FREE No. 1 July
for Tourists and Expats
One day trip in Parangtritis beach The restaurant of the month Underground Jogja Javanese wisdom Tips & tricks for driving in Jogja Interview with a decision maker Also inside : • What’s up in July • Practical Information
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• Basics of Indonesian language
Map of Yogyakarta
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Monthly magazine Editorial dani Sadat Editor in Chief : Sukam ds Lan tika Contributors : Exo hoebrouck Van rick Pat Printing : 5 000 Produced by PT Cerise Jl Suryodiningratan A2 - Yog yakarta Griya Surio Asri 2 No. info@yogyabisnis.com 971 Tel. +62 274 372 Adver tising: to : in Jogja Mag, send email If you want to advertise info@yogyabisnis.com
Summary • • • • • • • • • •
The launch of Jogja Mag in June was a success. For that, we particularly want to thank those who bet on the project. Advertisers and contributors made this project come true. Now it is official, Yogyakarta has its own magazine! For this edition we focus on Parangtritis Beach. It is a wonderful place, full of mysticism related to the Javanese culture. Enjoy your trip !
The Editor
Destination of the month : One day trip in Parangtritis beach. 5 The restaurant of the month : Omah Dhuwur Restaurant. 9 Underground Jogja : Dubstep is coming ! 11 Javanese wisdom. 13 Tips & triks for driving in Jogja - 17 Interview with a decision maker : Bontje - Hotel Queen of the South. 18 What’s up in July in Yogyakarta. 21 Practical information. 21 Basics of indonesian language. 21 Map of Yogyakarta. 23
Destination of the Month
One day trip in Parangtritis beach What if this weekend we could make something special? Forget about the usual white sand beaches and try a trip to the sea in a magical area, far away from the noise of the town. If you drive your motorbike for one hour from the town center you will find Parangtritis also called Paris by the local population. It is a very distinct beach, a unique place with a special history and a great atmosphere. The sand is grey and the sea is too dangerous to swim. So then, where is the interest in going to the Indian Ocean if you can’t even put your feet in water? First, the 27km on the road from Yogyakarta. There you will cross wonderful rice fields and rivers before reaching grey sand dunes announcing the ocean. Then, for the coconut juice you will drink sitting on a straw mattress looking at the sea. Also, for the show given by horses and carriages gently walking; and those hours spent watching the kites fly over the waves whilst imagining Australia is right in front of you. For our gourmet friends, you will appreciate the fish market. With a great variety of fish, from tuna to shark, and many other local species which you can have grilled directly to your plate.
When the sky turns a hue of pink and orange as the sun sets, the beach becomes the place for couples searching for romanticism. When it becomes dark let us not be sad. We will not be alone; the maize sellers will be around until late at night. And if we don’t want to come back after all that? The Hotel Queen of the South will help prolong your day at the beach. What makes Parangritis so attractive is probably its unique atmosphere: we are in the Kingdom of Nyai Loro Kidul, Goddess of the Sea, a place full of mythology.
All Indonesians know and will talk about some kind of “mistik”, and the traditions which are linked to it. Take for example the fact that it is ill advised to wear green clothes as you could be taken away by the Goddess’ arms. Our rational mind will always try to neglect those ancient stories, but we will probably not be able to avoid some mystic feelings when faced with this mix of sea mist, walkers, horses, bamboo houses, and the noise of waves crashing
against the nearest hills. From the top of Tebing Gembirawati cliff, near the hidden temple and some meters away from Parangtritis, we will have a nice view of this surprising area, coloured in grey dotted with people. From the temple we could even hear a little sound like a roar provoked by the Queen of the South Sea. If we need more feelings and sensations, there is only one solution left; take a paraglider to enjoy the natural beauty of this magical beach. Its long coast and cliffs will give a remarkable end to the show and will be amplified by the speed of the wind and the 250 meters height from the sea level. Exotika Lands
Restaurant of the Month
Omah Dhuwur Restaurant This « world cuisine » restaurant is unique in its kind. The building is located in the historic district of Kota Gede in Yogyakarta. The house was purchased in 1999 by the HS Silver group. A few years later the building was renovated and Omah Dhuwur restaurant was born. The restaurant opened in 2002. The space is composed of several parts, rooms, Joglos and a terrace, in order to accommodate groups of various sizes. • Two separate rooms can accommodate groups composed of about 20 people, • A third room has a capacity of 10 persons, • A fourth can accommodate 30 people, • The terrace located in the upper and central restaurant seats 70 people. All these rooms have access to the central buffet. In the adjacent park, 3 Joglos can accommodate up to 250 people. For more privacy, the park also has three gazebos (Asian style) where 4 to 6 people can dine and spend a romantic time. The joglos and Gazebos are an integral part of the park. The terrace overlooking the park offers a beautiful view to the guests. The set was renovated
in traditional style tastefully blending Asian style, art deco, and Javanese handicrafts. As to the park, it consists of green spaces and ponds. The whole sight leaves an impression of laid back, calm and relaxation. Omah Dhuwur is an attractive option to organize barbecues, wedding parties or garden parties. The restaurant serves western dishes as well as asian cuisine. Particular attention is paid to the presentation of dishes. If Yogyakarta is increasingly known for offering an attractive and diverse culinary panel, no doubt Omah Dhuwur follows the trend and offers a quality cuisine. JM
restaurant - travel - guesthouse fair trade shop - yoga studio indonesian and world kitchen friday night jazz alternative tours and courses contemporary art exhibitions fair trade shop | yoga classes open daily from 7.30 am
jalan prawirotaman 30, jogjakarta, java, indonesia ph +62 274 38 65 57
www.viaviajogja.com | www.viaviacafe.com
Underground Jogja
Dubstep is Coming !!! What is Dubstep? For an overview, flash the QR-code on this page with your tablet or your smartphone, and you’ll hear an audio example. To begin, the current Dubstep is a rather unique electronic music which, at first taste, resembles more noise than music. Based on extreme distortions, a slow tempo and heavy bass line, Dubstep takes you into a world dark and totally underground. This bass heavy music first appeared in the UK underground at the turn of this century. It took a few changes and some mixtures to evolve versions more attractive, crowd pleasing and democratic of this relatively exclusive sound. One such trend is renamed Brostep, a term born in 2008, again in the UK. This is the version, more rock and more affordable, which graduated into night clubs, including those in Yogyakarta. This musical mix of perfectly melodic sequences, interfering with heavy passages of slow or very slow beats (around 70 bpm), flooded with electronic bass
distortion, encircles everything with a mad energy, and is able to directly boost a DJ set. It has then became common for music from artists like Skrillex, Datsik or Nero to be found distributed in the nightclubs of Yogyakarta, much to the delight of fans. You should be able to hear some passages from Dubstep at Hugo’s, Embassy, Boshe, Republik and Liquid which broadcast fairly regularly a few tidbits. Do not worry, if you are not fond of prerecorded sets, most of the night clubs music mix a live session, with a DJ session for shared happiness by all ears, and in all cases propel you into a great evening. At your next party, give ear! If you feel that the tempo is slowing down, and the electronic bass is rushing into your lungs, it is the Dubstep that is coming into you! JM
Javanese Wisdom
SABAR
TANPO
WEKASAN
( Sabar itu tiada batas )
“ Patience knows no boundary ”
The myth of Ratu Kidul and Parangtritis beach It is told that one night a Prince of the Mataram dynasty, Senopati (whose tomb one can find at the Royal Mausoleum of Kotagede southeast of the city), went to the South Coast accompanied by five of his courtiers. He came there to find a solution to a problem dealing with the succession of the Mataram Kingdom, heir to the Mojopahit Empire of old. By the beach he found a solitary rock quite big in size and decided to take a rest upon it. A bit later he was woken up by his counselor Juru Mertani, whereupon he saw a strange thing unfold in front of his eyes. A very bright shooting star the size of a coconut fell from the skies straight into his chest. Upon asking the star who or what this meant as he had never experienced such an event, the following was transmitted to him: The star was a guardian spirit sent by Roro Kidul, the Queen of the South Seas, to tell him that Senopati had received the grace of the Almighty, and he was to become the next King of the Isle of Java, as well as his line of descendants. Senopati was cautious though and decided to meditate on top of the huge rock (the rock is still the subject of a specific cult by the Javanese people). He performed a fast named “topongeli”, whereupon suddenly the waves in the sea increased in terrifying sizes, a violent wind arose and the sea itself started to boil, causing the death of many fish instantaneously. Witnessing this unusual event, the Queen of the South Seas appeared and saw the Prince of Mataram in meditation. She approached him and told him first that the prophecy of his imminent
Kinghood was to be reality. This confirmation by Ratu Kidul made Senopati very happy, and immediately the natural elements all around them calmed down. According to the Javanese lore, Nyai Roro Kidul then fell helplessly in love with this most powerful human being, and thereupon promised to help the new King by becoming his faithful spouse as well as his royal descendants consecutively. They then consumed the union for 3 days and 3 nights at his Palace in Mataram. The place of the meeting between Senopati and Nyai Roro Kidul can still be visited, it is today known as the Puri Cepuri on Parangkusumo beach a bit west of Parangtritis and it encloses the two rocks where he meditated and finally united with her. This place is also a symbol of a promise Senopati made to the Queen following her oath of protection, whereby the Kraton (Palace) of Mataram was forever to be only a visible part of the Mataram empire and actually linked to both the Merapi volcano Kraton as well as the Kraton in the South Sea, both populated by the spirit inhabitants of the land of Java. An annual ceremony named “Labuhan” is held by the Kraton each year to commemorate this promise by an expansive and colorful ritual of offerings (flowers, ritual food, Sultan’s clothes, hair and nails…) to the spirits of the volcano and the sea. The procession starts at the rock at the Puri Cepuri and ends by the beach where the offerings are thrown in the waves. This is a visual proof that illustrates the contemporary belief of the Javanese people in the powers of the spirit realms.
of a pure mind or what is known as “lakubatin”, so as to manage the affairs of the kingdom properly. The communication capacity with Ratu Kidul here figures prominently in this task. The “labuhan” ceremony described above is an example of this belief related to the Sultan’s capacity in his task to guarantee the welfare of his people.
The myth of Ratu Kidul is still seen to be hugely relevant to the existence itself of the Yogyakarta Palace. In several books on Javanese culture, a main point always resurfaces, that traditionally the Javanese have always put a huge importance on keeping steady levels of social harmony, wealth and a balanced life. Javanese believe in the powers and the benefits of a direct two-way communication relationship with nature, as nature/universe possesses higher powers than humans, and thus the usage of symbolic analogies are frequently used and actualized. The Sultanate of Yogyakarta is situated in the middle of 4 corners of power, and it is thus expected that the Sultan himself will have to communicate with the invisible spirit rulers of these places in order guarantee wealth, harmony and peace in his society. Indeed it is seen as an intrinsic quality of the ruler here in Java that he possesses strength
Ratu Kidul also spiritually symbolizes the ultimate level of Patience within one’s personal self. A Higher Self containing patience as vast as an ocean forms a person that is worthy to become a leader or a King even. The sea is the logical final container of all drops of water from various sources inland and in the sky, as such a patient King is able to wisely contain and manage all the aspirations, worries and suffering of his people. The name Parangkusumo where the rock of Senopati lies, has the meaning of Marang Kusumo or Marang Kaluhuran or “approach to glory”, whereby patience is necessary if glory or wealth is to be an outcome. Parangtritis beach takes its name from the saying “Titising Tindak”, “Tetesingatunggul” which means that with patience one will surely be accurate in action, speech and thoughts. Then there’s Parang Endhog beach, reminding one of the concepts Eling (awareness) lan Waspada (alertness) which lead to the wisdom realization encapsulated by the saying “sangkanparaningdumadi”. Where consciousness or awareness is practiced, happiness is sure to follow as a consequence; this will be advantageous both for oneself and for nature surrounding oneself (Hamemayuhayuning Bawono).All of these Javanese wisdom concepts are very relevant these days. MokoPramusanto and Patrick Vanhoebrouck
Tips & Tricks for driving in Jogja
If you consider the daily circulation in Indonesia, Yes, you are right in Asia … This article will be a reminder for those of you who already drive in Indonesia and it will give some useful advice to those who would like to test their driving capacities in a Javanese way.
on the left side of the road. This line will be taken by each vehicle wishing to get careless on “your” road. In other words, you never have to drive completely on the left of the road, but letting one meter on the side could be really helpful and avoid some problems.
The road network
Wipers and indicators
The first observation is : roads here were not really built to be used by such a big number of vehicles every day. Most of the time they are too small for bicycles, becak, bikes, cars, buses, trucks… and carriages at the same time. Motorized or not, everybody is using the same roads at the same time. Even if some lanes are especially reserved for bikes, many cars or even animals use them. It is important to keep this point in mind.
For those who learnt how to drive on the right side, driving in Indonesia is like being upside down. The switches for indicators and wipers are reversed. The gear lever has to be handled with the left hand, the vehicle’s right-left distances are also reversed. Only pedals remain the same … Be careful then when you see a driver using his/her wipers when it’s nice weather, it might simply be a driver « from the right side » who wants to turn …
The imaginary line
Let the bus pass
In Indonesia, in Java or in Yogyakarta, the imaginary line has to be considered. What is it? When an Indonesian wants to turn left he/she will never look on the right before going. It’s like that. Indonesians drive from point A to point B, come what may. It means it is not an exception to see a motorbike coming from your left without even having a look at you. To counterbalance this lack of attention from “others”, you have to imagine a 1-meter-wide line
In Indonesia, each bus driver has a weird sickness: The “Karting” syndrome. They all think they are driving a much smaller vehicle than the one they are really driving. As a consequence they suddenly change direction, force their way, accelerate, break, come close, hoot, for any reason. It’s like that. Bus is King. To conclude : please let them pass up to when searchers find a kind of vaccination. JM
Interview with a decision maker Name: Adrian J Bontje
Title: Owner Company: Hotel Queen of the South Activity: Accommodation Nationality : Indonesian birth Dutch
JM: Can you tell us about the history of the Hotel Queen of the South, date of creation, building phases, etc… It is a long story ! I came first in 1980 on holidays in Parangtritis beach, I was interested to know a bit more about the Queen of the South. I married my wife in Holland in 1986, than we decide to move to Jogja. There, we wanted to buy a house near the beach. Finally, we bought 30 pieces of land which make 6,5 hectares. JM: Why did you decide to set up a hotel ? At that time, how was the landscape ? With that big area, we finally thought to set up a hotel. At that time, it was totally empty, rocky without any trees. People there were actually very happy to sell that land. JM: Was it easy to set up the hotel in that beautiful location ? We were very supported by everybody : locals, tourism organisations, government, etc… We dealt also with the locals that we needed staff, and wanted to hire some people to work with us. It was really welcomed by the people here. 17 of them are still working here. JM: How big does the earthquake damaged the hotel in 2006 ? It was the 27 May 2006. In fact, the damages were not significant. But because the local authorities were expecting a tsunami, the area was called a disaster area, and we were forced to close. The
tsunami finally came six month later, with a wave of two meters high. Two people were taken by the sea at that time. JM: I imagine that there was a rebuilt phase after the disaster. How long does it took ? Well, we have been closed during four and a half year, in fact. After the earthquake, we were not in condition to open again. First, it was some friends who wanted us to open for private parties. And because more and more people asked to come here, we decided to open again, even if it was still damaged. We are still in the repairing phase. JM: Some people say that the Queen of the South is responsible for that earthquake. Are you angry with her ? I LOVE HER !!! You know, earthquake appears everywhere on the earth. We are on the Pacific ring of fire here. This is the law of nature. I don’t blame the Queen of the South for that. JM: What kind of relation do you personally have with the Queen of the South ? Do you feel that she mainly protects you ? I believe in good spirits and bad spirits as a reflect of ourselves, who we are, what we do, etc.. I think that I have both, good side bad side. The good one is definitely the Queen of the South.
JM: Today, how many rooms are available, what kind of rooms and for what range of price ? Today, we have 20 rooms available; it means 50% of the origin capacity. But all of them are not in a perfect shape. We still have electricity capacity problems. It means that some rooms don’t yet have TV or AC, by example. 30% are standards room (IDR. 450 000), 40% are superior (IDR. 550 000), and we have 2 suites (IDR. 1 200 000). All prices include breakfast. JM: Can you tell us what kind of activities the customers can do near by the Hotel Queen of the South ? A LOT ! Half of the year, it is possible to make paragliding here from the clifs. There are also caves to explore. If you want sunbathing on the beach, it is possible. Swimming is not recommended, because the waves and the current is quiet strong here, but still, if you are a good swimmer, you can. You can also mountain biking here and visit some villages which didn’t change since 100 years ago. You can also see grey monkeys. Night is very romantic here, you can see many stars. Full moon is extraordinary fantastic by example. JM: In your opinion, how will be the next high season ? July and August always supply customers. The end of Ramadhan corresponds to local vacations in
Indonesia, and many people come to Yogyakarta usually. We expect that the high season this year will be helpful. JM: What are the next big projects in the planning for the Queen of the South ? First of all, we want to finish the renovation of the hotel, and get the facilities back up to standards of a starred hotel. We also want, if it’s possible, to upgrade with a SPA and a meeting room, among other things. But first of all, we want to be back in our feet in order to welcome guests in a decent way. For that, any kind of help is appreciated, for instance, business partners. JM
What’s up in July July Festival Kesenian Yogyakarta Benteng Vredeburg Variety of traditional and contemporary art performances, trade and arts, culinary bazaar. July: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Jogja Fashion Week Jogja Expo center Annual fashion event based on the product of the nation’s culture and traditions. July: 9 - 23 Workshop with Mulyana (Bandung) Kedai Kebun Forum Exhibition of the workshop with Mulyana (Bandung)
July: 20 Upacara Adat Mbah Bergas Dusun Ngino, Mergoagung, Seyegan, Sleman Traditional ceremony for a bountiful harvest. July: 24 Jemparingan Sultan Palace Traditional style of archery competition with Javanese traditional outfit. July: 27 Upacara adat tuk si beduk Dusun Mranggern, Margoadi, Seyegan, Sleman Traditional ceremony helded as a tribute to Sunan Kalijaga’s honor in spreading Islam in the past.
July: 5, 6, 7, 8 Indonesia Craft & Tourism Expo Jogja Expo center Exhibition organized by the Department of Industry, Trading Cooperations and UMKMs.
Basics of Indonesian language 1: Satu 2: Dua 3: Tiga 4: Empat 5: Lima 6: Enam 7: Tujuh 8: Delapan 9: Sembilan 10: Sepuluh 100: Seratus 1 000: Seribu 1 000 000: Sejuta Beach: Pantai Town: Kota Montain: Gunung Street: Jalan
Car: Mobil Pedicab: Becak Plane: Pesawat Train: Kereta api Cold: Dingin Hot: Panas Rest room: Kamar kecil Hospital: Rumah sakit Key : Kunci Phone credit: Pulsa Room: Kamar Towel: Handuk Money: Uang Right: Kanan Left: Kiri Forward: Terus Backward: Kembali
Practical information Police: 110 Ambulance: 118 Fire brigad: 113 Emergency: 112 Immigration office: 0274 - 487 165 International Hospital: 0274 - 446 3535 Kota Yogyakarta Hospital: 0274 - 371 195 Red cross: 0274 - 379 212 Tourism information: 0274 - 513 543 Tugu train station: 0274 - 589 685 Airport: 0274 - 484 261 Jas taxi: 0274 - 373 737 Asa taxi: 0274 - 545 545 Sadewa taxi: 0274 - 376 107 Indrakelana taxi: 0274 - 564 572 Money changer: 0274 - 561 155 Yogyakarta city government: 0274 - 562 811