May 16, 2011 -- Yogyakarta

DATE: MONDAY, MAY 16,2011
LOCATION: YOGYAKARTA
AUTHOR: ROGER GATLIN

JoAnn and I are staying with Fifi and Joko. This morning we had a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bread.  It is our first day for eggs, and bread comes without the outside crust. I think they buy it in that form.

We met at Dr. Adam’s house at 8:00 AM and were taken by a chartered bus to SMP N1Bantul (a junior high school). The students here could take classes in Batik making and   playing gamelan instruments. We were all welcomed in a large community room by the Vice Principal, Head Master, Superintendent and other important personages in the school. We invited the students to sit with us so we could chat with them. A group of 4 girls, their star performers entertained us by singing and playing the violin and guitar.  Then we were by a group of girls doing a traditional Javanese dance. The entertainment culminated with one of many group photos outside under the welcoming sign.

We were then taken on a tour of the school, and the students were invited to come up and interview us as we toured the school. They had a list of questions and it was part of their assignment to find the answers for them. It was a lot of fun talking to the students and we found out information from them as well.

We were invited in to the Batik making class where we could watch the process unfold and try it ourselves. We were each given a small batik cloth made by the students. These were very useful for wiping hands after washing, as paper products are extremely scarce and never provided in the bathrooms.



Batik Class



On the way back to Dr. Adam’s house the bus stopped at a leather shopping area and we were given 30 minutes to look around and make purchases. The next stop was a ceramic production factory where we walked around watching the artisans working  with their ceramic pieces which were formed from molds or by hand. Most of these works were for building restorations. No potter’s wheel here.



Ceramic Factory



Our final stop of the day was the Pasotaongen Bird Market. We were given 30 minutes to walk around looking at birds, rabbits, dogs, cats, fish, all waiting patiently in their cages until they were picked up by their master.

The Bird Market

When we arrived at Dr. Adam’s, Fifi and her 23 year-old daughter Sekar picked us up and drove us to the mountains to be near the volcano, Mt. Merape.  We all checked in to the lovely, modern Hotel Griya Persada. After settling in we went to a Javanese style restaurant nearby where we selected our fish from a  large aquarium. The fish along with the calamari we selected were beautifully prepared and served on banana leaves placed over a raised mat. The food was delicious, the weather cool, and we had a very pleasant evening with Fifi and Sekar. Sekar had just returned from studying at Durham University in England, so her English was excellent. She had acquired a slight British accent.