FREE No. 2 Aug
for Tourists and Expats
Climbing mount Merapi The restaurant of the month Underground Jogja Javanese wisdom Jogja & Me Interview with a decision maker Also inside : • What’s up in August • Practical Information
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• Basics of Indonesian language
Map of Yogyakarta
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Monthly magazine Editorial dani .S. Editor in Chief : Sukam Lands Contributors : Exotika Patrick Vanhoebrouck Egbert Wits Vasiliki Ralli Printing : 5 000 Produced by PT Cerise Jl Suryodiningratan A2 - Yog yakarta Griya Surio Asri 2 No. info@yogyabisnis.com 971 372 274 2 +6 . Tel Adver tising: to : in Jogja Mag, send email If you want to advertise info@yogyabisnis.com
Welcome to the Pacific ring of fire ! As you can see, the island of Java is full of volcanoes, and not only dormant ones! Which is the most dangereous ? Just look to the north, you will find it. Turbulent, majestic, fascinating... It is really up to you to find your own way to discover it. Just by watching and enjoying the view, or by climbing to the summit. Everything is possible !
The Editor
Summary • • • • • • • • • •
Destination of the month : Climbing mount Merapi. 5 The restaurant of the month : R&B Grill. 9 Underground Jogja : The contemporary art scene in Jogja. 11 Javanese wisdom. 13 Jogja & Me: Why people make Jogja their home ? 17 Interview with a decision maker : Juan Maldonado - Gameloft. 18 What’s up in August in Yogyakarta. 21 Practical information. 21 Basics of indonesian language. 21 Map of Yogyakarta. 23
Destination of the Month
Climbing mount Merapi Mount Merapi, a mountain of fire that will keep on impressing us. The famous volcano situated in the North of Yogyakarta is more than 2 900 meters high, above forests and rice fields. With 49 eruptions between 1548 and 2010, it is considered as the most active and dangerous volcano in Indonesia, producing periodically pyroclastic flows (ash clouds). However its violent characteristics don’t stop people to make the most of the beauties of this mountain and its charming natural environment. Most of the time in people’s imagination, a volcano is a symbol of destruction, on the other hand it is also venerated for its ashes: they help vegetation growing again better, and make the soil very fertile. Javanese people consider Mount Merapi as a sacred place. In Yogyakarta, it is one of both edges of a symbolic axis linking « the Southern Sea » and passing through Kraton, Yogyakarta’s Royal Palace. It is a true divinity. Every year inhabitants of the area climb on top of the mount to give gifts to ease its impetuous nature. Located on the southern slopes of Mount Merapi, Kaliurang is a little mountain town, quiet and
romantic where resorts and wooden houses can be found in the middle of a green countryside. Its cool weather, its unforgettable views between Merapi and Merbabu, and its various hike ways made it a very appreciated place for Yogyakarta’s inhabitants. This area is now a fantastic tourist, cultural and natural place, very pleasant for a little trip with family or friends. With a theme park (with swings, slides, paddling pools and animal statues), the Ullen Sentalu Museum, known for its fascinating exhibition on the Javanese culture, and the Merapi Museum, devoted to the very active volcano, every one will get something out of it.
Then comes the way down. It will seem a neverending way for some, but for most, unforgettable. Step by step some vegetation called « pionner » appears, colonizing every single interstice and crack in the roc. Arriving at the camp everybody will shout « Never again!!! » as a sign of victory; but knowing deep inside that one day or another Mount Merapi will call them again. Exotika Lands
Nature lovers can have a beautiful walk from Kaliurang around Mount Merapi. The magic effect of the river you will see from there, even if often subject to volcano’s furies, has not been distorted. On another hand, Sego will be the town where big muscles or brave people looking for adrenalin will start climbing up to Merapi’s top. After a four-hour intensive climbing by night and some few small breaks around a wood fire to get some warmth, a unique show on a desert of clouds will reward any adventurer: A wonderful sunrise on the crater. From the top, you will see the perfect cone of Mount Merbabu. But this one will not be climbed before long! »
Restaurant of the Month
R&B Grill R&B Grill is one of the largest restaurants to specialise in steak in Yogyakarta. The steak is of the finest quality and if steak doesn’t take your fancy, choose something else from the restaurants exciting and varied menu. Accompanied by a butchers and grocery “Indoguna Jogja” is one of the biggest food suppliers in the city, specialising in meat products, poultry, sausages, assorted cheese, pork, dry herbs, olive oil, breakfast items, balsamic vinegar, organic vegetables, European bread and dairy products. R&B Grill is located in heart of the city at RW.Monginsidi Street 37, Yogyakarta 55241. (For reservation please call 0274-563617). Dinning at R&B Grill is always an experience to remember as they serve a variety of gourmet meals including imported meat ( Kobe beef, Wagyu beef, US. Beef, Australian Prime Black Angus, Australian beef, New Zealand and Dry Aged Beef ) pasta, salad and seafood. It is the only restaurant in Yogyakarta able to offer such a comprehensive culinary experience with food products from around the world. R&B Grill offers a sensational taste experience with their choice of high quality imported beef. Many customers choose the restaurants special option of: “Choose your own meat, cook your own steak”. This allows customers to choose their own beef (at minimum order 200 grams) and accompanying potatoes, vegetables and sauce. The customer is
then offered the opportunity to cook the meat by Grill, Stir fry or Hot stone. All at a cost of only Rp.35.000++. With a dinning capacity for 100 people, R&B Grill caters for the needs of everyone. Tables can be booked for any event, from BBQ party, Birthday parties, private party and romantic dinners to exclusive corporate function and family gatherings. The restaurant is designed to create a cosy atmosphere and has live jazz evenings every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Once a month R&B Grill also presents a free Cooking Demo with an R&B Grill Chef and an all you can eat barbeque once every two months. So come and grab all the imported items you need and taste the best steak in town at the R&B Grill, butchers and grocery, Yogyakarta. JM
Underground Jogja About the contemporary art scene in Yogyakarta Yogya is often presented as the cultural “soul” of Java as opposed to Jakarta which is considered Java’s financial and industrial center. The truth is that Yogyakarta has a unique position in Java as far as it concerns intellectual ideas and cultural movements due to its long history of cultural “exchanges”. This notion is strengthened by taking a look at its past: the city entered the era of Buddhism, then affirmed its existence as a Hindu court and later dealt with the arrival of Islam. It is worth noting here that the people of Yogyakarta played a very important role in Indonesia’s struggle for independence from Dutch colonialism and also in the decline of dictator Suharto. Actually there is a strong tradition of political and activist art all over Indonesia stretching back to 1930’s, this grew in dynamism during the Suharto era and continued some years after his fall. This trend has been described as: “ngeledek”slang for “to tease”. Ngeledek is about insulting and embarrassing those in power. A good example of the artists activism took place in May 1999, when 28 artists from Yogyakarta’s university of fine arts (ISI) were arrested for organizing a traffic roundabout. During their trial, all of them wore smiling masks of Suharto.
Contemporary art has grown in the fertile soil of city’s sophisticated culture, as the traditional culture, still alive in the city, coexists with the modern and contemporary. People of Yogya are accustomed to multicultural content thus no conflict occurs between the traditional and the modern; they rather seem to synergize. The usage of traditional elements in the artworks of some local artists empowers their works although often they hesitate to use such elements as they think that the result would not be “contemporary enough”. The synergy between the traditional and the modern can be traced back to Javanese philosophy. Actually the philosophies of “gotong royong” (traditional neighborly cooperation) and “guyub” (harmony) are still practiced. Community is an important aspect of society and therefore the social system remains communal in Yogyakarta. One question is arising from this notion: what happens with the artists tendencies towards individualism? The fact that many artists from other cities and islands of the archipelago are coming to live in Yogya proves that some form of conciliation occurs here which accommodates both their individualism and their subjectivity.
So beyond Yogyakarta’s rich cultural heritage (magnificent temples, various kinds of traditional cultural events, folk performing arts, traditional ritual ceremonies, handicrafts etc.) contemporary art is not only present but one can say that is still flourishing in the city. The Indonesian Institute of Arts in Yogyakarta (ISI) is an important center of arts. ISI is a public university of fine arts and simultaneously a school of national pride from which several progressive Indonesian artists have already graduated. Currently thousands of artists live in Yogya which is home to around 100 universities and is considered as a student city.
Sally Noor Ardhiansyah, “Berebut”(Scramble) 2010
Beyond the vibrant artistic scene of Yogyakarta one has the opportunity to visit many private contemporary art galleries in the city and their number is rapidly growing (from 2007 to 2010, 15 new galleries opened). Below are few of them: • Cemeti Art House (founded in 1988), Jl. D.I. Panjaitan No 41, tel. (0274) 371015 • Sangkring Art Space (founded in 2007), Jl. Nitiprayan Rt.1 RW.20 No 88, Ngestiharjo, tel. (0274) 381032 • Langgeng Art Foundation (founded in 2010), Jl. Suryodiningratan No 37, tel. (0274) 417043 • Kedai Kebun Forum (founded in 1996), Jl. Tirtodipuran No 3, tel (0274) 376114 • Dirix Art Gallery (founded in 1991), Jl. Laksda Adisucipto Km 8, tel (0274) 488334 • Jogja Gallery (founded in 2006), Jl. Pekapalan No 7, Alun-Alun Utara, tel (0274) 419999, 412021 Additionally one should not miss visiting: • Affandi museum, Jl. Laksda Adisucipto 167, tel (0274) 562593
• Oei Hong Djien museum, Jl. Jenggolo No 14, Magelang, tel (0293) 363420 (A private modern and contemporary art museum owned by dr. Oei Hong Djien who has been collecting art for more than 30 years, and is thus rightly considered the largest collector of Indonesian modern and contemporary art in the world). There are also several public venues which host numerous temporary exhibitions throughout the year; the Museum Bendeng Vredeburg and Taman Budaya are two of these. The latter is considered “the window of Yogyakarta” as it focuses on visual art, performing art and dance festivals. Taman Budaya is the main venue and Jogja Biennale and Jogja Art Fair (Art Jog) take place here. Art Jog is a contemporary art fair which usually takes place on July. What is interesting about this “fair”, besides the plurality of contemporary artworks, is that the selection of participants is based on an open call, so every artist can apply and the representation of an artist from a gallery isn’t a prerequisite. VR
Javanese Wisdom
ADOH
RATU
CEDHAK
WATU
“ Far from the King yet close to the stone ”
Gunung Merapi “Far from the King yet close to the stone” say the Javanese people when referring to a mountain. It refers to the fact that mountain or hilly chains are usually isolated rocky areas far from cities or palaces. On the frontier of Central Java and Yogyakarta provinces lies one of the most active volcanoes in the world, called Gunung Merapi or “Fiery Mountain”. The dangerous mountain has a cycle of eruption every two to five years around, yet its slopes are quite densely populated. Since 1548 it has erupted more than 68 times. The most deadly eruption recorded happened in 1930, when 13 villages were destroyed and 1400 people perished by hot clouds or “nuées ardentes”. In late 2010 the largest eruption occurred since 1872, making 280 fatalities over 1 week of tremendous explosions, also taking the life of Mbah Marijan, the jurukunci or spiritual guardian assigned by the Yogyakarta Kraton. The Merapi volcano is often linked to things that might sound mysterious to foreign visitors, amongst others the belief that the entire mountain is inhabited and ruled by invisible beings. This aspect is not exaggerated in the eyes of many Javanese villagers living on its slopes, who are sure that these beings are real. They are often known as the Merapi Elders, and they are thought to reside in the Merapi Kraton (palace). Gunung Wutah for example, a hill visible on the base of the peak, is in reality a gate leading to the Palace of the Elders. The most haunted place on the Merapi is its crater believed to be the actual Kraton itself and central
residence of all Merapi spirits. Eastwards below the crater one can find a plateau of stones and volcanic sand known as Pasar Bubrah which is believed to be the traditional market of the Kraton. The huge rocks spread around are in fact food-stalls and chairs/tables for the spirits. Further places around its slopes such as the forests, springs, sacred sites, rivers, canyons and other geological formations are equally considered very haunted and mystically charged. One of the forests for instance named Alas Patuk Alap-alap is a place where invisible cattle owned by the court graze around peacefully. It is told that Panembahan Senopati (Mataram’s first King) once performed a kembuldahar or breaking the fast as he finished a long hermitage near the South Coast. The Queen of the South Seas (Ratu Kidul) was very pleased with Senopati’s mystical show of strength and decided to give him a specially prepared egg to help open his fast. She laid the egg before him and then left back to the undersea Kraton (Bale Sokodhomas) to wait until he had eaten the egg. It is said she was so in awe and love for the young King that she desired him to accompany her in the spirit realm of the underwater Palace forever. As Senopati woke from his meditation on the beach and readied himself to break the fast with the particular egg in front of him, his counselor and uncle Juru Mertani suddenly appeared and warned him that to break his ascese he had to consume red and white rice porridge. This in order to remember one’s own companion spirits (pamomong pribadhi), and to remind oneself that we were brought to the
world because of the union between father and mother(the two porridges representing the sperm and ovum). He continued: “My grandson, do not eat the egg since by doing that you will forever dwell in the spirit world just like Ratu Kidul, yet as it is a gift from her Majesty the Queen, rather give it to the Juru Taman(Minister of the Land of Mataram).”Senopati then acted accordingly and gave the egg to his subordinate Juru Taman. This latter was very pleased indeed to receive and eat the Queen’s gift. Upon eating the egg though, a thunderous noise suddenly boomed and a dark smoky cloud covered the surrounding atmosphere. As the situation slowly returned to normal Senopati and his counselor were now facing a frightening giant as huge as a mountain. Upon advice of Juru Mertani, Senopatithen ordered the creature to go and reside forever in the Merapi volcano and gave him the name of Sapu Jagad(Broom of the Universe). A noteworthy famous spiritual spot on the Merapi indirectly linked to the invisible Kraton is a hermitage named Makam(tomb) Syeh Djumadil Qubro and
situated on top of the Turgo hill, a highly sacred site for the nearby villagers. The hilltop tomb is also said to be the place where a 15th century mystic named Kebo Kanigoro reached Moksha(or spiritual liberation in Hinduism) as he reached the science of perfection. As such the place still serves as a model for contemporary Javanese mystics of the Kejawen tradition. In Kejawen philosophy, Turgo itself is a shortening of “Lumunturing Rogo”, which means the readiness to abandon one’s physical body in order to unite directly with God or Gusti (bagusingatior the one good of heart). In a state of impure awareness, Merapi itself is shortening of Moro Api(the way of fire) which symbolizes the way of desires ultimately leading to destruction. Yet in a state of clear consciousness Merapi has the meaning of Moro Ati(the way of compassionate heart), whereby Life is like a verse or the word of God, which in itself represents all things righteous. By extension, Javanese believe that if life is lead through greedy and lustful manners, this will be in opposition to the compassionate word of God and as a consequence such a person’s unrighteous passions would be swept clean by none other than the mighty Sapu Jagad guardian of the Merapi. In other words, it is believed that human actions which stray from the righteous path will lead Sapu Jagad to implement his cleansing task by sending down clouds of material from the Merapi. In order to avoid this cleansing activity of the mountain to become deadly, it is thus wisely recommendedby the Javanese practitioners to follow the teaching of Hamemayu Hayuning Buwono which provides a karmic path to reach welfare, security for all by respecting our natural Universe and its creatures. Moko Pramusanto and Patrick Vanhoebrouck
Jogja & Me: Why people make Jogja their Home? Episode I: Miguel Escobar Varela from Mexico In 2008 Miguel came to Jogja to learn bahasa Indonesia at Gadjah Mada University. Since then this energetic youngman from New Mexico has been living here on and off. “I am currently taking my Phd in Singapore, but I am based in Jogja. I like this city’s interesting mix of extremely old cultural forms and its young creative spirit. Jogja is easy to live in, people are friendly, there is good food everywhere, and it’s culturally fascinating. I just never get bored here. For me, coming from New Mexico, Jogja is such a small city, but there’s so much to discover. I’m still such a beginner in the study of Javanese culture for instance.” Miguel is in Indonesia to study creative and irreverent interpretations of Wayang Kulit. This form of shadow puppetry is one of SouthEast Asia’s oldest performance traditions and famous all over the world. “I am interested in the interactions between this old tradition, the “West” and the “West” as it is imagined by contemporary Indonesian artists. I go and see every new version of Wayang: ranging from multimillion-rupiah shows in Jakarta’s malls, to small scale Wayangs made from grass in tiny villages.” Jogja is actually home to many contemporary Wayang performances. Traditionally these puppets are made out of leather or wood, but Miguel has seen modern versions made from condoms, old bicycle parts, plastic waste or even mud. What is so amazing about Jogja, according to Miguel, is that the city is full of secrets. Every alley, street or neighboorhood has its own history, traditions and stories. He therefore recommends tourists to throw away their guidebooks. “Do your own exploring, just go out: eat, see and discover. Try eating Gudeg Basah, or witness a ‘bersih desa’ ceremony. Be open to anything, let Jogja and its friendly people overwhelm you. You will not be disappointed.”
The ‘bersih desa’ ceremony Miguel describes has nothing to do with cleaning up a village in the literal sense of the word. It is actually a ritual through which villagers show gratitude to God for all the prosperity bestowed upon them. Usually during a ‘bersih desa’ villagers gather for prayers and eat a huge tumpeng together. But in some villages, Krebet (15 km. from Jogja) in particular, it has grown into a three day event with processions, dances, and of course a Wayang show lasting the entire night, and did we mention food already? So, is there a future for Miguel in Jogja? “Yes” he says and smiles. “I hope I can continue to learn about Javanese culture and become part of large scale projects regarding the documentation and professionalization of the arts sector in Indonesia.” Looks like this Mexican, who speaks fluent Indonesian, will be exploring Jogja for many more years to come. If you are ever at a Wayang show in Jogja, take a look around, chances are Miguel will be there with you. E.W
Interview with a decision maker Name: Juan Maldonado Title: General Manager Company: Gameloft Activity: Mobile games Nationality : Argentina
JM: What is Gameloft ? Gameloft is a company which develops and publishes video games. Our main target is the mobile devices market – IOS, Iphone, Ipad, android, etc… We make also some ventures in other platforms other than mobile. JM: When did Gameloft Yogyakarta first begin, and why did Gameloft choose Yogyakarta? The studio was set up in October 2010. Before basing our studio in Yogyakarta, we researched the city. Yogyakarta is a perfect blend of education, with some of Indonesia’s finest universities, a strong artistic culture which is seldom found in other big cities, and the freedom to move around with ease through the abundance of available transport. The studio can realistically be reached within 15 min from most parts of the city without hassle. This combination has resulted in our choosing to base Gameloft in Yogyakarta.
which cater to the Indonesian market ( such as games in Indonesian language) the majority of our projects are directed towards the worldwide market. JM: How many studios are there around the world ? Many ! We have a studio in every continent. Our main office is based in Paris. However, due to the fact that we follow the technology and it is moving all the time, it is rather difficult to draw on an exact number. Let’s just say that we have over 40 other studios world wide.
JM: How many people are currently working for Gameloft Yogyakarta ? We currently employ a few hundred people.
JM: What did you do before you became the general manager of Gameloft studio Yogyakarta ? I began work as a QA(Quality Assurance) tester in 2005. There were very few people at that time, based in Argentina. I was the third tester who joined the company. After this, I became a QA lead and then, following that, a QA manager. In 2007, I moved to a Producer creation. I remained in this role for 1 year, after this, we created a second office in Argentina. I moved to this office as the general manager. After 2 years, I came here.
JM: Are studio products targeted to the worldwide market or solely an Indonesian market? Although we have developed a number of products
JM: How many people came to set up the Gameloft studio Yogyakarta ? JOnly 2 people. The experts of Gameloft also provided mission support.
JM: What is the current best selling game from Gameloft? We have many games, and their popularity is dependent on the type of market.A game came become successful in a country such as the US, while not being very popular on another continent. However, a few games which have been successful have been Asphalt, or Real Football. Ice Age Vilage is also a pretty good one. JM: Do you like living in Yogyakarta ? Yes, I like the feel of the city. The philosophy of
Jogja teaches you to take it easy. There is a sense of safety within the city, I can even see a semblance of order in the traffic. Jogja is extremely friendly and welcoming. It is easy to travel around the archipelago (for example Bali is a mere 1 hour plane ride away). Yogya is also a vibrant city, with many cultural events and parties, and a wider sense of community. JM: How long do you plan to stay in Yogyakarta ? I came here with a one way ticket‌ JM
What’s up in August August: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 14, 16, 18, 21, 22, 23, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31 Ramayana Ballet performance at Prambanan Taman wisata - Prambanan Cultural performance managed to combine the diversity of Javanese art in forms of dance, drama and music. August: 17 Parade Senja Halaman Gedung Agung The sunset parade is a series of Indonesia Independence Day flag ceremony parade. August: 19 Grebeg Syawal Sultan Palace Grebeg Syawal is a traditional ceremony in order to celebrate Eid al-Fitr (Muslim festival celebrating the end of fasting month of Ramadan).
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
August: 28 Jemparingan Sultan Palace Traditional style of archery competition with Javanese traditional outfit. August: 1 - 25 Domestic Stuff Cemeti Art House Domestic Stuff is a project of the domestic sphere, and the problems we face in everyday life. Every Saturday Wayang Kulit Sultan Palace A dalang (wayang player) plays puppet made from buffalo’s leather behind a white screenJavanese traditional outfit.
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