Solo - Central Java

This centre of Javanese culture has old colonial charm, the best of Southeast Asian warmth and the wide streets and well-planned squares of a small European town. Crumbly old-Dutch buildings and the two keratons of Kasunan and Mangkunegaran dominate the old town, surrounded by quaint streets lined with small houses with proudly manicured gardens.

Why, such a lovely name for such a close-knit and affable town. Solo, previously known as 'Surakarta' was indeed, living by its namesake, until recently. A result, 99.9% of the population of Solo, a naturally halus or well-mannered people, are not only extremely friendly to visitors but also free of the 'hello mister' attitude that comes with big tourist traps. People in Solo love a visitor.

This is a town made for the open-air. Sit in a becak or hop on the back of an ojek or motorbike taxi, stop for nasi liwet at a small side-street or sing your heart out at one of the obscure karaoke shacks and bars, open until dawn. Though many places are open all night, Solo affectionately goes by the old moniker 'So-slow,' precisely what gives it such lovable appeal.

Triwindu Antiques Market
Nestled in a labyrinthian market selling ball-bearings and car parts, the gems at Triwindu antiques market, appear even more dramatic and blissfully cheap compared to anywhere in Bali or Jakarta. On the fringes, next to a small stall selling greasy knobs and bolts, sunlight streams through Morrocan ceiling lamps saturated with color. There are venetian mirrors and transistor radios. A stall sells reproduction antique, hefty stone Buddha heads and brushed brass ganeshas of all sizes, next to a small case containing three, silk 1930s clutch-purses with delicate crystal embellishment (except that now there are two).

There are hip 1960s cocktail sets, straight from the pages of interior design magazines and about a tenth of the price of the same set in NYC or London. There are silver peacock-shaped door handles in painted wrought iron, gold vintage brooches and limestone elephants.

Because most of the goods from Triwindu are superior-quality, reproduction antiques and the rest genuine bric-a-brac from the last 60 years, prices are low. Sellers from all over come to Triwindu to sell their handiwork. It is worth a weekend trip to Solo just to furnish ones house with goods from Triwindu, or get a year's worth of gift-buying over in one morning. The sellers never harass and are open to bargaining.

Pasar Klewer
According to the tourism board, Pasar Klewer is the biggest batik and textile market in Indonesia. This may not be wholly true but it could possible be the friendliest. Ask to see a sarong and a podgy old lady will roll out the whole bunch and happily put them back when one walks away. Prices here are low. Expect to pay Rp 30.000 for a printed soft-cotton sarong or Rp 50.000 for a silk ready-made top.

Pasar Klewer (Klewer market)

Keraton Kasunanan
Javanese culture, dance, and music permeate the lives of the timeless occupants of the palace, from the guards to the royal orchestra. there are few things to see here, save for a few random artefacts and a large canoe. The palace is far more haphazard than the smaller mangkunegaran. It's unconventional charm, however, calls for a romantic stroll with the sand in one's toes. Gamelan practice is from 9am - 2pm daily.

Keraton Kasunanan

Istana Mangkunegaran
Mangkunegaran is perhaps the more cosmopolitan of the two Karatons of Surakarta. Mangkunegaran shares close ties with political powers of the past few decades.

Istana Mangkunegaran

Around the time of the Chinese rebellion against the Dutch, Raden Mas Said, the first Mangkunegaran Sultan, born in 1725, persuaded the powers that be to stop the war by signing the Salatiga treaty, during which time he became a sultan. He was like his successors to date, entitled to have his own city square, establish a women's centre, sit upon the throne and raise a pair of sacred banyan trees.

Though modelled on a typical keraton with fortress walls and a ceiling with a fire motif (each color represents a positive attribute and brings peace to the palace) Mangkunegaran went through major architectural changes during the colonial period and exhibits European decorative features typical of the period.

Queen of the South - Parangtritis, Central Java

Queen of the South Sea - Ratu Kidul

Java's south coast is shrouded in mystery and legend, and nowhere is this more alive than in the heartland of Javanese culture and lore, Yogyakarta. The special province of Yogyakarta is remarkable for many reasons. It is home to a still-functioning royal court with a widely-loved monarch. Just to the north of the city is the legendary volcano, Merapi, also known for being the most active volcano in the world!

Parangtritis beach - Yogyakarta

Sunset in Parangtritis with andong - traditional trasportation in Yogyakarta

And directly to the south, forming the third element in this spiritual triumvirate is Parangtritis beach - where the Indian Ocean pounds against rugged, windswept shores, located about 27 km. from Yogyakarta. This is not the setting for your usual kind of beach holiday. Gone are the gently swaying palms and white sands - they are replaced with black volcanic sands and a sparse tumultuous environment of tossing seas and jagged rocks. The spirituality and vitality of Parangtritis is immediately apparent. This is no ordinary beach, it is the realm of ghosts and goddesses - it is the realm of queen Ratu Kidul or Nyai Loro Kidul.

Nyai Loro Kidul has many different names, which reflect the diverse stories of her origin in a lot of sagas, legends, myths and traditional folklore. Other names include Ratu Laut Selatan ("Queen of the South Sea," meaning the Indian Ocean) and Gusti Kangjeng Ratu Kidul. Many Javanese believe it is important to use various honorifics when referring to her, such as Nyai, Kangjeng, and Gusti. People who invoke her also call her Eyang (grandmother). In mermaid form she is referred to as Nyai Blorong. The Javanese word loro literally means two - 2 and merged into the name of the myth about the Spirit-Queen born as a beautiful girl/maiden. (Wiki)

Nyai Loro Kidul is often illustrated as a mermaid with a tail as well the lower part of the body of a snake. The mythical creatures are claimed to take the soul of any who are wished for.

Sometimes Nyai Loro Kidul literally can be spoken of as a "naga", a mythical snake. This idea may have been derived from some myths concerning a princess of Pajajaran who suffered from leprosy. The skin disease mentioned in most of the myths about Nyai Loro Kidul might possibly refer to the shedding of a snake's skin.

Legends of Ratu Kidul and her tragic, demise abound. According to one account she was the great aunt of Raden Joko Suruh, an orphaned prince of the Pajajaran kingdom. It is said that she appeared to him as a hermit and instructed him to establish the Majapahit Empire in east Java. Many generations later, a descendant of Joko Suruh, came to the shores of Parangtritis to meditate in preparation for a great battle with the kingdoms of the north. He was visited by Ratu Kidul who took him to her underwater kingdom where he studied the arts of war and love. After three days he emerged at Parangkusumo. To this day, she is said to be in communion with each of the sultans of this line to aid them when they come and pray for her assistance. Parangkusumo also remains a place of great spiritual significance and constantly attracts pilgrims who leave offerings and pray for Ratu Kidul's help. Another regular visitor is the sultan himself. At his coronation ceremony in 1989, a sudden gust of fragrant wind was noted not only by the sultan but by many others in attendance. It is believed that this wind signified the spiritual presence of Ratu Kidul.

Ratu Kidul's favourite color is a special shade of pale yellow-green known as gadung melati. Local folklore warns visitors not to wear the colour green, or the Queen will entice the wearer into the ocean to drown. And that is why you will rarely see anyone wearing green near the beach. If you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, Ratu Kidul or her one of her ministers, may just claim you as another subject in her underwater court. Each year the treacherous waters here take a few more lives, each year Ratu Kidul's watery court grows a little larger, and those who survive fo on whispering the legends of the ghostly queen.