the buildings built by the two relatives since they managed Gondang Lipura Sugar Factory in the area in 1912. Other buildings they constructed were 12 schools and one clinic as the embryo of Panti Rapih Hospital.
This church that was designed by a Dutch architect J Yh van Oyen is one form of church social spirit (Rerum Navarum) that the two Dutch relatives had, namely the spirit to love others, especially the surrounding community most of them were workers in Gondang Lipuro Sugar Factory who reached its golden time in 1918 - 1930.
In its development, the church complex was completed with the construction of a temple named Jesus Sacred Heart Temple in 1927. The temple with the terrace decorated with lotus flower and the statue of Jesus in Javanese clothes becomes another choice to celebrate holy mass and pilgrimage, in addition to the church offering closeness with Javanese culture.
Walking around the church, you will realize that this building was designed by integrating European, Hindu, and Javanese styles. European style is seen from the shape of the building forming a cross from above view, while Javanese style is seen from the roof forming tajug that is supported by four teakwood pillars, symbolizing four Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Javanese nuance is seen at the alter, sancristi (where instruments for mass celebration are kept), doopvont (water containter for baptizing) and chatevummenen (the place of the teacher of Catholic religion). The statues of Jesus and Mary who is carrying Her son are depicted in Javanese clothes. The reliefs at every stop of the Sacrification Path Jesus is described as having hairs of Hindu monks.
You can take holy water from the left side of the temple. After taking water, you can sit cross-legged in front of the temple and say the prayer. The procession of the celebration is ended by entering the temple and say your prayer in front of Christ statue. Some pilgrims take the water and put it in a bottle then take it home after they pray for it.
If you want to take part in holy mass celebration done in Javanese language with songs accompanied by gamelan, you can come to this church on Thursdays to Sundays at 05:30 a.m., every night of first Friday, each Christmas and on Saturdays at 05:00 p.m. The holy mass is done at the yard of the temple, except daily mass at 05:30 a.m. that is done in the church.
After completing the celebration or pilgrimage, take your time to talk with local people in order to know the history of Ganjuran village where the church is located. In Javanese old history, Ganjuran was part of Alas Mentaok territory named Lipuro. The place was used by Senopati to meditate and was planned to become the center of Mataram kingdom.
The change of the name to Ganjuran itself was related to love story of Ki Ageng Mangir and Rara Pembayun who was exiled by Mataram. The love story of the two person later inspired the creation of the Javanese song: Kala Ganjur, which means human basic binding line in living life together based on love. It was from the name of the song that the name Lipuro of the village changed to Ganjuran.
If you spend time talking with local people, there are many other stories to explore, such as the cancellation of Lipuro to become the center of Mataram Kingdom, the reason for exiling Ki Ageng Mangir and Roro Pembayun and so on.

Tashinda: Exporter and Manufacturer of Handicraft and Furniture
Tashinda was established in 1995. We are exporter and manufacturer of handicraft and furniture mad from natural resources and tropical plants such as: pandanus, abaca, water hyacinth, etc.
Located in 3700 square meters area, we have 100 workers and 50 groups of subcontractors who can produce 10,000 - 15,000 pcs per month. We have the production tools and equipments such as sewing machine, cutting, pressing, splitting machine and compressor.
We also have the inspection team's who control the quality of our product and we are widely opened to invite you to control the product as well. Controlling and maintaining our product quality we use three steps of inspection system. They are in line inspection, finished goods inspection and final inspection prior to shipment.
Indonesia abounds in botanical Richs. Nearly 10% of the world's plants species are found here including some of the most beautiful and fascinating tropical plants. The different sorts of plants come together to from the community that makes up the particular vegetation found at any place. Tropical rain forest, covers much of Indonesia has the large concentration of economically useful plants.
As the Indonesia forest have provided people with a fast array of economically useful plants. Apart from a range of edible roots, beans, leaves, fruit, sugar and starches, herbs, infusions and alcohol, plant have been used as building material weapon, tools, water carriers, baskets, cloth, musical instrument, etc.
Due to of those benefits we try to develop this raw material to be useful and beautiful to a company and fulfill your life style.

Tara Temple, the Oldest Buddhism Inheritance in Yogyakarta
Most people will mention Borobudur when talking about Buddhism temples. Whereas, there are many other Buddhism temples in Yogyakarta; one of them that is closely related to Borobudur is Tara temple. This temple that is located in Kalibening village in Kalasan was built by the same person who conceptualized Borobudur temple, namely Rakai Panangkaran. Since it is located in Kalasan area, this temple is popular with the name of Kalasan temple.
Completed in 778 AD, Tara temple becomes the oldest Buddhism temple in Yogyakarta. This temple that is situated close to Yogya-Solo Street was a present of the marriage of Pancapana of Sanjaya dynasty to Dyah Pramudya Wardhani of Syailendra dynasty. In addition to a marriage present, the temple was also realization of the kings' proposal to build another holy temple for goddess Tara and a monastery for the monks.
Tara temple is a building in the form of a cube with the size of each side of 45 meters and 34 meters high. Vertically, this temple consists of three parts, namely temple foot, temple body and temple roof. The foot of the temple is a building on square stones and a wide stone. On this part, there is a stair with makara ornament at the end. Meanwhile, around the temple foot there are ornaments of climbing plants that come out from pots.
The body of the temple protrudes at the central side. At the outer surface of the temple body, a hollow is ornamented with a standing goddess holding lotus. In southeast part, there is a small room with throne ornamented with the motif of a lion standing on an elephant's back. The room can be accessed from the other room at the east side.
The roof of the temple is octagonal and consists of two stories. An effigy describing Buddha is located in the first story while on the second story there is a statue describing Yani Buddha. The top of the temple is a square symbolizing Semeru summit with ornaments of domes. At the interface of the temple body and the roof, there is a flower ornament of a dwarf named Gana.
If you observe the temple in detail, you will also find beautiful relief on its surface; for example, relief of tree of god and cloud and the dwellers of the heaven producing sounds. The dwellers of the heaven hold rebab (two-stringed music instrument), shell, and camara. There are also ornaments of flowers, leaves and climbing plants. Relief at Tara temple is typical since they are coated with special cement called Brajalepha, made from sap of certain tree.
Around the temple, there are 52 domes as high as around 4.6 meters. Even though those domes are not intact anymore, since some parts are missing, you can still enjoy them. Visiting this temple of which construction history is known from Candi inscription in Panagari letters, you will acknowledge the greatness of Rakai Panangkaran who even had the opportunity to build a holy building in Thailand.
This temple also proves that in the past there was an effort to unite people of different religions. The proof is that Panangkaran who was a Hindu built the Tara temple in response to the proposal of Buddhism monks to be presented to Pancapana who is also a Buddhist. This temple is also one of the holy buildings that inspired Atisha, a Buddhist from India who once visited Borobodur and spread Buddhism to Tibet.

Sundak Beach, Dog and Sea Urchin Fight which Result a Blessing
Sundak Beach does not only have enchanting natural view but it also keeps story. The name Sundak turns to experience evolution of which evidences can be traced geologically.
In order to know its evolution, visitors must know first the condition the sea sides of Sundak Beach in the past and at present time. At the west side of the beach there is a mosque and a vacant space that is now utilized as a parking area. On the east side, there is a cave made of coral reef as high as around 12 meters. Entering the cave, there is a spring from which local people get fresh water.
Before 1930 the above area was still under sea water. The story tells that sea water reached the area where the mosque stands now and the cave was submerged in sea water. In line with geological process in the south sea, the sea water level decreased and sea water stood out more to the sea. The coral reef and the area around the mosque became new land that later coastal people used it for economy activities until today.
There was unique, natural phenomenon of the activity that finally served as starting point of naming this beach. When rainy season came, there was much water from the land flowing to the sea. Consequently, the land on east side of the beach split to make a river-look form. The flowing water looked like splitting the sand. When dry season came, the crevice disappeared since the sea water came ashore and drag away the sand. The name Wedibelah (the split sand) originated from this natural phenomenon. When YogYES visited the place, the crevice did not exist.
Tens of years later the name changed. In 1976, there was an interesting occurrence. In an afternoon, there was a dog running about the seaside and entered the cave where it met a sea urchin. Being starving, the dog tried to prey on the sea urchin but the sea urchin avoided. Then, the fight happened and finally the dog succeeded in eating half of the sea urchin body and the dog got out of the cave proudly. The owner of the dog, Arjasangku, saw half of the sea urchin body was still in the dog's mouth. Since then, the name Wedibedah was changed into Sundak as an abbreviation of asu (Javanese language for dog) and landak (Javanese language for sea urchin).
The quarrel turned to bring fortune for local people. After being short of water for years, local people finally found a spring. Initially, the owner of the dog was astonished that his dog was soaking wet after getting out of the cave. The hypothesis was that there was a spring inside the cave and the dog might fall in it while hunting the sea urchin. After some investigations, the prediction turned out to be true. Now, the spring functions as source of fresh water for local inhabitants. Pipes are now installed from the cave to distribute water to the community. The finding of the spring consoled the community who were disappointed because the wells that they dug were inundated by sea water.
Just imagine the condition of the area hundreds of years ago when we know its condition in 1930s. There had to be many organisms that utilized the lower part of the coral reef that now functions as a cave. For the reason, many archeologists believe that as the consequence of the occurring geological process, there were many sea organisms were left and piled up as fossils. Not many researches reveal what fossils exist in the area.
In addition to offering its silent historical witnesses, Sundak also offers enjoyable night atmosphere. You can enjoy the breeze of the night wind while ordering fresh fish to be grilled together with your friends. You only have to pay some thousands Rupiah for the firewood. If you are reluctant to do so, just order ready-to-eat grilled fish. To spend the night, you can just sleep anywhere; you can put up your tent or just lying on the bench of food sellers that are not used at night. Darkness can sometimes be more enjoyable than brightness. Don't worry about it.If you want it, interact with local people can be valuable enlightenment. You can understand how people live their lives, their culture, and they might change your life point of view. To see Grandpa Tugiman who usually keeps the parking area or Grandpa Arjasangku can be another option. They are examples of the leaders of Sundak Beach. To have a talk with them does not only make you merely see the history witnesses but it enables you get direct story from the witnesses of how the story was carved. Please come, they all are waiting for you!

Studio 76, Silver Jewellery Making Course
Travelling in Yogyakarta won't be complete enough without visiting Kotagede, the silver center in the city. It's not just to buy silver jewellery, it's more fun cos you're gonna make the jewellery by yourself. Guided by professional instructors, it only takes 3 hours for you to make rings, earrings, pendants etc... The perfect souvenir of Kotagede originally made by yourself!
Studio 76 is house of art producing silver handicrafts such as evening bag, miniatures of horse cart, tricycle, royal carriage, etc. Apart from producing those handicrafts, we also arrange short courses to make jewellery. This programme is specially designed for tourist to make their original Kotagede's souvenir.
With more than 6 years teaching experience, we believe that we can make you proud, satisfied, and impressed with your own jewellery as the result of your course in Studio 76.
Studio 76 is located in the middle of Kotagede. You will find the real atmosphere of Kotagede. Their typical life, the silversmiths, the traditional food, and the ancient buildings.
The following courses packages are adjustable to your holiday schedule in Yogyakarta.
1. Short CourseThe duration of this short course is 3 - 4 hours. Under guidance of professional instructors, you will be able to make ring, earrings, or pendant in that short period. The participants will have to do all the processes from designing, forging, carving, soldering, polishing and so on. The instructors will only show, control, and fix to make better items. By the end of the course, the participants will be proud of their product and do not believe that they just made the jewellery by themselves.
Time:Three different choices every day
09.00 a.m. - 12.00 p.m.
01.00 p.m. - 04.00 p.m.
05.00 p.m. - 08.00 p.m.
Facilities:
Historical silversmithing explanation
3 hours of instruction (Indonesian, English, and France speaking teacher)
Your personally created silver jewellery (5 grams maximum)
Cost:
IDR 100,000 / pax (1 person)
IDR 90,000 / pax (2 - 3 persons)
IDR 75,000 / pax (4 - 6 persons)
Note:For an effective class, maximum six persons per session.
2. Full-day CourseWith more time and more materials, you should make prettier silver jewellery. Besides, many of the participants of the short course get back and join this session in order to make better items than their first course.
Time: 09.00 a.m. - 04.00 p.m. (With 1-hour luncheon break)
Facilities:
Historical silversmithing explanation
7 hours of instruction (Indonesian, English, and France speaking teacher)
Your personally created silver jewellery (10 grams maximum)
Lunch with local menu
Cost:
Rp. 200,000 / pax (1 person)
Rp. 175,000 / pax (2 - 3 persons)
Rp. 150,000 / pax (4 - 6 persons)
Note:For an effective class, maximum six persons per session.
3. Weekend CourseWe arrange this package for those who cannot come to Yogyakarta. As it is implied by the name, this course is arranged on Saturdays and Sundays from 09.00 a.m. To 04.00 p.m. With one hour luncheon break. This package includes the basic tools to make silver jewellery and after the course, the participants are expected to be able to create their own products by themselves using the provided tools.
Time:Saturday and Sunday, from 09.00 a.m. - 04.00 p.m. (1-hour lunch break)
Facilities:
Explanation on the technique of silver handicrafts
Basic tools to make silver handicrafts
Module of silver handicrafts basic course
Instructors (Indonesian, English, or France language)
The course products of 20 grams at maximum
Cost:
IDR 2,000,000 for 2 persons
Extra cost of IDR 750,000 / person for additional participants
It includes cost of transportation for the instructor (big cities in Java)
Note:For an effective class, maximum six persons per session.
4. Arranged CourseThis course is suited to the target, time and the needs of the participants.

Steamed Snacks, from Wajik to Jadah Manten
The culinary creation by Yogyakarta society in the forms of these steamed snacks can be enjoyed in many traditional markets all over the city. Some of the steamed snacks are still used for sacred rituals held by spiritual communities and Yogyakarta kingdom. The others are purely intended for sale.
Reflecting the richness of Yogyakarta natural resources, most of the steamed snacks are made from sticky rice, rice flour and cassava or cassava flour. The flavors enrichment is done by using the available natural resources such as palm sugar as sweetener, pandanus leaf as coloring agent and grated coconut or meshed soybean as the fillers. The combination of rich and sweet flavors reflects the taste of Yogyakarta society.
One of the steamed snacks that is popular is wajik, which is made from sticky rice steamed with palm sugar. Originally, the utilized sugar was palm sugar to produce brown color. Later, there are other variations using sugar from sugarcane and pandanus leaf to create green wajik. Until now, wajik is still used in the ceremony of Tumplak Wajik that is held some days after the ceremony of Muhammad's birthday.
Other snack that still decorates some ceremonies is apem, which usually is used in Ruwah month of Javanese calendar. Apem combined with steamed sticky rice and kolak is shared to relatives, used as offering and to send prayer to the ancestors. This snack is made from rice flour, palm sugar and eggs added with yeast or tape that is fermented cassava.
If you are not satisfied yet with the steamed snacks of different rituals, you can still try other snacks. Mata kebo, for example, is a round cake resembling the buffalo eyes in green or red color. It is made from rice flour and sticky-rice flour with the outer part is added with white pasta from rice flour added with coconut milk to taste rich, while the inner part is filled with grated coconut cooked with sugar.
Kue Ku is also worth trying. Made from the same materials as mata kebo, ku snack is filled with sweet, smoothly meshed soybean. Initially, ku snack was flat and round in red color with banana leaf as the base, but now it is in the form of fruits in different colors and is packed in interesting container. Because of more composition of the sticky rice flour, it tastes a bit tough.
If you walk around the market, you will also find a funny steamed cake, namely jadah manten that means the sticky-rice cake for bride and bridegroom. The cake is made from sticky rice that is lumped to make a round shape filled with chicken or mince of beef. The outer part is wrapped with mixture of flour and eggs then it is clamped with two pieces of thin bamboo stick to make it beautiful. Different from other snacks that taste sweet, jadah manten is dominant with rich flavor.
Other kind of jadah or the sticky-rice cake is sold in the markets in the shape of flat and round or square. Usually, it comes with sweetened soybean tempe. The tempe is boiled with laurellike leaf, palm sugar, onion and garlic then it is fried in medium oil to get brown color.
If you go the market in at around 06:00a.m. - 08:00a.m., you will find other special snacks of Yogyakarta such as thiwul, and gatot as the original snacks from Gunung Kidul Regency, cenil, gethuk and lopis. To serve thiwul, it is usually mixed with palm sugar to taste sweet. Gatot that is made from cassava, the colorful cenil from starch and gethuk from meshed cassava are usually served with raw grated coconut. Meanwhile, lopis is served on banana-leaf plate (called pincuk) and added with grated coconut with palm sugar sauce.
All of the steamed cakes are sold at cheap prices. One piece of steamed snack is sold at around IDR 600 to IDR 2,000. For gethuk, lapis, and cenil they are sold at around IDR 1,500 to IDR 3,000. Several markets such as Beringharjo, Kranggan, Kotagede, Giwangan and Demangan sell complete choice of the snacks.

"7 March 1750, five years before Giyanti Agreement, which was the date of the foundation of Yogyakarta Kingdom, was also the birth date of Sultan Sepuh. For the reason, the momentum of the coronation of Hamengku Buwono X on 7 March 1989 was considered a renewal momentum of the resolution to uphold the throne for people prosperity and culture. In relation to this, the relevance is that the 'Jumenengan' or coronation plays its role as a starting point for culture to step forward." (Dr. Damardjati Supadjar, Nawang Sari 1993, Fajar Pustaka Baru, Yogyakarta).
Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X (HB X)
Bendara Raden Mas (BRM) Herjuno Darpito who is the second child of Kanjeng Raden Ayu Windyaningrum HB IX, the wife of Hamengku Buwono IX, was born on 2 April 1946. After his appointment as a Crown Prince, he has the title of "Kanjeng Gusti Pangeran Adipati Anom Hamengku Negara Sudibyo Raja Putra Nalendra Mataram".
BRM Herjuno's modern education background becomes the basis of his logical thinking. His behavior and decisions are based on the existing realities. After his coronation as Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, he breaks some of the old tradition of the Palace.
Different from his predecessors who had more than one wife, HB X only has one wife who is also the queen consort. The labuhan alit that used to be held twice a year is changed to once in a year.
He holds to his logical thinking even though some people do not agree to his way of thinking, including the plan to build underground parking area beneath the North Square.
His modern thinking is not separated from his father's. Hamengku Buwono IX was the king with modern thinking who emphasized human equality.
Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX (HB IX)
GRM Dorojatun who was born on 12 April 1912 was the only child of Kanjeng Ratu Ayu Adipati Anom (KRAy.AA) Hamengkunegoro.
Since he was four years old, he was raised by the Mulder family to get discipline education and simple life even though he was the Crown Prince.
One year after his study in Netherlands, on 18 March 1940, he was seated on his throne with the title of "Sampeyan Dalem Ingkang Sinuwun Kanjeng Sultan Hamengku Buwono, Senopati Ing Ngalogo, Abdurrahman Sayidin Panoto Gomo, Kalifatullah Ingkang Kaping IX". This title means Sultan was the lawful authority of this perishable world; he was also the highest commander of the troop during the war. Besides, Sultan was also a kind hearted religion leader, because he was acknowledged a kalifatullah, the representative of Mohammad the Disciple of God.
HB IX is an example of a democratic nobleman. His western education gives many cultural alternatives. He also changed the old tradition where the king is not an authority controller but a democratic leader. His services to the Republic of Indonesia are worth remembering.
On 7 October 1988, his body arrived in the Sultan Palace after his demise in Washington DC, the United States of America. The Sultan Palace and Indonesian people were in mourning. Seeming like feeling the grief, the banyan tree named Kiai Dewandaru that was planted during the reign of HB I fell down. "This signals new scene in the Archipelago Culture Stage". This banyan tree was replanted with the approval of HB X and it can be seen in the North Square now. Its size is smaller than Kiai Wijayadaru on its east side. The picture can be seen in YogYES documentation.
HB IX was buried in Pajimatan cemetery in Imogiri.
The Kingdom of Mataram Yogyakarta in the Midst of Modernization
In its triumphant era, Mataram Kingdom developed a political concept of keagungbintaraan, meaning that the king was as authoritative as gods, the caretaker of law and universe, abundant goodness, and being fair to others (agung binathara bahu dhenda nyakrawati, berbudi bawa leksana ambeg, adil para marta).Embracing the political concept of equality and democratic thinking, the Sultan of Mataram Yogyakarta Kingdom is ruling Yogyakarta government at this moment.

Sosrowijayan, a Tourist Kampong in the City Center of Yogyakarta
Walking about 200 meters southwards from Tugu railway station, along Malioboro Street, you will find Sosrowijayan kampong. A plank at the corner of the small street with the same name on it leads you to the area. Connecting Dagen Street and Malioboro Street, Sosrowijayan is split into two areas, namely East Sosrowijayan and West Sosrowijayan. Later, East Sosrowijayan is known as the second famous tourist kampong in Yogyakarta after Prawirotaman.
Arriving at the T-junction of the street named after the past authority of the area (Sosrowijoyo), you will be greeted friendly by pedicab drivers. Usually, they will assist you to get lodgings or take a mini tour along Malioboro Street or to get bakpia (the special snack of this city) at Pathok area by riding their pedicab. Many guides will readily assist you to get lodgings, for example. They will tell you many things about places of interests in Yogyakarta, too.
Entering Sosrowijayan area, you will see an old building functioning as a lodging, namely Aziatic Hotel. The building that was built during the Dutch colonization has typical European architecture. The building has white wall with three doors and some supporting pillars on the front side, while the name of the hotel is directly embossed to the wall in black color. Once, this hotel was used as the shooting location of 'Daun di Atas Bantal (The Leaf on A Pillow)' film that was shown in Cannes Film Festival.
Entering the first alley, there are two bookshops. Most of the works sold there are novels in English; some of them are in Indonesian language. You can freely select or just take a quick reading of the content since they are all unwrapped. Even though most of them are used ones, physical quality of the books is preserved so well that they are worth collecting. The prices vary but they are definitely cheaper than those in bookshops.
If you want to be able to make batik, you can take a course offered by a lodging in the second alley. Close to the lodging, there is a batik studio managed by a local inhabitant. The style of the batik in this studio is painting batik, just like the ones you find in Taman kampong, near Tamansari Water Castle. The superiority of painting batik lies of its colors and temporary design.
As a kampong for tourists, there must be many guesthouses there. Different from the ones in Prawirotaman, the guesthouses and lodgings in this kampong are among local people's houses since most of them are in the alleys of the kampong. If you want to stay in more a private lodging, you can choose one among many hotels alongside Sosrowijayan Street. The tariff of the lodgings in this kampong that is located to the south of Pasar Kembang area is not different from that in Prawirotaman.
In the afternoon, while relaxing after wandering about Yogyakarta, you can enjoy the life of local children. Usually, girls will play rope jump or other traditional children games and boys gather in a certain place to have a chat. Meanwhile, the young people play guitar while singing Indonesian hit songs. They are members of Maliboro Art Community that in certain occasions they perform on stages.
Tour travels are also available in Sosrowijayan. Moneychanger, internet connection, telecommunication booth, motorcycle and car rental are all available for your convenience. When you are hungry, you can just go to dining places opened by local inhabitants. At the end of the first alley, for example, there is a simple dining place yet many foreign tourists come to have meals. Traditional cuisine such as fried noodle, stir-fried vegetables with chili and other delicious dishes are served. Some restaurants serve steak and other menus at affordable prices.
In the evening time, Sosrowijayan gets more vivid. Many young people gather at the street sides while some cafes tune live music as an alternative amusement. In combination with the nightlife of Malioboro Street, Sosrowijayan becomes vivid. A small warong under an orange tent that local people call angkringan is a nice place to have a talk. While chatting, you can enjoy tea, ginger beverage, or the other delicious menus at very cheap prices.

Sosrokusuman, from Cheap Logding to Wayang Kancil
Blend of kampong nuance and metropolitan nuance can be found in Sosrokusuman. People's houses that stand close one to each other and small stalls are contiguous with modern Malioboro mall. Located in the heart of Yogyakarta city, Sosrokusuman has been transit place for tourists visiting the second tourism city in Indonesia.
This kampong stretches southwards from Malioboro mall to Mutiara hotel. A simple gate signs that you are entering this kampong. There are two small alleys to enter this area. The first alley is right to the south of Malioboro mall and the other one is further to the south of the first one.
In the first alley, there are many food stalls. Nasi rames, pecel, kupat tahu and soto ayam are examples of the menus available. You only have to pay around 5,000 Indonesian Rupiah including the drink for each menu. Some retails run by local inhabitants also provides you with daily needs.
Entering into the kampong connecting Malioboro Street to Mataram Street, you will find many lodgings most of which form is losmen (inn). The tariff is 250,000 Rupiah per night at most. The atmosphere of the inns is relaxing. One of the inns at the end of the second alley, for example, provides relaxing setting outdoors with wooden chairs and a mini cafe.
If you get to the end of the first ally and you turn right, you will find some gift kiosks. They sell typical snacks and food of Yogyakarta such as geplak, the colorful, sweet snack made of grates of coconut mixed with sugar and flavors), tape ketan (fermented stick rice in green color), ting-ting (sugar caramel mixed with peanut), bakpia (made of flour filled with mung bean, cheese, chocolate or others.
If you want to buy souvenirs, please go to the second alley. On of the local people sell interesting souvenirs such as colorful candles, wooden puppet, etc. In front of the first alley, there is a kiosk selling hat, T-shirt and bandana at reasonable price. The design is quite interesting. T-shirt with the writing Yogyakarta or with picture of Borobudur temple and colorful bandana with batik motif are available here.
In Sosrokusuman, you can also make an acquaintance with an activist of wayang kancil (a kind of puppet of which script originated from Surakarta for development of Islam), namely Mr. Ledjar Subroto. The characters he creates have been kept in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah or the beautiful miniature of Indonesia in Jakarta and in foreign countries such as Netherlands, Germany, America, Japan, and Australia. Puppet shows in different countries also involved Ledjar as the conceiver. Wayang Kancil that is developed by this gentleman from Bondowoso has been education curriculum in some countries to embed moral teaching.
Other form of art that you can enjoy is mural painting in some walls of the second alley. The painting gives different nuance from other kampongs. If you want to see other mural painting, you can find it in the north of Malioboro mall. Isn't it strategic to start your tour from Sosrokusuman?

Siung Beach, Having 250 Routes for Cliff Climbing
Siung Beach is located in a remote area in Gunung Kidul Regency, to the south of Tepus Sub-Regency to be exact. The distance is around 70 kilometer from the center of Yogyakarta city or it will take you around 2 hours drive. Since it is difficult to get public transportation to go the beach, it would be easier if you make your travel with your own vehicle. Public bus or mini van from Wonosari city will stop at Tepus area only and you have to wait long to get one.
When you plan to make your travel by your car or motorcycle, make sure that they are in a very good condition. The reason is that you are going to go through challenging road with climbs, sharp bending and sometimes slopes under the hot sun in between limestone hills and vegetable fields. You will have to overcome all the hindrances since you come to Pathuk area (the first Sub-Regency that you will pass by in Gunung Kidul Regency) until you get to the beach.
You cannot escape from the hindrances. The easiest route with smooth asphalted road you best take is Yogyakarta - Wonosari continued with Wonosari - Baron - Tepus route. Another route, namely Yogyakarta - Imogiri - Gunung Kidul, has harder challenges with road full of holes, while Wonogiri - Gunung Kidul route is to far to take from Yogyakarta city.
Suffering before getting the happiness seems to represent your journey to Siung Beach. You will fee happy, released and peaceful after you get to the beach. The blue ocean and white, clean sands will cure tiredness. Some wooden houses are available for visitors to take shelter or to have a chat with friends while enjoying the beauty of the beach panorama.
One of the prominent enchantments of Siung Beach is its coral reef. The huge coral reefs at the west and east parts of the beach have important function to add the beauty of the scenery and to border with other beach.
The coral reef of which form resembles the fang of a monkey protrudes little bit to the ocean. The name of the beach was - according to Wastoyo, the local senior leader - taken from the form of the coral reef that resembles the shape of a monkey's fang. The coral reef remains beautiful to enjoy with the waves sometimes hit it and the seawater permeates through its cavities.
The monkey's fang coral reef that still stands firmly despite eroding waves becomes the witness of the triumph of Siung area in the past. Wastoyo tells that Siung area was one of the trading centers during the time of Islamic leaders in Gunung Kidul area. Close to the beach, in Winangun area, there is a traditional market. Here, Mrs Kami and Mrs Podi, the widows of the servants of the Yogyakarta and Surakarta Kingdoms lived.
Most of the people in Siung area make their living by producing salt. They rely their lives on the seawater that is rich in rich content. The salt produced by the local people becomes the main commodity in Winangun market. Even though the sea is rich in various kinds of fish, not many local people dare to go sea by that time. Most of them just catch fish at the shallow waters.
The trading in Winangun market was decreasing when the market was "moved" to Yogyakarta. The new market in Yogyakarta that used to be the Winangun market in Siung area was named Jowinangun that stands for Jobo Winangun, meaning outside the Winangun area. Local people lost their livelihood and not many people come to this area. There is no history telling what local people did to keep alive.
It was during the vacuum time that the beauty of the coral reefs in Siung Beach regained its popularity. In around 1989, a group of nature lovers from Japan utilized the coral cliffs to the west of the beach as an arena for cliff climbing. Then, in 1990s, there was a competition of Asian Climbing Gathering utilizing the coral cliff at Siung Beach. Since then, the popularity of Siung Beach began to come back.
As many as 250 climbing routes are now available at Siung Beach to facilitate the lovers of cliff climbing sport. Referring to the rule that the existing route can be added with the consent from the maker of the previous path, the routes can possibly be added. Many groups have made use of the climbing routes in this beach, such as a group of students from the State University of Yogyakarta that was about to climb when YogYES came to visit this beach.
The other facility supporting the cliff climbing activity is the camping ground in the eastern part of the beach. Tents are erected in the camping ground and fire can be set to spend the night. The only requirement to go camping there is destroying the environment and disturbing the turtle habitat as the sign board there says.
Close to the camping ground, a wooden stage-house can be functioned as the base camp as another choice than erecting the tent. It contains 10 - 15 people. The stage-house enables visitors to get wider view of the exotic beach. You only have to get permission from local people and pay some amount of money to use the stage-house.
When night comes or when there are not many visitors, the long-tailed monkeys will get down from the cliff to the shore. The existence of these rare long-tailed monkeys can be one of the reasons why the naming of the coral reef was analogized with the fang of the monkey, not other kinds of animals.
Wastoyo explains, based on what wise men explained, the prosperity and triumph of Siung Beach will come soon. The visit of more people and the increasing popularity as an arena of cliff climbing signal the movement of this beach to its triumph. The visit of tourists, including you, will surely speed up the attainment of the triumph.

Serangan Village, Visiting the Home of the Keris-carvers
Visiting Serangan village makes you admire the greatness of keris more; traditional weapons that at the same time function as handicrafts that the world has acknowledged them as one of the greatest cultural products. You can see the activities of the keris-carvers; a very important profession in the keris making but it is often overseen since people too admire the empu or the keris-smiths.
You can reach Serangan village from the Great Post Office cross road by heading westwards or you turn right if you are from Malioboro street. You will come to this village after passing by 2 traffic lights and you turn left to an alley behind Serangan terminal complex. You can also go by taxi or public bus, line 9 and 12, if you do not drive your own vehicle.
If you come to the houses of the keris-carvers, you will see directly the process of decorating the keris with carvings and various accessories. The decorating process usually begins with melting the decorating raw materials, either silver or gold. Then, the melted material is plated to the surface of the keris and is carved according to the expected motifs.
In order to make the keris stable while being carved, asphalt that is burnt before is used as the base holder to make the keris sticks to it firmly. This firm holder is needed since the process of carving or decorating can take until 2 months time. The carving is done in a unique way by using very traditional equipments, namely a hammer and various shapes of carving nails.
The carvers usually decorate keris with decoration motifs that were developed during the triumphant of Javanese Kingdom, from Majapahit to Mataram. Flower motifs are often used to symbolize the triumphant of a kingdom and the long dragon motif is used to symbolize the power to extend the colony areas. By far, there are no new motifs innovated by the carvers.
In addition to using very simple instruments, the process of carving keris is not started by drawing pattern on the keris surface. The carvers only look at the sketches drawn on papers. This is another excellence of this carving process because there is no room for faults to occur during the process. Once a carver makes a mistake, the valuable keris may become meaningless.
In addition to observing the carving process, you can also order keris with certain decorations as you like. If you want it, you can also bring your keris to be decorated. In order to get good quality of the decoration, you should also pay equal value. For a fine golden keris, it costs you at least 10 million Indonesian Rupiah.
Though expensive, you will not be disappointed with the result. The decoration of the carvers in Serangan village has been famous in foreign countries as well. The carvings by Prawirodiprojo, for example, have penetrated the markets in Germany, Netherlands, Australia and United States of America. When you put your order for keris, you only have to be patient because you have to wait months to get it on your hands because of the long making-process.

Sepanjang, The Old Kuta Beach
If you want to enjoy the nostalgia of Kuta Beach in the past time, Sepanjang Beach is the right place. Sepanjang has long coastal lines, clean water sands, and medium waves. You can just choose: sun bathing under the bright sun, surfing, or just enjoy the beach beauty. You can enjoy all the things when you come to the beach that lies some kilometers from Sundak Beach.
Sepanjang Beach is one of newly opened beaches. The name 'Sepanjang' which means 'long' derives from the characteristic of the beach that has the longest coastal lines of all beaches in Gunung Kidul. The atmosphere of this beach is so natural. The seaside is decorated with palm trees and huts roofed with dry leaves. The coral reef in the rise and fall of tides area is kept well. The dashes of waves reflect blue color signaling uncontaminated sea water. With such a situation, it is not false if the local government and investors plan to make this beach the second Kuta Beach.
The natural atmosphere makes Sepanjang Beach superior to Kuta Beach. Sepanjang does not offer such cliché things as beach café and luxurious cottages, but closeness to nature. You can still dig out coral reef to find mollusk and starfish (Echinodermata). You can also pull out seaweed from the coral. However, you must be careful in order not to stick the sea urchin's spines. You will not find those all in Kuta, will you?
The community sticks firmly to the coastal culture. No permanent buildings alongside the beach, only some huts where local people are living. Still on the coastal area, there is field where people plant soy bean. The slope beach that is directly dashed by waves prevents people from going to sea. Looking at the back, there are two hills on which valley where people plant corn as their main food. The land on top of the hill has been bought by an investor to make villa where visitors can stay.
Sepanjang also has a historical site, namely Banyusepuh. 'Banyu' means 'water' and 'sepuh' means to wash. Thus, the name means that the place that used to be a water spring is used to wash or to bathe. Those who used the place were Islamic pious leaders who washed their sacred weapons. You must ask local people to locate this site. When YogYES came to the place, there was only dry trash damp with wild plants around it.
When you get tired, have a rest. Local people usually sell food and drink in the huts alongside the beach. You may sit on bamboo seat while chatting and enjoying the wind of the sea. YogYES had the opportunity to enjoy the cool weather under the hut. When daylight is fading, look westwards where the sun sets. Local people will warmly welcome you to stay in their house because there are no villas yet.
For the souvenirs that you are going to take home, you do not have to worry. You do not have to take food as souvenir, do you? Some people living some kilometers from the beach make handicrafts from seashell that then are sold by coastal people. Even though it is not as commercial as those in Malaysia, the handicrafts vary. The shapes are royal carriage, statue, hair pinch or the dried ones and buried in white sands. Some of them are painted. The price is so fair, only five thousand Rupiah each.
Low price does not necessarily mean low value. Handicrafts made from seashell have precious historical value. If you read articles or books on Conchology Mollusca, you will know that such handicrafts are of high culture developing in coastal community. The people in Hawaii of the United States of America, Melanesia islands, or Maori in New Zealand develop similar handicrafts. They set seashell to become necklace, pant, belt, and carve them to make marvelous fine arts.
If you have no budget for the souvenirs, you can collect the seashell on the seaside. This small thing becomes interesting present with further processing. Take a piece of seashell and put it into plastic bag. Arriving at home, buy some tobacco or mint and mix it with alcohol 90%. After you soak it one night, take it and polish it slowly. The process will eliminate the lime layer on the seashell, leaving the central layer (prismatic layer). Polishing will make the color of the seashell brighter.Isn't it interesting to make a tour to Sepanjang Beach? What are you waiting for? You can just ride your motorcycle or step on the gas pedal of your car. You do not have to worry about the stony road to this place since the beauty of nature and culture you are going to enjoy pay for it. Trust me, it pays everything and you will agree to a tourist from the Netherlands saying, "This is the real new Kuta. There are many beaches here and there have been so many tourists in Bali; the beach here is so quiet, so enjoyable."

Sendang Sriningsih, the Medium of God's Blessing
The Sub-district of Prambanan that by far is famous for temple tourism objects that are full of Hindu-Budha nuance turns to have other tourism object with Christian nuance. Sendang Sriningsih is one of them, a pilgrimage place in the form of eternal water spring and Maria Cave that is located in Gayamharjo, in between Bukit Ijo and Mintorogo. It is reachable by motorcycle or car. Going eastwards from Prambanan temple, you will have to turn right upon arriving at the third T-junction.
The history of Sendang Sriningsih began in 1934, when a Jesuit priest named D Hardjosuwondo SJ who was assigned in Jali village visited the place that used to be called Sendang Duren. Enchanted by the spiritual aura of the place, he then constructed the location around the water spring to become a pilgrimage place and he then named it Sendang Sriningsih, meaning the medium of God's blessing to His people.
Once you arrive the place, you can directly begin celebration process by tracking the sacrification path. The route is designed in the form of ascending stairs as long as 900 meters. Like any other sacrification path route, there are relief along the path telling the journey of Jesus shouldering the wooden cross. You may say your prayer while tracking the route.
Sacrification path ends when you come to small T-junction, turn right and see a big cross with Jesus effigy nailed on the cross. The location of cross is named precisely the same with the hill where Jesus was crucified, namely Golgotha. You can light candles beneath the cross and say your prayer. Quite many people pray in this place when YogYES visited.
If you want to see the spring and Maria Cave, you turn left from the small T-junction. According to the story, Sendang Sriningsih has become a lake beneath the earth and the bank of it is cemented and the upper part is covered with plate to keep the water clean. To take the water, you can open the tap at the right side of the spring. There is belief that the water can cure illnesses.
As high as four meters Mary Cave where pilgrims execute devotion is located to the right of the spring. The place is quite vast and cool to pray under big trees. By Christmas time, when YogYES visited, there are many pilgrims praying in this Mary Cave. Usually, people come in groups or with familiy or school colleagues.
Walking leftwards from the cave to go upwards, you will see big Cross with the writing at the back reading tertier millenium, symbolizing millenium change. If you look straight ahead, you will see the green hill scenery and housing around the area. When you get tired, you can take a rest in the shelter while enjoying the breeze.
Celebrations are done nine times in one year every Fridays night at certain Javanese calendar time called Jumat Kliwon as a sacred day for Javanese people. Afterwards, holy mass is celebrated with as many as 3,000 pilgrims involved. Such holy ritual shows harmony of Javanese culture and Catholic culture in the area.
One of other attractive factor of this place is the water of the spring that is believed to be able to give safety and deliver people from illness.

Sendang Sono, Lourdes in Indonesia
You will reach Sendang Sono after passing through bending street at the foot of Menoreh hill. There are two alternatives in order to reach the place from Yogyakarta, namely via Jalan Godean to arrive at Sentolo before turning right, or via Jalan Magelang to come to T-junction of the market in Muntilan city before turning left. The distance is around 45 kilometers from Yogyarta, or it will take you one hour to get to the place by motorcycle.
An entrance with stone wall on both sides will lead you to the vast pilgrimage complex where you will find small chapels, the path of Jesus Sacrification, the Cave of Maria, shelters, and kiosks selling praying goods. Cool weather will greet you upon entering the complex thanks to many growing trees there.
Sendang Sono was named by its location. Sendang means water spring and Sono means the sono or sonokeling tree, denoting that the spring is located under the sono tree. If you will see the spring and the sono tree, please turn right upon entering the gate. Unfortunately, you will not be able to see the spring clearly because it is closed with glass box.
Before 1904, this spring was wellknown as Sendang Semagung, which functioned as the resting place of the bhikku who left for Boro area, the area to the south of Sendang Sono. Since 20 May 1904, however, by the arrival of Father Van Lith and baptism of 173 people of Kalibawang by using the spring water, this place changed its function to the pilgrimage place for Catholic people.
Entering the main chapel in this pilgrimage complex, you can commemorate the baptism event happening 102 years ago, since there is relief describing the baptism procession. Entering the Mother Mary chapel and the Desciples Chapel, you will remember the struggle of Mother Mary and the twelve disciples with Jesus Christ.
If you are interested in remembering the struggle of one of the Catholic community activists, you can pay a visit to the tomb close to Mother Mary chapel. There, you will find the tomb of Mr. Barnabas Sarikromo, a good friend of Father Van Lith who also one of the people baptized in 1904 and was determined to be the first teacher of Catholic religion in the area.
Sarikromo who was born on 1874 was a person full of blessing because his persistent effort to be close to God. When he was young, he suffered from skin disease that was difficult to cure. In his prayer and promise to serve his life to God if he was cured, he met Father Van Lith who brought him to a brother for medication.
The short-distance path of Jesus Sacrification can be an alternative celebration to commemorate Jesus' misery to shoulder the Cross. At every stop of the sacrification path, you can light a candle and say your prayer while remembering important events of Jesus' to Golgotha hill, such as the events of his three falling while shouldering the wooden cross, when Veronica wiped His face with her handkerchief and the last minutes of the death of Jesus Christ.
Praying in front of the Cave of Mary that is located close to the sono tree is another way of seeking tranquility. Many people say their prayer by kneeling down and lighting candles in front of this cave. You can even write your hopes or wishes on a piece of paper and then put it into a firing pot in order for God to receive it. For your information, the statue in this complex was directly shipped from Spain.
In addition to pacifying yourself and praying, you can also enjoy the enchantment of the complex architecture designed by Father Y.B Mangunwijaya Pr and it won AGA Khan Awards. You can also sit relax in the shelter while enjoying the surrounding buildings dominated by stone as the material, or stand on the small bridge to enjoy the beauty of the flowing river underneath.
When you are going to leave, do not forget to take some spring water flowing from the taps at the side of the river. The water is believed to give blessings to anyone who drink it or use it for many other purposes. It will complete your contemplation and wishes that you say in your prayer.