Known as the spirit of Java, Surakarta or better known as Solo is a hidden gem in Java. This city is a blend of history and modernity that managed to co-exist. The different ethics that lived there added more color and intrigue which makes it one that should be visited while traveling across Java. The city also boasts its cultural events monthly as well as international events that are held thanks to its mayor that knows how to follow the trends and capture its people’s hearts. Not only that, the architecture in this city is as intriguing as its neighbor, Yogyakarta which mainly boasts its temple. In fact, both used to be “sisters” kingdoms though today the members of its royal family are no longer ruling like Yogyakarta. A lot of Javanese culture and food also stems from here, this is the spirit and the roots that a lot of javanese are known today. Let’s follow my adventure in this city!

The 6 hours is a travelog where I documented places I visited under 6 hours. These places are something new that I haven’t visited before. So, I am going to take you to explore these places with me.

Back in July, I was visiting Surakarta because I never explored it alone as an adult. The place is accessible by train as well as flights. They have one international airport that mostly connects to international hubs like Singapore. Their train station is also a major hub connecting all parts of Java, so visiting this area is pretty much accessible through all major cities and even smaller towns where long distance trains exist. I happened to use a long distance train rather than the commuter line that is available in Yogyakarta.

If you have read my post on Coffee and Culture : Cold N Brew Surakarta, this blog is my recount of the other things that I checked out and contains recommendations for the best experience while visiting Surakarta/Solo.

There are plenty of things that you can still do in this city despite if you’re only focusing on the main part rather than its nook and crannies. As a starter, there are numerous ways to commute through the area. First using Grab/Gojek/other online transportation, the second is using their inter-city bus and headed to its shelter nearby the train station. Walking is not an option unless you are used to doing long distance walks and don't carry many things.

Slamet Riyadi St

The first place that must be checked out is definitely Slamet Riyadi Street. Fun fact, in this street you can see an intercity train passing through the main street. This is something that we often see in European cities but Solo is one of the few cities in Java where you can also see trains passing by on the main roads. In this area, there are numerous cafes that are happening and trendy. Just behind this street, the royal family houses are also located. It’s a great place to walk around as it’s shaded by big tall trees that makes the heat of Java quite forgiving.

When you go straight towards the main square of the city and other points of interest, you can check out the prison with its unique door. It’s basically a remnant of colonialism in the city and many of such instances can be found around the city. At the very end of the Slamet Riyadi Street, there’s a dutch era fort as well as a well-known shopping center called PGS.

PGS

Crossing the street at the end of Slamet Riyadi St is such a chore. It’s giving Vietnam a core vibe because there’s no crossing light and you have to jaywalk which seemingly is the way people move around and about in the city. As you can see above, there are also few more places of interest that can be visited. Unfortunately, I did not visit those. I only visited PGS and Pasar Klewer.

Both markets are blends of modernity and tradition. They are mostly wholesalers that connect producers to consumers throughout Java especially in garment and batik apparels. Although you can purchase things as retail, it would be cheaper to buy it as a 2nd hand wholesales. In the basement of PGS, I found a delicious unique food from Surakarta known as Timlo.

As you can see below it is basically a soup dish served with carrots, tofu skin, glass noodle, and mushroom. There’s also thinly sliced potato that tastes like chips. The broth is so savory and very unique that Ithrough my entire 27 years of living, I’ve never found it quite like it. It was pretty reasonable and my first dish of the city that I tried.

Pasar Klewer & Central Mosque

After leaving PGS, my friend and I walked further trying to reach Pasar Klewer. But before reaching this market, we stopped at Central mosque because my friend was about to pray. While waiting for her, I walked around the area and found out that the mosque was also pretty old.

In Surakarta/Solo there are also modern mosques that boast its modernity and architecture but these older mosques have so many interactions that if I weren’t really shy using my camera, I would have captured a ton of stories. I shaded nearby trees and in front of me was this historical landmark of a clock that existed since the 19th century. They have tower around the area as well as a small alleyways that connects to pasar klewer. I just followed that hawkers and voila! just in front of me was my next destination.

Inside pasar klewer, not only you can find garments, there is food that I’ve never even heard of. One of it being Gempol Pleret which is made from rice flour and various chewy ingredients.

The old lady was nice and next to it, they also sell Selat Solo which is actually a javanese twist of steak. It’s one of dishes that are also a fusion between European and Javanese culture. There’s no rice in this food but fries, vegetables as well as sweetened thinly sliced meat that are poured with overly sweet sauce. I personally don’t really like it because it’s too sweet and almost dessert-like.

After Visiting Pasar Klewer, my friend and I gave up because it was too tiring walking all over the city like we’re a duo hobo. I was with my heavy backpack and I promised my friend that we should go back in a better condition where I don’t really have to carry almost 25kg with me on my back.The trip ended up with me and my friend chilling at the train station waiting for our train.

My friend is going back to Yogyakarta and I am going back to East Java since I was in the moving phase at the time. I honestly missed some of my adventures lately and I might as well do something this August or September. That was all the 3 main spots that are definitely a must to check out. It’s a lot more customizable but because I also wanted to get some work done, we cut 3 hours in our time just to hide and lounge at the cafe. See you in my next 6 hours adventure!