Tombs of various less-favoured relatives are dotted around the edges of the building, while the inner sanctum, separated by carved wooden screens, contains five marble sarcophagi: Suharto himself, his mother, father, wife and one sister. Oddly enough, the whole place is eerily peaceful, and few visitors pay their respects these days – in stark contrast to the scenes in 2008 when tens of thousands lined the route of his funeral cortège from Solo airport. The Suharto cult of personality certainly has waned over the years.
While you're here you can stroll up to the burial place of Solo’s royal Mangkunegara family, whose monuments pale by comparison. It's just 300m away on a neighbouring forested hilltop.
There's a cafe and a souvenir stall where you can purchase kitsch keyrings and the like. There is no public transport to the monument. Tour guides in Solo will include Giribangun on trips to Candi Sukuh and Candi Cetho. By road, head east of Solo to Karangpandan, and it's 7km south of the highway near the village of Mangadeg.
1Sights
Candi SukuhTEMPLE
(admission 10,000Rp; h8am-5pm)
In a magnificent position 900m above the Solo plain, Candi Sukuh is one of Java’s most enigmatic and striking temples. It’s not a large site, but it has a large, truncated pyramid of rough-hewn stone, and there are some fascinating reliefs and Barong statues. The pyramid was under renovation and surrounded by scaffolds when we last visited. Even so, on clear days the view of the terraced emerald valley and the volcano looming above are magical. The restoration is estimated to be completed in 2017.
It’s clear that a fertility cult was practised here: several explicit carvings have led it to be dubbed the ‘erotic’ temple. It’s a quiet, isolated place with a potent atmosphere.
Built in the 15th century during the declining years of the Majapahit kingdom, Candi Sukuh seems to have nothing whatsoever to do with other Javanese Hindu and Buddhist temples. The origins of its builders and strange sculptural style (with crude, squat and distorted figures carved in the wayang style found in East Java) remain a mystery and it seems to mark a reappearance of the pre-Hindu animism that existed 1500 years earlier.
At the gateway you'll find a large stone lingam and yoni. Flowers are still often scattered here, and locals believe these symbols were used to determine whether a wife had been faithful, or a wife-to-be was still a virgin. The woman had to wear a sarong and jump across the lingam – if the sarong fell off, her infidelity was proven. Other interesting cult objects include a monument depicting Bima, the Mahabharata warrior hero, with Narada, the messenger of the gods, both in a stylised womb. Another monument depicts Bima passing through the womb at his birth. In the top courtyard three enormous flat-backed turtles stand like sacrificial altars. A 2m lingam once topped the pyramid, but it was removed by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles in 1815 and now resides in the National Museum in Jakarta.
If you’re driving here note that there are almost no signposts to help direct you to the site and you have to pay a small fee to pass through Kemuning. Virtually all travellers get here on a tour from Solo or Yogyakarta. Public transport is very tricky: take a bus bound for Tawangmangu from Solo as far as Karangpandan (6000Rp), then a Kemuning minibus (2000Rp) to the turn-off to Candi Sukuh; from here it’s a steep 2km walk uphill to the site or a 40,000Rp ojek ride. For around 70,000Rp, ojek will take you to both Sukuh and Cetho.
Candi CethoTEMPLE
(admission 10,000Rp; h8am-4.30pm)
Candi Cetho (pronounced Cheto) sits on the southern face of Gunung Lawu at around 1400m. Thought to date from around 1350, this candi closely resembles a Balinese temple in appearance, though it combines elements of Shivaism and fertility worship. It’s a larger temple than Sukuh and is spread over terraces rising up the misty hillside. The entrance is marked by temple guardians and you’ll find a striking platform with a turtle head and a large lingam on the upper terrace.
There are six tiers altogether and it remains a focus of active worship. Balinese (and Javanese) Hindus visit Candi Cetho to pray and give offerings regularly. Indeed, the villagers who live just below the temple form one of Java's last remaining Hindu populations. The third tier is where you'll see the majority of the fruit, flowers, other offerings and burning incense – all from visiting pilgrims.
There are several homestays in the village, with simple rooms available for 75,000Rp to 100,000Rp per night. Cetho is usually included in the temple tours from Solo and Yogyakarta. By road, head to Kemuning then take the steep road through bucolic farmland, 9km past the Sukuh turn-off.
4Sleeping
Sukuh CottageHOTEL$$
(%027-1702 4587; www.sukuh-cottage.com; r incl breakfast 400,000Rp; W)
Just before Sukuh temple – and enjoying the same exquisite views – this rural hotel has attractive rooms and villas built from natural materials dotted around a sublime grassy plot studded with mature trees. There's an elevated viewing platform and restaurant. Reserve ahead, as the lodge often gets booked out by tour groups in high season.
5Eating & Drinking
Bale BrantiTEAHOUSE
(Jalan Kaliondo No 1, Kemuning; snacks 10,000-22,000Rp; h9am-7pm)
A new teahouse, set in an authentic joglo (traditional Javanese house) in Kemuning, with over a dozen wood tables shaded by parasols on the lip of the tea fields. It's a good place for local tea, and it does nasi campur (rice with side dishes), nasi goreng (fried rice) and pisang goreng (banana fritters) too.
Ndoro DonkerTEAHOUSE
(Jl Afedling Kemuning 18; mains 10,000-60,000Rp; h9am-5pm)
Named for the first tea mogul of Java and set in his 19th-century home on his old plantation. There is a more complete food menu here, and the setting, which abuts the tea fields, is just as lovely. The black and green tea is local; the rest is sourced from elsewhere on Java.
Tawangmangu
%0271
Tawangmangu, a sprawling hill resort on the western side of Gunung Lawu, is a popular weekend retreat for Solonese. It’s a pleasant enough place to escape the city heat and do a hike or two in the hills, but it's best done as a day trip.
1Sights
Grojogan SewuWATERFALL
(admission 110,000Rp; h6am-6pm)
About 2km from town, Grojogan Sewu, a 100m-high waterfall, is a favourite playground for monkeys (as is the parking area). It is reached by a long flight of steps down a hillside, but you probably won’t want to have a dip in the chilly, and filthy, swimming pool. From the bottom of the waterfall a trail leads to a good track to Candi Sukuh, a 2½-hour walk away. Some Solo guides offer treks.
This path is steep in parts but is also negotiable by motorbike. Ojek hang out at the beginning of the trail on weekends.
4Sleeping & Eating
There are plenty of losmen on Jl Grojogan Sewu, a quieter street running between the waterfall and Jl Raya Lawu.
For cheaper eats, the road near the waterfall is inundated with warungs.
Hotel BintangHOTEL$
(%0271-696269; www.bintangtw.hotelasiasolo.com; Jl Raya Lawu; r from 185,000-315,000Rp; aW)
A modern hotel on the main drag with three floors of rooms of varying quality. Newer, sleeker rooms on the riverside have dark-wood furniture, LCD TV and stylish lighting. The others are simple, tiled numbers. Not much English is spoken but staff try to be helpful. There’s a minimart, a cafe-restaurant and unfortunate karaoke on weekends.
oGria TawangINDONESIAN$
(%0271-700 7413; mains 15,000-35,000Rp; h9am-5pm)
An outstanding riverside warung, part of an outdoor activity centre, that offers traditional Javanese dishes cooked on log fires. You eat under wooden shelters overlooking a fast-flowing stream. The food takes time to prepare, so expect to wait. It’s 2km west of Tawangmangu, on the road back to Solo.
8Getting There & Away
Buses travel to Solo (12,000Rp to 15,000Rp) regularly. Minibuses (2000Rp) loop through town from the bus terminal up the main road, across to the waterfall and back.
WORTH A TRIP
CLIMBING GUNUNG LAWU
The village of Cemoro Sewu, 10km east of Tawangmangu, is the starting point for the hike to the summit of Gunung Lawu. Thousands of pilgrims flock to the summit on 1 Suro, the start of the Javanese New Year, but mystics and holidaying students make the night climb throughout the year, especially on Saturday night. Most start around 8pm, reaching the peak at around 2am for meditation.
For the best chance of witnessing a clear sunrise, start by 10.30pm at the latest. It is a long, steady six-hour hike, but one of the easiest mountains in Java to tackle. While the stony path has handrails in places, it is still best to bring a torch or headlamp. Alternatively, guides can make a night climb easier and lead you to the various pilgrimage sites along the way. Guides in Cemoro Sewu cost around 150,000Rp. Sign in at the PHKA post before starting the climb (admission to walk 20,000Rp).
North Coast
Central Java’s north coast doesn't feature on most travellers' itineraries, but this steamy strip of land is not without charm.
The towns dotting the north coast are steeped in history. For many centuries the coast was the centre for trade with merchants from Arabia, India and China, who brought with them both goods and cultural values. In the 15th and 16th centuries the area was a springboard for Islam into Java, and the tombs of most of the country’s great saints all lie along this coast.
Craft traditions are also impressive. Pekalongan is celebrated for its batik, while Jepara is a major centre for wooden furniture. If the sweet smell of kretek (clove cigarettes) is to your liking, then a trip to Kudus may appeal.
Central Java’s capital is Semarang, a rapidly growing metropolis and major shipping centre. While it won’t hold your interest for too long, it is a gateway to the splendid (and often forgotten) Karimunjawa Islands.
Semarang
%024 / Pop 1.6 million
Steamy Semarang – bustling and strange, with bosomy hills, a somewhat restored historic core and rapidly developing, affluent outskirts – is home to a huge middle class, Chinese population and a massive north-coast port. Taken with a wide angle, this sprawling, schizophrenic city can feel charmless, but zoom in on its best pockets and there is life – especially in the old city, a gentrifying few blocks blooming with new cafes and restaurants and a wonderful art gallery, not to mention atmospheric colonial architecture. In contrast, the commercial area around Simpang Lima (Five Ways), with its malls, clogged freeways and business hotels, is emblematic of Java’s sudden and dramatic shift into the 21st century. Like it or not, business is booming here.
Though Semarang is the provincial capital of Central Java, it lacks the magnetism of Solo and Yogyakarta. It does, however, have good transport connections (including international flights) so you may well pass through.
Semarang
1Sights
1Gereja BlendukE1
2Lawang SewuB4
3Mesjid BesarD2
4Old CityE1
5Semarang GalleryE1
6Simpang LimaD5
7Tay Kak Sie TempleE2
4Sleeping
8Gumaya Tower HotelC3
9Hotel Raden PatahE1
10Novotel SemarangB3
11Roemah PantesE2
12Tjiang ResidenceE2
13Whiz HotelB3
5Eating
14Holliday RestaurantB4
15Ikan Bakar CianjurE1
16Lumpia Gang LombokE2
17Paragon MallC3
18Sate & Gule 29E1
19Semawis Night MarketD2
20SpiegelE1
21TekoDekoE1
22Toko Wingko BabadE1
6Drinking & Nightlife
23E PlazaD5
1Sights
Old CityAREA
(Outstadt; MAP GOOGLE MAP )
Semarang’s richly atmospheric old city, often referred to as the Outstadt, its Dutch name, is well worth investigating. Sadly, most of the area’s tremendous stock of colonial buildings are in an advanced state of decay, seemingly unloved and left to rot by the city authorities.
At the heart of this old quarter is the elegant church Gereja Blenduk ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Jenderal Suprapto), built in 1753, which has a huge cupola, a spectacular baroque-style organ and an unusual wooden pulpit.
If the gates aren't locked tight, knock on the door and ask the caretaker to let you in. He just might! Towards the river from the church there are dozens of crumbling old Dutch warehouses, municipal buildings and townhouses with shuttered windows, flaking plaster and peeling paint. Be sure to drop by the Semarang Gallery.
The old city is prone to flooding; if you visit during the rainy season it may not even be possible to explore some of the backstreets. Towards the centre of the city, Pasar Johar is one of Semarang’s main markets. Facing the market is Semarang’s Mesjid Besar (Grand Mosque; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Pemuda).
Semarang GalleryART GALLERY
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %024-355 2099; www.galerisemarang.com; Jl Taman Srigunting 5-6; admission 10,000Rp; h10am-4:30pm)
The shining star of the old city, this wonderful art gallery set in a stunning old Dutch warehouse feels like a museum and is dedicated to Indonesian contemporary art. Aan Arif of Yogyakarta had a solo show on when we came through. It featured, cool, blurred oil on canvas street scenes and portraits. Whatever is on, you can be sure it will be worth well more than the price of entry.
ChinatownAREA
(south of Jl Jenderal Suprapto)
Semarang’s Chinatown is worth investigating, particularly around the riverside Gang Lombok. Rich with pagodas, shophouses, jade jewellers, pharmacists, fortune tellers and food stalls, Semarang is Indonesia’s most Chinese city and the depth of culture here is compelling. The focus of the entire community is the Tay Kak Sie temple ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Gang Lombok), dating back to 1746, with its huge drums and incense-clouded interior.
This temple overlooks the Sungai Semarang (Semarang River), where there's a model of one of the ships of legendary Chinese explorer Admiral Cheng Ho (he visited Java several times). Next to the temple is Pujasera Tay Yak Sie, a Chinese food court and also a community hall used for martial arts. Sadly, the river is grossly polluted these days, and its odour is not easy on the nostrils.
Lawang SewuHISTORIC BUILDING
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; Jl Permuda; admission 10,000Rp; h7am-9pm)
Semarang's most famous landmark Lawang Sewu ('Thousand Doors') is actually two colossal colonial buildings that were once one of the headquarters of the Indonesian railways during the Dutch era. Some renovation has recently been completed but most of the main L-shaped structure remains closed to visitors. Nevertheless, you can wander the empty corridors of the other huge building, where clerks and engineers once worked, and admire the features (including some magnificent stained glass and marble staircases).
The building is regarded as a haunted house by locals; during WWII the Japanese occupied the building and used the dungeons for interrogation. You can tour the flooded basement on a guided tour (not always available in English), see where many lost their lives and hear the gruesome tales of the atrocities that were committed here. It's a deeply moving experience, particularly at night.
Gedung BatuCHINESE TEMPLE
(Sam Po Kong Temple; admission free to worshippers, viewing compound 10,000Rp, temples 30,000Rp; h24hr)
This huge Chinese temple complex, 5km southwest of the city centre, has three main temple buildings and many smaller structures. Most are classically Indo-Chinese, with soaring pagoda-style roofs, massive drums and dangling Chinese lanterns. There's also an inner chamber in the form of a cave flanked by two great dragons, hence the temple’s popular name, Gedung Batu (Stone Building). Inside the cave is a gilded statue of Sam Po, surrounded by fairy lights.
The complex was built in honour of Admiral Cheng Ho, the famous Muslim eunuch of the Ming dynasty, who led a Chinese fleet on seven expeditions to Java and other parts of Southeast and West Asia in the early 15th century. Cheng Ho has since become a saint known as Sam Po. He first arr
ived in Java in 1405 and is believed to have helped spread Islam.
Note that women are not allowed to enter the temples if they are menstruating, but they can visit the complex.
To get to Gedung Batu, take the Damri bus 2 from Jl Pemuda to Karang Ayu (a suburb west of central Semarang), and then an angkot to the temple. It takes about half an hour from central Semarang.
Ronggowarsito MuseumMUSEUM
(Jl Abdulrachman; admission 10,000Rp; h8am-2pm Tue-Sun)
Ronggowarsito Museum is a large provincial museum with antiquities, crafts including batik and wayang puppets, and assorted fossils and curios collected from all over the state. The most interesting exhibit is a recycled stone panel from the Mantingan mosque – one side shows Islamic motifs, while the reverse shows the original Hindu-Buddhist scene. Javanese dance displays are held here on Friday morning. It’s approximately 2km before the airport.
Semarang HarbourHARBOUR
Semarang harbour is worth a look to see pinisi (schooners) and other traditional ocean-going vessels that dock at Tambak Lorok.
WORTH A TRIP
JAMU (HERBAL MEDICINES)
Semarang is known for its jamu and has two large manufacturers; both have museums and offer tours. Jamu Nyonya Meneer (%024-658 3088; www.njonjameneer.com; Jl Raya Kaligawe, Km4; hmuseum 10am-3.30pm Sun-Fri) is near the bus terminal, while Jamu Jago (%024-747 2762; www.jago.co.id; Jl Setia Budi 273) is 6km south of the city on the Ambarawa road.
Lonely Planet Indonesia Page 26