Friendship Journey to Yokyakarta from January 23 to 27, 2009
-
1. Introduction
1.1 After visiting Angkor Wat in Siem Reap Cambodia the pull to visit Yokyakarta was great as here lies another great religious monument , the Borobudur. I recollect having visited the city quite some few years (April 1986) back when a I led a delegation of researchers from the Malaysian Agricultural Research Institute to familiarize with agricultural development on the island of Jawa. We started the educational journey from Jakarta, then proceeded to Bogor, Puntjak, Bandung, Yokyakarta, Surabaya, Malang, Banyuwangi and the Island of Bali. The only aspect of the visit to Yokyakarta that I remembered was dinner cultural show in an open air theatre. The schedule of the visit was tight and there was hardly time for sightseeing.
1.2 I made inquiries with with my regular travelling mates as to who would be free to join on the journey. Initially Dato’ Dr. Mohd Nor Ismail agreed and the package booking (airfare + hotel accommotion) was made about two months before the scheduled date of travel. The package price was RM 1 500. Rahim A. Rahman decided to join later. Finally the delegation was a three member group.
1.3 Checked the internet (en Wikipedia) on the city. According to this digital publication the city has an area of 32.5 sq km. The tourist attractions include Borobudur, Prambanan, Universiti Gadjah Mada, Kraton Ngayogyakarta, Djalan Malioboro. From other source of information, for entertainment outlets, among the night clubs listed are Hugo’s, Embassy, Republic, Caesar Café & Lounge.
1.4 We departed at 2.00 pm by Air Asia flight. It was a two-hour flight and with a one hour lost of time we landed at Yokyakarta Airport around 5 pm local time (WIT –West Indonesian Time). The Airport was small and congested. It took almost an hour for immigration and baggage clearance. We were shuttled to …. Sakthi Hotel, one-half an hour ride from the Airport.
2. Programme of Activities and Places Visited
2.1 On Saturday January 24, 2009, on the advice of our guide we decided to visit Borobudur and go on a city tour of Yokyakarta. The city tour covered the visit to the Kraton and Taman Sari. On Sunday January 25, the itinerary include the visit to Solo and the complex of temples of Prambanan. On Monday January 26 we headed for the beach and the small home industries around the city. Finally on the last day (Jan 27), with the flight schedule late in the afternoon, I visited the heart of Yokya – Jalan Malioboro-which is considered the main tourist area.
2.2 Borobudur – it was Borobudur that enticed me to visit Yokya. I was excited to have a glimpse of it. There were many visitors on the day we visited it and the entrance fee for foreigners was Rp 175 000. Situated 42 km from the city the Buddhist temple was built in the 8 th and 9th century during the Sailendra Kingdom. Its foundation is estimated to have an area of 123 sq m.with the original height of 33 m.However it has reduced to 31.5 m caused by soil subsidence and tremors of the earthquake. It was said to have been constructed from 1 600 000 blocks of volcanic stones. It has ten levels – a courtyard, 6 main rectangular terraces and three round terraces. It is in the walls of these terraces that inscriptions of the life of Gautama Buddha and how he obtained enlightenment were made. The temple underwent a massive restoration work by UNESCO between 1973 and 1983.
2.3 Prambanan - this complex of 237 temples was built at around the same time as the Borobudur, in the reign of the Hindu Sanjaya dynasty. They are considered the sanctuaries of the Hindu God, Siwa. The statue of Siwa is located in the central part of the complex with smaller statues of Vishnu and Brahma.
- 2.4 Karaton - this is the palace of the Sultans of Yogya. It is walled and inhabited by more than 25 000 people. It was built in the period of 1755-1756. A large part of it is used as a museum and holds an extensive exhibits which include gifts from the monarchs of Europe and heirlooms of the royal family.
- 2.5 Taman Sari - this was the pleasure complex of the Sultan
3. The city - Yogyakarta. It is regarded as the artistic and intellectual heritage of Indonesia with the kraton serving as the hub of traditional life. It was established by Sultan Mataram, Sultan Hamengkubuwono in 1755 - 56. To the Indonesians Yogya is a symbol of resistance to colonial rule and became the capital of the Republic from 1946 until its independence in 1949. Jln Malioboro is the main road and centre of tourist attraction, with many souvenir shops and stalls.
No comments:
Post a Comment