Lying in the shadow of the 2,900 meter-high, active volcano, Mt. Merapi sits the throne of the once mighty Javanese empire of Mataram, Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat; the city of Yogyakarta, often called Jogja. Once the country’s capital, along with its sister city Surakarta it was the heart of the kingdom until its collapse. Jogja was the centre of classical Javanese fine art and culture, producing outstanding batik, sculpture, ceramics, ballet, drama, music, poetry and puppet shows, known as wayang.
View over the city. Compared to Solo I find Jogja looks a little more worn out.
Gedhe Masjid Kauman Mosque (1773).
Generally, all students in Indonesia are expected to wear school uniform. Read more about education in Indonesia in my post of Mataram.
The magnificent Grha Sabha Pramana, is a cultural icon of Jogja's Gadjah Mada University. It's used for a variety of academic events, such as graduations and presentations.
Man selling dried fish in Beringharjo market.
Female butcher in Beringharjo market.
The most interesting area of the market is the old section at the back, where traders sell dried spices and grains.
Crammed full of stalls selling batik items and vast arrays of fruit, vegetables and dried spices (rempah rempah), the market's 1st floor is quite impressive.
Man selling dried fish in Beringharjo market.
Although in some places it is slowly changing, Indonesia's sewage system is non-existent, so people are often forced to throw garbage and leftovers onto the street.
Woman walking under the market bridge and carrying a red umbrella.
At the front of the market, stall holders sell a wide range of batiks, khimars, hijabs etc., the batik is mostly inexpensive Chinese made material. A bored sales lady plays with her phone.
A woman packing up seeds.
When it's quiet, especially around the end of Malioboro Street near the Kraton complex, the becak drivers often play games of chess on large wooden sets. They sometimes welcome the challenge of a game against a new opponent, if you fancy trying your luck.
A woman carries spices across the market.
Chickens attached to a becak bike being taken to slaughter.
Almost every large city in the world has graffiti on its walls; some of it is just empty, meaningless crap, or vandalism, while some of it is relevant and recognised as a piece of art. In Yogyakarta, virtually every major road and narrow alleyway is sprayed with graffiti. Whether it's graffiti or a mural, street art has become a familiar sight in Jogja and its presence no longer surprises the locals. One interesting thing I noticed is that the graffiti here doesn't always set out to highlight a social problem or protest an issue, it's more of an opportunity for the graffiti artist to show off their skill. In some cases it feels like the Government here even sponsors some of the work.