Solo, Indonesia - Heartland of Java

Woke up on our third day in Yogya to clear blue sky and fine weather. Went to the balcony and just realised that we had a fantastic view of Mount Merapi, which was hidden from our view due to the ghastly weather the past 2 days. There it was , the most active volcano in Indonesia, with smoke visibly coming out from the top. I marvelled at the thought of travelling for miles yesterday to its vicinity without being able to see it, and now having a clear view of it practically at our backyard.

Today would be our trip to Solo. Solo or Surakarta is one of the two heirs to the Mataram Kingdom. It's known as the heartland of Central Java, and the least westernized. I had no expectations of Solo. The only things I had heard of it prior to reserach for this trip were the Bengawan Solo river and the fact that Batiks were much cheaper there than in Jogja. But somehow, it was still one of those places that I had to set foot on. It took us the better part of 2 hours to get there, even with Yoyok speeding and weaving through traffic like a demon.

I had a few places planned in my itinerary for our day in Solo: Istana Mangkunegaran, Pasar Klewar, Kraton Surakarta, Solo river and Danar Hadi Batik. What I did not factor in was the heat and humidity that, after 1 hour out in the elements, dissolved all the wanderlust I had at that time. That, and Pasar Klewar's non-existence ventilation.

It all started very good when we managed to arrive at the Kraton carpark at the same time as the parade of royal guards. With the guards resplendent in vivid blue, red and green "pahlawan" attire, it was Solo's version of the Changing of the Guards. We then proceeded to a bright blue mobile hawker stall, where we had strong local coffee and the best tempe I have ever had.

We skipped the kraton as we would be going to the one in Yogya tomorrow and headed straight to Pasar Klewar, the biggest batik market in Indonesia. I'm not sure whether we went to the wrong parts of the market, but what I saw of it was small units crammed together, with the narrowest walkways you could ever imagine. It made the Filipino Market in Kota Kinabalu look like a shopping mall. If you have a pushchair, my advice is: Don't go. There is no way you could navigate a pushchair through that maze. On top of that, due to the (zero) ventilation, it was really hot and stuffy. Snufkin was getting really cranky until I bribed him with a cheapo water gun - a shortlived toy since we had to get rid of it before we left for the airport lest the luggage x-ray expose us as terrorists. Guns aside, we also bought a couple of souvenirs (Batik, naturally) and then sought refuge at one of the stalls at the corridor outside, gurgling bottles of "teh botol" and inhaling fresh air. For Snufkin, I bought a drink with the least amount of chemical-sounding ingredients.

Pasar Klewar

After that, we had lunch at a local restaurant built just next to a railway track. The trains thundering past provided entertainment for Snufkin. Overall, I don't think I saw much of Solo beyond Pasar Klewar, the Kraton's backyard and snippets of the streetlife. We were not there for a long time anyway as the trip back would take another 2 hours, and in any case we were totally spent from the jaunt in Pasar Klewar that all we wanted to do was to stay in the air-conditioned comfort of the rented car forever.

But still, Solo oozed with soul, much like the rest of Indonesia. There's certainly other things to do in Solo than shopping for batik. If by any chance I found myself in Solo again, I would definitely spend more time there (minus Pasar Klewar) with a side-trip to nearby Sangiran Early Man Site to see the skeleton of the Java Man, and to tick off another Unesco World Heritage Site from my list!