Royal Cemetery - Kota Gede

Dated back in the 8th century AD, when Mataram Kingdom ruled, Kota Gede was a busy capital city. Now what's left is just a quiet small town with beautiful old buildings and some ruins. But there are two sites that stay intact - the cemetery complexes.The first one is the Sultanate Royal Cemetery Where Mataram sultans and their family were buried.

The Royal Guard prepares the uniforms

outer wall of the Royal Cemetery

 

The other cemetery is Hasta Rengga, later built by King Sultan Hamengku Buwono VII for his family and descendants. Hasta Rengga was built from the remnants of what was formerly Mataram Palace.

A strange thing happenned when I was here, or perhaps it was just my fantasy.
May be I should have asked the royal guard who abruptly sat on the floor guarding me while I  visited a tomb.

O death, where is thy sting? 

O grave, where is thy victory? ...

~Bible quote

Javanese House

Javanese architectural is more complex than what we might have known. Beyond the popular 'joglo' architectural, there are more than a dozen types of house, or may be even more than that.

Detail of an old door - a house in Maguwoharjo, east Jogja

Doorlock - Imogiri

House facade - next to Beringharjo market

Intricately carved pillars - A house in KotaGede

Detail of beams - Omah Kalang- KotaGede

Another type of Omah Kalang - KotaGede

A villager's house - KotaGede

Old House - Maguwoharjo

Lonely window - Omah Kalang - KotaGede

Every door has its meaning, each beam and post has its own name and story. 

Each house has its own soul.

Magelang Short Culinary Trip

How lucky that day I was, meeting the family who owns this small restaurant called 'Es Murni' in Magelang, an hour drive from Jogjakarta.  The food provided there wasn't such a fancy meal, but it brought all the childhood memories. Delicious, well prepared, and honest. 

Lontong Cap Go Meh

The Lontong Cap Go Meh, a Peranakan style food, almost made me burst in tears, because that very dish was my late grandma's favorite, served the way it used to be with all the condiments. And the 'lontong' itself, the ricecake, was moist and fragrant... I'm lost for words.

Want to know how to cook Lontong Cap Go Meh? I found it here, in a nice blog named Bianca and Jordan's Mom. You might want to have a look. Just click here, and you'll get the recipe, presto!

 When it comes to dinner time, we went to a small chinese restaurant, which I couldn't remember the name, unfortunately. The food was as great, hearty, cooked on charcoal stove which gave a smokey taste, and the freshness; oh I could almost swear it's all freshly picked this morning.

Let's get drooling everyone!

Flower Mass at Beringharjo

Hit the music, and enjoy while you scroll down. Happy listening!

Its fragrance and striking color will catch your sight every time you pass this old market at the heart of Jogjakarta; Pasar Beringharjo.

And this time, I bought a big basket of this sweet smelling white and fuchsia rose, jasmine, champaka and cananga just to make me feel less guilty taking picture of the old lady who sells the flower. Who'd know that buying the flower will lead me to a strange journey and experience? But that's another story. At this moment, let's enjoy the flower!

A Day at The Beach

The Depok Beach at the southern part of Jogjakarta isn't the best beach around. But the best part of it was that I could find a fish market there, that serves as an open restaurant as well.  So, on a cloudy day, I enjoy a freshly catch fried shrimp with warm white rice and hot chili sauce! Yum. 

Colourful kites sold at the beach

Depok Beach on A Cloudy Day

Have a great weekend, Guys!