Day 2 - Yogyakarta

In the late morning, we visited Kampung Wisata Gunungketur. It was an eye- opening experience exploring this village and playing Javanese Royal Archery. We dressed in the traditional Javanese costume and played the archery at one of the communal spaces in the village. We learnt how unique Javanese archery as it is usually played as a sport and not for hunting. Unlike usual archery with a bull's eye, the target of the Javanese Archery consists of a red 'head' and a 'white' body. The target symbolises oneself, and accurately shooting it symbolises the removal of one's sinful old self and welcoming a new oneself, highlighting the aspect of constantly progressing oneself in Javanese Culture.

After lunch, we learnt the process of Jamu (Javanese herbal drink) making. Jamu consists of various Southeast Asian herbs and spices, in which they are of abundance in Java, and is believed to provide medicinal properties. Although Jamu may seem like any other herbal drink, it actually a lot of patience, time and effort.The dried herbs and spices are pounded till fine powder by a giant pestle and mortar. After that, they are mixed with water and boiled under slow heat for hours till a thick paste. It is then mashed once again and filtered through a sift. The remaining liquid is then reboiled once again before being served. This process ensures that the Jamu served with the maximum amount of medicinal properties available. This tells about how people in Indonesia make use of nature to maintain their health. Overall, day 2 was a day where we immersed ourselves in Javanese Culture and learnt about its heritage.

Until the next entry,
Yi-Lin & Prisha Kaur