Yogyakarta

After 2 intense days of temples we settle in Yogyakarta, known as a city of education for all things traditionally Javanese (music, theater, textiles, etc.). We didn’t venture to any of the many universities, but we did see many young people in central Yogya where we were staying.

The city is also the capital of the Special Region of Yogyakarta — special, because it has a sultan. The sultanate existed apparently since prehistory, and survived the waves of European colonization and Indonesian independence. When independence was declared, the Sultan expressed his allegiance and in return was granted a special status. We visited the Sultan’s palace, a large estate suffering in disrepair, but preserving some interesting elements of history.

Sultan’s Palace in Yogyakarta

Yogya is a big city, with few visible Western tourists. Although more walkable than much of Bali, the city center is full of exhaust fumes hovering in the hot air. We walked the main thoroughfare (Jalan Malioboro) down to the local market area, which is absolutely packed with hundreds or thousands of vendors mostly selling batik clothing or other clothing. After some hours it’s dizzying to take in all the patterns, materials, of different sizes and purposes, etc. The true central market is a maze of stalls stocked from floor to ceiling in endless batiks.

Javanese Theater

Jalan Malioboro in Yogyakarta

We spent two evenings enjoying traditional Javanese theater. The first, Ramayana Ballet, overpriced and of mediocre quality was nevertheless intriguing. The same Ramayana story presented in the reliefs of Prambanan. The second, traditional puppet theater, also telling the story of Ramayana. The puppet theater was underpriced and quite enjoyable. The performance is led by a single puppeteer who sets the pace for the ensemble of musicians to follow. The puppeteer also has some musical methods to control the tension of the scene (like tapping a wooden box, or using one of his feet to chime a cymbal.

Puppet theater in Yogyakarta

The puppet performance had a curious mix of the serious focus of a sacred ritual and the casual atmosphere of performing with friends. Some of the musicians waved at Asa, and one invited a young woman to sit and play the instrument with him. This kind of mixed atmosphere was one I had seen in many performances through out Indonesia. Overall, it made things more enjoyable.