Jogja 05 Silver

From the batik industry we proceeded to the silver industry.

We visited the one called HS Silver
It was a low single-storey building.
It was hot & sunny because the sky was blue.
If the sky is white, then it will be cooler, as it means the sky is covered with clouds.
But bright hot sunny weather is good for photography.

HS is hort for Harto Suhardjo.

Ok here you see another Dutch spelling.

In Dutch "DJO" is pronounced as "J" in English.Hence, in pronunciation of this shop is

"Harto Suharjo".

That is why, I was saying in Jogja 01 that, it is not that easy for any Singaporean Malay tounderstand Indonesian Malay. We have not considered the colloquail slangs yet.

The resident guide of HS started with an introduction of the raw material used in their industry.

I got the chance to see raw pure silver, brass and many other items used in silverware processing.

I also got to see this pure boraks.

No...no...no....this is not "borak" which in English means "a lie", but it is a kind of powder used for polishing silverware.

They had for display some traditional accessories,which were better known as costume jewelleries.

In those days these jewelleries were worn outside their clothings. Even in the old photographs of our ancestors of the Singaporean Nonya and Peranakan families, we observed that they wore their accessories over their dress. So men had no chance to see parts of the women body.

But nows-a-days, as many womens exposed their body, the accessories are worn over the raw flesh and can be seen by the naughty eyes of men.

I also caught the close up of the traditional silverware used in ancient Indonesian life.

I must say they are marvellous and majestic.

The Holy Quran mentions repeatedly that the dwellers of Paradise, will get to drink numerous kind of drinks serve in silver cups.

My friend, Akram, who was a surveyor, in the Changi Airport MRT Line, and switched professionas a promoter of AP300 US health products, once explained to me that, silver can help to prevent us from many disease.

He showed me a couple of products that had silver contents. I asked him shockingly,

"Akram...you mean we can consume silver...!!!???

"Yeah...but with prescription. Don't go and swallow your silver jewelleries or siver plate. That can be fatal...!!!" he said and continued explaining that...it was exactly the reason why our ancestors had silverware as their household utensils.

Their cups and saucers, pots and woks, basins and jugs were all made of silver.

I gathered later that it was precisely the reason why the Holy Quran mentions silver in its verses which were the revelation from The GOD Al-Mighty.

GOD is encouraging us to take benefit from silver,thru HIS hints in the revelations.

It is for us to manupulate raw silver and convert it as utensils or for consumption.

One of the benefit of silver is a cure for gastric.So guys drop at the nearest Pharmacy and ask the pharmacists if they have such a prescription for gastric..

Do you guys know that silver in Chemistry is given its chemical code as "Ag", the way oxygen was given it's code as "O2" and Calcium as "Ca". I learnt them in school in 1969.

O how wonderful were those secondary schooldays.

By the way, I was from Naval Base Secondary School.

Wat.......!!!! you never heard of such school????


Guys....it was at Chong Pang Road just outside
the gate of The British Naval Base barracks
along Canberra Road.

Now it is in Yishun Housing Estate.

Coincidentally, we from the Class of 1969,
will get together this coming 31 July 2009 at
Swiss'otel Stamford to reminische the past.

Back to Jogja.

While we were browsing, my wife & I bumped
into our relatives. She came with her family,
but joined a different travel agent. Her
group of about 10 person, just arrived from
a 16-hour trip by coach from Jakarta.

After parting with them I had the urge to
visit the loo.

After parting with them I had the urge to
visit the loo.

I confessed that they had clean and fresh
fragrant toilets.

From the loo I walked out to the nearby road.

There was a madrasah just across the road.

Madrasah is an Islamic school. This one was
managed by the non-government organisation
called Muhammadiyah and it offer an upper
secondary level of education.

Long before the coming of the colonials,
Indonesia had many such schools. It showed that
Indonesians and all the Malays within
its Archipelago called Nusantara, were educated
people and were never illiterate as fausely
recorded by the colonials in their history books.

Of course, they followed the Arabic and Islamic
curriculum, which were the source of the
western education. This subject is too long
to continue it here.

So back to Jogja. Yes I saw that many madrasahs and
universities in Jogja are managed by Muhammadiyah.

There are many other secular government universities
in Jogja, as it is well-knowned for its progressive
education programs designed by the Sultan of Jogja.

Mr Sidek Sanif, our ex-Senior Minister used to study
in University Gajah Mada in Jogja in the early 60s.
I saw it when we were going for lunch.

Jogja 03 Lunch at Pesta Perak

When all the travelers are ready we boarded the air-con tour bus.
The tour guide from Borobodur Discovery Tour,
introduced himself as Pak Tri.

Of course that is his simple name. His avtual name was much longer.
I remembered something like Trisno Buwono.

Pak Tri is a cheerful young man of about 35 of age.
It was a Saturday and he said it is normal to have quite a jam
in the Jogja town centre on that day.
It was also a begining of their school holidays.

After quite a lengthy historical background of Jogja
he finally said that we were heading for lunch.

Wow !!! how the enzyme in my stomach suddenly pop out
from the it's dry wall.

Why not...I had no meal in the plane,
and in the morning at Terminal One Staff canteen,
I had not the apetite for heavy breakfast.

Our lunch was at this prestigoius Pesta Perak Restaurant.
Translated into English it's means Silver Jubilee Restaurant.
No wonder Pak Tri said that this restaurant is normally
patronize for couples who had been married for 25 years.

Of course it was not restricted for such couples only.
I would believe that the prestigious name reflect the kind of service
and the ambience it offer to the diners.

Indeed, it was prestigious and the food they served were elegant and delicious.
Among the speciality popular local dish is the young jackfruit
cooked in sweet soya sauce.

Of course an adventurous traveler like me will try it out,
and I would say that not quite to my taste as it was a little too sweet
to pair up wih rice. Anyway there sambal belachan to
compliment it.

Another diner pointed to me the bull skin curry.
I tried that too and couldn't admire it as I felt
like eating a sponge.

Of course there were many other specialities
which will take too much time to describe.

The ambience was very soothing although the weather outside
was very hot. Perfect for loving couples.

Traditional items like wayang kulit and musical instruments
bring the bamboo wall to life.

Just opposite of the restaurant was a church.
I had forgotten to identify what church it was.
Anyway Pak Tri said that the majority of the population
in Jogja are Muslims.

After lunch we headed for the next destination.
Along the way I saw the magnificent sign boards
showing road and town names and directions.


There were many grafities on building walls.
Ironically they all look very nicely done,
as though they were purposely allowed to be
grafitied by the authority.


Standing proud at the entrance of their towns and villages,
are kind of arches, which are very common also in Malaysia.

Perhaps they are remnants of the historical cultures
of the Malay Archipelago which is strongly adhered to
by the Malays in South-East Asia as "Nusantara".


Nusantara is a kind of the Malay Brotherhood.
Such that all the Malays in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore
and as far as Philipines and Thailand will also adopt
ourselves as brothers.

When we meet in the street, we will easily smile
and greet each other.

Once, during my tour of duty, I greeted a Malay man,
we shooked hands, and then we parted.

My Singaporean Chinese lady working colleague asked me,

"Was that man your friend or relative?"

"No.." I answered.

Then she asked,

"How come you all shook hands like friends?"

I had to brief her a little bit of our religious culture
that encourages us to greet each other and shake
hands whenever we meet.


Folks we stopped here for a while
and continue again in Jogja 04
with the help of God Al-Mighty.