A cup of Javanese tea: a symbol of friendship

I like trilogy, so this is my third post about Yogyakarta (for this season). Hey, here’s a song titled ‘Yogyakarta’, but sang by street musicians in kroncong and been flavored with Javanese singing style such as tembang and siteran. The woman is singing in tembang style: a style of telling Javanese folklore in rhythms; and the old man plays the siter (as well as doing tembang or nembang).

When I was a kid (as I grew up in my grandparent’s old-big house with a huge yard), when heading to fall asleep, I’d like to listen to the siter. Ssstttt, close your eyes and just imagine: outside was so quiet, peaceful and dark, yet sound of siter that played smoothly and rhythmic, broke the silence and filled up the darkness; that’s awesome.

Okay, as a well-known place for tourism, you can easily find Yogyakarta on the web, here is my recommendation to start with. Just noted, Yogyakarta is a city of art and culture, and identical to a place for culinary tour, just google it. Let’s now talk about Yogyakarta from my view.

You have to taste the city at night, I mean on the streets. Yes, I’d like to come to Malioboro Street at night, when all the shop has closed, and all the bustle euphoria of visitors for shopping had vanished. I’ll sit with my close friends at the lesehan (small cafe where people eat and sit on the floor on mats) on the roadside. Tips: rather than crowded lesehan, better take the one that not too busy but has good food. So if Malioboro is too crowded, we’ll move to the Sultan square or to Pakualaman (or even bit further outside of the city center).

One of the latest gatherings, about 3 years ago (at 'mbah Mo', the  shop of Javanese traditional Noodle)

We used to gather once a week, at least, just to share our daily life to each other. Well, me and my close friends were only schoolmate in junior high school (similar to 6^th to 8^th Grade in US), and each of us took different high school and different subject for college. So that’s the way how we kept our friendship. Hey, we still do this if I came home, nice huh?

Let me tell you: for ‘Yogyanese’, friendship is very important; sitting, talking with close friends (often with eating, but not necessarily), and accompanied with 'a cup (of hot, sweet, and strong) Javanese tea', is matchless to lots of thing. The essence is enjoying the moments of togetherness (and afterward, each will fight again to their own life). That’s Javanese style: ibarate wis ayem nek wis nge'teh, ro konco cedak (parables as calming life with having tea, among friends). Perhaps close to people from the west culture when they go to bar for drinking and social life (only we won't get drunk with tea). To keep the spirit, I brought plenty of simple Javanese tea packet to overseas, look at this:

Okay, usually the street musicians will accompany our gathering (you can say no if you don’t like it), but we do. Me and my close friends sometimes rent the guitar from the singer and sing our favorite songs (meanwhile the singer will sit with us, enjoying his tea). That’s fun.

Street musicians could also be art students, so they played nicely in a band or simple orchestra, with Indonesian or west/English songs, maybe even better than the artists on stage or recording artists. Well, nightlife on the streets in Yogyakarta is unique, meaningful, and romantic: lesehan, a cup of tea (which is not only the beverage, but a symbol of friendship), and enlivened by street musicians. Just try when you have a chance. Listen to the song of 'Yogyakarta' original version, see the lyric in second verse and the chorus (and you'll get what I'm talking about). 

Di persimpangan langkahku terhenti (in the intersections my step stop)
Ramai kaki lima (bustling of portable food stands)
Menjajakan sajian khas berselera (peddling various delectable cuisines)
Orang duduk bersila (while people sit with cross-legged)
Musisi jalanan mulai beraksi (and street musicians began to play)
Seiring laraku kehilanganmu (in rhythm with my sorrow of losing you)
Merintih sendiri (alone in my moans)
Ditelan deru kotamu ... (engulfed by your city’s roar …. )

chorus:
Walau kini kau t’lah tiada tak kembali 
(although now you’re no longer here and won’t ever come back)
Namun kotamu hadirkan senyummu abadi 
(but the city’s always presenting your smile)
Ijinkanlah aku untuk s’lalu pulang lagi (please allow me to always return)
Bila hati mulai sepi tanpa terobati (if the heart feels lonely with no healing)

Nite,