Going Solo down in Java

Solo, Java, Indonesia
13 March 2010

Well Lonely Planet said Solo was a laid-back city that was worth a visit, and in our trusting way we went. My memories of it now are of a busy, noisy, concrete mess with little to recommend it unless you want to buy cheap plastic toys - in which case you'll have a whale of a time. However, while the town is not pretty or relaxing, if you look beneath the surface, it does still retain remnants of a previous life that give some purpose to a visit.

We ended up in a rather beautiful hotel, the Chakra Homestay, which had been a very rich household at one time and still housed a traditional gamelan orchestra in one of its rooms (see pic above) that plays every Wednesday, and a swimming pool pool in front of an open air pavilion. It was to be a welcome sanctuary from the harshness of the city, especially thanks to a thoughtful manager who liked to come and just chat about the meaning of life.













There is a thriving batik industry in Solo too - a tradition that goes back a very long time in Java. The royal family even have their own pattern that mustn't be worn by non-royals. Within a short walk of the Chakra Homestay there are several batik factories that can be visited - very low tech affairs, with big vats of boiling dye heated by log fires, shelves of pattern stamps called chops (but spelled cops in bahasa Indonesia), and racks of drying cloths in varying stages of completeness.

Using natural barks and woods etc they manufacture dyes in different hues and by masking areas of cloth with a special formula of wax, they produce amazing, intricate patterns. We bought a few pieces which we still enjoy several months later.













There is also a batik museum for fans of the art which is worth a visit, if only for the black and white photos of the Dutch imperialist occupiers sitting around in their pretty sarongs.



















While we were in Bali, we had tried but failed to find any decent shadow puppets for our 'collection' of art - apart from a few pricey antiques, they were all cheap tat made for tourists who didn't know any better. But in Solo we lucked out and found the real deal. Near the main mosque in the centre of town we found an unassuming factory that made both gamelan gongs and absolutely top-notch shadow puppets.













Only four or five workers make up the assembly line, first stamping leather blanks with intricate patterns which are then passed on for detailed painting in vibrant colours and, finally, fixing to horn handles. We bought a couple and sent them home. They weren't cheap, but they were very lovely.











And finally the one great thing that happened in Solo was that I found a music shop and bought myself a guitar. It was a luxury since we have to carry so much luggage with two children, but having abandoned the buggy in KL, we felt we could handle the extra item. Thus, after much dithering, I bought a Yamaha acoustic cutaway with built-in graphic EQ and tuner. It is perfect: small, reliable and easy to play. I gave myself blisters on three fingers of my left hand by overplaying for the first few days, but it was worth it. I somehow found a way to play while they were healing, using Sellotape to protect the tips. Rock on...