Jogja Days: The City Tour
Holla!
It's very windy and rainy these days. It's cold, but I enjoy the weather. You know, the the kind which makes you lazy, all wrapped up in your sweater and sipping your cup of coffee. Listening to rain drips, and falling asleep (happens to me the most lol).
Anyway, in the last post I told you guys about GIMSCO, and now is the most exciting part. The last day of GIMSCO was the city tour day! Definitely what I was waiting for haha. We went to Candi Prambanan, Keraton, and Taman Sari. They're all very very gorgeous, and I must admit that Jogja is a very traditional yet sophisticated city. There's always something at every corner. Kay, let's start then, first of it was Candi Prambanan. Located 17 kilometers away from Yogyakarta, this temple stands as an offering to Trimurti, the three gods of Hindu people, which are Brahma, Wishnu, and Siwa. It is the biggest temple in Indonesia, and also one of the most beautiful in Southeast Asia.
Moving on was Keraton, which is kinda like a palace for the Sultan of Yogyakarta. Sultan is like the king of Yogyakarta, slash governor haha. So it's like a house, just super big and museum-like lol. Inside was many paintings, gifts from the european kings, private collections of the sultan, and also a complete history of the Kesultanan Yogyakarta. "Abdi dalam" is the servant of the Keraton. To be an abdi dalam, one must endure training of five years, and then working in the Keraton. Their salary was only Rp. 4.500,- per month, and the government wasn't allowed to pay them. I was told that the job as an abdi dalam is like a dedication to the Keraton, and that the job was holy. One of the abdi dalams I met told me that it was a calling to be an abdi dalam, to serve the Keraton, and they did it whole-heartedly. One of the important questions popping was also, how would they be able to pay the expenses of their family with only Rp. 4.500,-/month? The answer was, the job as an abdi dalam was like a shift-job. So people did it for example like, once every 9 or 11 days. And the rest of the days, they spend working outside of the Keraton. But they could also choose to dedicate themselves full-time. In this case, their money comes from those who wishes to give them some.
Last, but not least, was Taman Sari (translation: Flower Garden). Inside was gardens, pavillions for meditations, and also water garden! It's a pool actually, three pools to be exact. The pools were the place for bathing. Three pools was built, for the concubines, sons and daughters of the king, and the king himself. There is also a small tower built for the Sultan to choose upon which concubines the Sultan wishes to have. It is told that the Sultan would climb up to the tower, watch the concubines take a bath, and then choose one of them by tossing a flower to the pool. The concubine which receives the flower, gets to go inside and bathe with the king. How playboy of the king, don't you think? Haha.
But my journey in jogja didn't end by the 8th of December, cause I decided to extend my stay in Jogja. My housemates from Jakarta are coming over, and we're going around the city! YAY!
Let's save that for my next post, enjoy the pics!
xxx
It's very windy and rainy these days. It's cold, but I enjoy the weather. You know, the the kind which makes you lazy, all wrapped up in your sweater and sipping your cup of coffee. Listening to rain drips, and falling asleep (happens to me the most lol).
Anyway, in the last post I told you guys about GIMSCO, and now is the most exciting part. The last day of GIMSCO was the city tour day! Definitely what I was waiting for haha. We went to Candi Prambanan, Keraton, and Taman Sari. They're all very very gorgeous, and I must admit that Jogja is a very traditional yet sophisticated city. There's always something at every corner. Kay, let's start then, first of it was Candi Prambanan. Located 17 kilometers away from Yogyakarta, this temple stands as an offering to Trimurti, the three gods of Hindu people, which are Brahma, Wishnu, and Siwa. It is the biggest temple in Indonesia, and also one of the most beautiful in Southeast Asia.
from djakarta!
atma jaya team!
and things get weirder
fly pose lol
Moving on was Keraton, which is kinda like a palace for the Sultan of Yogyakarta. Sultan is like the king of Yogyakarta, slash governor haha. So it's like a house, just super big and museum-like lol. Inside was many paintings, gifts from the european kings, private collections of the sultan, and also a complete history of the Kesultanan Yogyakarta. "Abdi dalam" is the servant of the Keraton. To be an abdi dalam, one must endure training of five years, and then working in the Keraton. Their salary was only Rp. 4.500,- per month, and the government wasn't allowed to pay them. I was told that the job as an abdi dalam is like a dedication to the Keraton, and that the job was holy. One of the abdi dalams I met told me that it was a calling to be an abdi dalam, to serve the Keraton, and they did it whole-heartedly. One of the important questions popping was also, how would they be able to pay the expenses of their family with only Rp. 4.500,-/month? The answer was, the job as an abdi dalam was like a shift-job. So people did it for example like, once every 9 or 11 days. And the rest of the days, they spend working outside of the Keraton. But they could also choose to dedicate themselves full-time. In this case, their money comes from those who wishes to give them some.
the abdi dalams
you know you can never miss selca ;)
shopping district
Last, but not least, was Taman Sari (translation: Flower Garden). Inside was gardens, pavillions for meditations, and also water garden! It's a pool actually, three pools to be exact. The pools were the place for bathing. Three pools was built, for the concubines, sons and daughters of the king, and the king himself. There is also a small tower built for the Sultan to choose upon which concubines the Sultan wishes to have. It is told that the Sultan would climb up to the tower, watch the concubines take a bath, and then choose one of them by tossing a flower to the pool. The concubine which receives the flower, gets to go inside and bathe with the king. How playboy of the king, don't you think? Haha.
the gate!
meditation spot
But my journey in jogja didn't end by the 8th of December, cause I decided to extend my stay in Jogja. My housemates from Jakarta are coming over, and we're going around the city! YAY!
Let's save that for my next post, enjoy the pics!
xxx
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