Indonesia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget

Travel Reference

In-Depth Information

Taxis The main taxi stand is situated by the Matahari

department store; they are metered. Minimum fare is

Rp15,000.

Bike rental Being flat and, for a Javanese city, relatively

free of tra c, cycling is an excellent way to get around.

Bikes can be rented from many of the homestays for

Rp20,000/day.

O Solo Mio Jl Brig Jen Slamet Riyadi 253 T 0271 727264.

One of the more pricey spots in town, this smart Italian

restaurant has top-rate service, a great selection of

international wines (Rp78,500 for a glass of house wine),

and wood-fired pizzas from an oven constructed using

stones from Gunung Merapi (pizza mozzarella Rp38,500).

Daily 10.30am-11pm.

Resto Ramayana Jl Imam Bonjol 49. Clean and air-

conditioned, Ramayana is popular with both locals and

foreigners. There's an extensive menu of seafood and sate

dishes ( sate ayam starts at Rp20,000). Daily 8am-9pm.

Warung Baru Jl Dahlan 23. The most popular travellers'

restaurant in Solo. Delicious and very inexpensive Solonese

food such as nasi liwet and nasi pecel (vegetable and

peanut sauce; Rp10,000 each) plus delicious home-made

bread. Bike tours and batik courses can be organized here

too. Daily 8am-9pm.

ACCOMMODATION

The backpacker enclave is around Jl Dahlan.

★

Cakra Homestay Jl Cakra II/15, Kauman T 0271

634743, E hotelcakrahomestay@yahoo.com. This place

is a hidden gem, with its own pool, free wi-fi, Javanese

furnishings, and even a gamelan orchestra where practices

are held Mon and Thurs - all tucked away behind high

walls. The very peaceful roo ms are simple but comf ortable,

a few have a/c (Rp175,000). Rp100,000/150,000

Istana Griya Jl Dahlan 22 T 0271 632667. Highly e cient

homestay with smart, good-value rooms, some with a/c

and hot water (Rp175,000) and all with free wi-fi and break-

fast. The friendly English-speaking owner organizes a range

of tours and rents out bikes (Rp20,000) a nd motorbikes

(Rp100,000) for the day. Rp60,000/100,000

Rumah Turi Jl Sri Gading 2 Turisari 12 T 0271 736606,

W rumahturi.com. A sleek and modern eco-hotel in a

quiet back alley off Jl Yosodipuro. Worth the splurge, with

elegant, spacious a/c rooms equipped with flatscreen TVs,

wi-fi, minibars and hot water showers. On site there's also

a fancy restaurant with an out side deck att ached, as well

as a spa and meditation corner. Rp462,000

Warung Baru Homestay Off Jl Dahlan T 0271 656369

or T 0815 6763 1000 (ask for Yant), E wb_solo_1979

@yahoo.com. A neat and friendly little place down a quiet

alley off Jl Dahlan. There is a wonderful garden and sitting

area out the front and the colourf ul rooms have a/c, hot

water and comfy beds. Rp150,000

PERFORMING ARTS

For the last two centuries, the royal houses of Solo have

developed highly individual styles for the traditional

Javanese arts of gamelan and wayang. Wayang orang,

which features human performers rather than the

leather shadow puppets used in wayang kulit, is

something of a local speciality. It combines dance, vocal

and character performances to evoke scenes from the

Mahabharata and Ramayana.

Puro Mangkunegaran The practice gamelan

performances are performed (Wed 10am-noon) in the

beautiful surroundings of the palace.

Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) Jl Marconi 55, just to

the south of the Balapan train station, regularly records

performances of Solo's traditional arts, including gamelan,

wayang orang (second Tues of the month 8pm) and

wayang kulit (third Sat of the month starting 9pm). Tickets

for performances should be bought in advance from the

RRI Building just to the south of the Balapan train station.

Sriwedari Park Two-hour performances of wayang

orang (Mon-Sat 8-11pm; Rp3000).

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EATING AND DRINKING

Solo's warung are renowned for local specialities such as

nasi liwet (chicken or vegetables and rice drenched in

coconut milk and served on a banana leaf ) and nasi gudeg

(jackfruit curry). For dessert, try kue putu (coconut cakes)

or srabi , a combination of pancake and sweet rice served

with a variety of fruit toppings. Most of these are found

along Jl Brig Jen Slamet Riyadi at the Galabo night market.

Bima Jl Brig Jen Slamet Riyadi 128. Welcome relief

from the heat outside, Bima has cheap Indonesian food

( nasi gudeg Rp20,000) as well as a smattering of Western,

Japanese and Chinese dishes and ice creams (banana split

Rp15,000). Daily 10am-9.30pm.

Kusuma Sari Jl Brig Jen Slamet Riyadi 111. Popular with

locals, this cool, clean and spacious restaurant has grilled

dishes, soups and ice creams at very affordable prices

( nasi goreng Rp13,000). Daily 10am-9pm.