Indonesia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 194

Purawisata Theatre puts on a 1hr 30min performance of
the Ramayana (8-9.30pm; Rp250,000); the story is split
into two episodes, each performed on alternate nights.
Sultan's Palace The Kraton Classical Dance School
holds weekly public rehearsals (Sun 9.30am-noon). No
additional fee once you've paid to get into the palace.
Very worthwhile.

Cookery courses Via Via (see p.195) runs morning and
afternoon courses (from Rp140,000).
Language courses Yogya is the place to learn Bahasa
Indonesia. The two most established schools are Alam
Bahasa Indonesia, Kompleks Kolombo 3, Jl Cendrawasih
( T 0274 589631, W alambahasa.com); and Puri Bahasa
Indonesia, Jl Purwanggan 15 ( T 0274 588192, W puri
bahasa.net). One-to-one tuition typically costs US$10/hr.
Meanwhile, Via Via (see p.195) offers a daily three-hour
course starting at 9am (Rp80,000).

SHOPPING
Yogya is Java's souvenir centre, with keepsakes and
mementoes from all over the archipelago finding their
way into the city's shops and street stalls.

BOOKS
The Lucky Boomerang Jl Sosro Gang I. The Lucky
Boomerang stocks new and secondhand English-language
novels and a good selection of multilingual books.
Periplus Lower ground floor of Malioboro Mall. Has a
wide selection of English-language novels and histories
of Indonesia, as well as guidebooks and maps.

ANTIQUES, PUPPETS AND CURIOS
There are a number of cavernous antique shops near
Jl Prawirotaman dealing mainly in teak furniture from
Jepara and the north, but they also sell woodcarvings,
wayang kulit puppets and keris daggers.
Ida Gallery Jl Prawirotaman III. Set in a courtyard, this
shop sells puppets and keris daggers, among other
curios. You can also walk around the furniture restoration
workshop at the back.
Marco Polo Antique Jl Sosrowijayan 11. Strange little
shop selling antique bicycles and vintage parts in the
heart of the backpacker district.
Moesson Antik Jl Prawirotaman 27 W moessongallery
.com. This shop's collection ranges from simple tat to
genuine antiques - great for a rummage even if you have
no intention of buying.

LEATHER AND POTTERY
All around Yogya, and particularly in the markets, and
some of the shops along Jl Malioboro, hand-stitched,
good-quality leather bags, suitcases, belts and shoes are
for sale extremely cheaply.
Javanese pottery is widely available throughout
Yogya. The markets along Jl Malioboro sell ochre pottery,
including decorative bowls, erotic statues, whistles, flutes
and other pottery instruments.

4

SILVER
The Kota Gede suburb is the home of the silver industry in
Central Java, famous for its fine filigree work. Jl Kemasan is
the “silver street” of Yogya and there is a huge selection of
jewellery and trinkets. If your budget is limited, note that
the stallholders along Jl Malioboro sell perfectly reason-
able silver jewellery, much of it from East Java or Bali. To
reach Kota Gede, take the Trans Jogja 3A from Malioboro
or the 2A from Prawirotaman.
MD Silver Keboan Kotagede. This workshop situated
down an alley off Jl Pesegah KG has top-quality jewellery
and is one of the cheaper options.
Tom's Silver Jl Ngeksi Gondo 60. This huge workshop
produces great work and you can wander around and
watch the smiths at work.

BATIK
With the huge influx of tourists over recent decades,
Yogya has evolved a batik style that increasingly panders
to Western tastes. However, there is still plenty of the
traditional indigo-and-brown batik clothing for sale,
especially on Jl Malioboro and in Pasar Beringharjo. For the
best-quality - and most expensive - batiks in town, head
to Jl Tirtodipuran, west of Jl Prawirotaman.
Batik Plentong Jl Tirtodipuran 48. Large shop with
friendly staff that stocks a wide selection of good-quality
batik fabrics.
Batik Research Centre Jl Dr Sutomo 13. Puts the craft in
a historical context and provides examples of the several
techniques and styles.

COURSES
Batik courses Right by the entrance to the Taman Sari is
the workshop of Dr Hadjir ( T 0274 377835, E herry
[e-mail]), who runs a three- to five-
day course (US$35 including materials). The Batik Research
Centre (Jl Kusumanegara 2) also has intensive three-day
courses for US$55. Basic courses are also offered at many
hotels, including Via Via (daily 9am-1pm; Rp130,000) and
Setia Kawan (Rp180,000).

SOUVENIRS
The main shopping area for inexpensive souvenirs is
Jl Malioboro, where you'll find batik pictures, leather
bags, woodcarvings, silver rings and the traditional
Yogyan batik headdresses ( blangkon ).
Batik Keris Jl A Yani 104. Reputable shop offering a huge
array of souvenirs from Yogya and elsewhere in Indonesia.
Batik Mirota Jl A Yani 9. A batik specialist who will tailor
clothes and also offer other souvenirs.