Jejamuran in Jogja

Last March, my partner and I went to Jogjakarta. Our friends, Ronny and Fitri, took us to lunch to Jejamuran. This place specializes in selling dishes made of mushrooms.

Me, I am a big fun of mushrooms! I was really curious, they really sell mushrooms sate? Tasty or not? So we went there. The scenery along the way was fab, we could also see a glimpse of Merapi Mountain.

Jejamuran not only sells dishes based on mushrooms,
but they also sell some fresh mushrooms. Some of them
are pretty unique. I was taken by this salmon-colored ones.
At first, I thought they were roses or something. The yellow
ones are also pretty!

This is ling zhi! Very famous for medicinal purposes.
They also sell dried ling zhi and syrup. I bought the
syrup version. It is supposed to boost your immunity
and strength. It tastes faintly of ginger, but that's it.
I thought it must be bitter, but it isn't.

Bon appetit! This is mushroom sate, Jejamuran style.
It surprisingly tastes like meat. Very tasty and I'd love
to try it again in the future.

Here you can see my partner and Ronny, about to
sample their meals.

Yours truly with Fitri. Typical Indonesians, eh?
Posing before eating!





This place also offers training for those interested in cultivating mushrooms. I think this is fab. So it's a place to eat, have fun and study, too.

Gudeg

I am a fan of gudeg. Gudeg is famous in Jogjakarta. It's a bit sweet and spicy (you can omit the spicy part if you wish) You eat it with steamed rice and sambal krecek (this is the spicy part). Gudeg is made from young jackfruit, sometimes with eggs or chicken. Many times, both.

I spent a year of my childhood in this city, and gudeg is one of my comfort foods. It reminds me of family, of good times. They're complete--savory, salty, spicy, sweet. I am lucky because my partner loves gudeg, too. So, whenever we're in Jogja, we've been known to eat gudeg three times a day. Sometimes four!

There are many kinds of gudeg. You can go to Jalan Wijilan in Jogjakarta, also known as center of gudeg.Walk around and choose on a whim! You can also buy it as a souvenir, since there's a canned version of this dish.

Some prefer to eat gudeg with tea or orange juice. Me, I love es tape hijau. Yes, I love green, and yes, I love the taste, sweet and fresh after a hot day in Jogjakarta.

Have you tried gudeg? Which ones are your favorite?

Alun-Alun Kidul Jogjakarta, At Night

Alun-Alun Kidul (South Square) in Jogjakarta is very lively at night. From thriller-seekers who want to test their courage by walking towards two beringin (banyan) tree with their eyes closed (it is believed that those who can pass the path inside two banyan trees have true hearts and intentions. And that their wishes would come true. Something like that.) to people who want to have a long chat with friends while enjoying dinner. To us, Alun-Alun Kidul at night is a festivity. Plenty of colorful lights and sounds and chatters and food!

 Last July, my family and I went to Alun-Alun Kidul. Labibah Zain and her kids kindly took us there. The kids were fascinated to see the colorful tandem cycle rickshaws. I don't even know what the proper name for them! Some pedal the rickshaws while others sit, admiring the scenery. I belonged to the latter category, of course.

Labibah, my daughter and yours truly sat on top of the rickshaw. We hired it for one round of the square. It was quite chilly and windy and boy, the square was packed. We were not the only ones who wanted to hire colorful rickshaws! Some even have a stereo system embedded on them. Yes, and yes, it was noisy, but fun!

After the ride, we went to eat. Plenty of food stalls there, selling their wares. Many seem to like Magelangan--some sort of fried rice mixed with fried noodle. A bit spicy for kids, unfortunately, so we had to order another dish for Aza.

 What to do in Alun-Alun Kidul Jogjakarta at night:

- Test your courage by trying to walk between two banyan trees! Bring something to cover your eyes. Alternatively, you can rent or buy eye cover from the peddlers.
- Hire a colorful rickshaw.
- Eat and drink there, lesehan style (sitting on mats).
- Buy some light-copters and shoot it to the sky! Watch it float, the blinking lights will amuse you. In July 2012, one costs about IDR 5,000 - 10,000.

Andong & Becak

Jogja is full of andong and becak. What is andong, you might ask? Andong or delman is a horse carriage. You can find many andong and becak in Jogja, especially in Malioboro street.

Some are more lavishly decorated, others are somewhat plain. The drivers usually wear traditional clothes. Their traditional hats (blangkon) are unique and you might want to have one as a souvenir.







Naturally, after seeing one, our kids began pestering us for a ride. Aza had a good time, he even asked to sit in the front.

In July 2012, it costs about IDR 40,000 - 60,000 for a ride. (They already have their own route. If you want to ride an andong longer, it will cost you more, naturally.)

Ah, becak. They're everywhere in Jogjakarta! Some becak drivers might offer you rides to local T Shirts' factory or souvenir shop (usually bakpia, Jogjakarta's famous pastry). They charge less because they will get a commission from the shops. However this might be a nuisance if you have other plans. My advice is to be firm to them if you want to use their service. Ask them to take you to a specific destination, and that's it.

Oh, don't forget to bargain as well.
 

Riding becak or cycle rickshaw in Jogja is fun for adults and kids. I saw three tourists sharing a becak, laughing while taking pictures and talking to each other. I loved it that they were having a great time. Jogja has level roads so the journey is enjoyable. You can ask a becak driver to take you around Jogjakarta as well.