QUIET CHARM

Known for its friendly and soft spoken people, Solo is a city that has maintained its provincial charm and famous as a stronghold of Javanese traditions and culture. 65km east of Yogyakarta, Solo maintains very strong Central Javanese traditions of performing arts and crafts. Solo the short name for Surakarta, and has a population of around 600,000 people. Solo is located on a very fertile plain that is surrounded by three volcanoes, Merapi and Merbabu in the north, and Mount Lawu to the Southeast.

SKILL AND HISTORY

Batik continues to be a major lifeblood of the city, and employs many skilled crafts people from villages around the area. If you would like to see some local batik, the Klewer market is a famous destination, you can even have a tailor make up a shirt or skirt in a day for you. Put your best bargaining cap on, the prices here are definitely negotiable. Klewer Market is known locally as Pasar klewer and is close to the town square. To the west of the twon square is Kampung Batik Laweyan Solo, a village that has specialised in batik since the 15th century, here you can see the batik being produced by the craftspeople. 

FAMILIES ROYAL Solo interestingly has two palaces and two royal families. The two royal families avoided fighting but were competitive in developing arts and culture, each family striving to have the most refined performances and artefacts. Both palaces, called puro are open for visitors. Kasunanan Palace, ornate and traditional Javan architecture, was built in 1745. A tower in the yard is where in legend, the King would come to meet with the Goddess of the South Seas. Mangkunegaran Palace was built in 1866 in Joglo style, a classic form of Javanese architecture using teak.

MARKET HUSTLE AND BUSTLE The Pasar Klewer is famous for the batiks, the Pasar Triwindhu specializes in antiques. Pack Rats and amateur history buffs will need a few days to explore the fascinating odds and ends on display at Pasar Triwindu. Ancient and still functional padlocks eerily reminiscent of dungeons and shackles, jade lingams and yonis, bronze cowbells, and the odd authentic pince-nez (disinterred? from whom?), and an assortment of historical flotsam and jetsam will keep you mesmerized for endless hours. Traditional food and even more traditional refreshment (jamu!) are readily available from passing food and beverage carts. Though prices are generally reasonable to the visiting tourist, they can (and should)

MUST TRY

Srabi is pancake made of coconut milk, and rice flour with toppings such as sliced banana, chopped jackfruit or chocolate sprinkles, a local specialty

GETTING THERE Solo's Adisumarmo International Airport (SOC) is 10 km north of town. You can also fly to Yogyakarta's Adisucipto International Airport. The distance between Yogyakarta and Solo is only 60km, and getting a taxi to take you is not difficult. The main bus station is in Kartasura, 12 kilometers west of the center. The city bus terminal, Terminal Tirtonadi, services more local destinations such as Yogyakarta. The main train station is Solobalapan for travel to Jakarta.