The holiday season is officially here

Living in a touristic and historical city has its ups and downs, especially during the holiday season. While I usually prefer to leave town and visit somewhere else, this December I decided to stay put and invite my mom to come and visit. Despite having visited the city numerous times, my mom still enjoys experiencing it as a tourist. My mom's visit always includes classic tourist activities, such as trying local food (like gudeg) and strolling along Malioboro street. These are some of her favorite things to do when she visits the city. However, traveling during the holiday season has its own challenge. In this small city, the traffic can make getting around a hassle. For example, today, we visited the most touristic street in the city, which took us about 30 minutes to reach by car. Normally, it should only take about 20-25 minutes to get there. But that did not stop my mom from wanting to go there.

When I picked up my mom yesterday, she mentioned that the train was packed with people coming into the city rather than leaving it. And today, I personally experienced how bad the traffic can be in this city. Over the past few months, I believe that many people have been engaging in what I referred to as "travel revenge" - taking advantage of the easing of lockdown and COVID restrictions to travel to popular tourist destinations. My city is particularly well-known as a top destination. Not only regular tourists but students from all over the country often list this as their favorite destinations. This city is affordable and offers many educational destinations and many historical sites, such as the Vredeburg Fort museum that my mom and I visited today.

Before visiting the Vredeburg Fort museum today , my mom and I stopped by the local market called Pasar Beringharjo to pick out some clothes as gifts for my cousins. I had mentioned Ray in some of my travel posts - he was recently accepted to work at a bank, and I wanted to congratulate him with a batik shirt. I also ended up getting a batik shirt for Ray's older brother, who is now a teacher. As the oldest in the family, I am proud to see how they have all grown into responsible adults. And it’s only fair that I congratulate them with gifts.

Today was scorching hot, which is not my favorite weather, but I was actually thankful for it because the rain in this city can get really intense. The foot traffic was also packed and I spotted many groups of students wearing matching shirts, a sign that they are students on tour. Hustlers were also present, trying to offer their services. Despite the changes that have occurred in the area over the years, this place remains vibrant.

For me, these are normal places that I visit regularly, but for my mom, they are memorable locations. She has visited this area since she was in high school, university, and throughout my childhood, and she pointed out that many of the stores have remained the same, with only slight modifications. Despite her many visits to this area, my mom has never actually gone inside the fort. That's why I'm taking her inside today to explore it.

Vredeburg Fort Museum

During my last visit, I noticed that the price of the entrance ticket had decreased significantly. It now costs only 3000 IDR per person, compared to the 5000 IDR or more that it used to cost. Additionally, I did not receive a flier during my visit, which was something that was provided in the past.

Overall, it seems that there have been some changes in the pricing. Anyhow, I was happy with the ticket. The location has added more open spaces, including a playground and benches for visitors to sit and enjoy the breeze. This provides more opportunities for people to relax and spend time at the location especially if they are not into history and museums.

One of the museum displays

Upon entering the fort, visitors will find a plethora of rooms to explore. The museum is primarily focused on the Indonesian struggle for independence and features dioramas depicting the events of this time period.

My mother, who enjoys visiting museums and historical places, was particularly interested in learning more about Indonesia's past through the exhibits and displays at this location. During our visit, my mother pointed out that she recognized some of the money displayed in the museum. When I asked her what she could buy with 250 IDR, she told me that it was a significant amount of money during her childhood.

My mom trying to pose in front of the diorama

My mother and I joined a group of students who were being guided through the diorama exhibits by a tour guide. The guide used modern references to help the students better understand the displays, which elicited interesting reactions from the children. It was refreshing to witness their curiosity and lack of filters as they asked questions and engaged with the material. I chuckled many times when the kids were talking among themselves.

The diorama of first president and vice president of Indonesia

While I was minding my business, a boy approached me and asked if I could take pictures of him and his group. Although I was happy to help, I must admit that the photos I took were not my best work. Nonetheless, I was happy to assist the boy and his friends in capturing some memories of their time together with their phone.

During my recent visit, I noticed that many of the doors in the area were open, which was a change from my previous visits. Additionally, there seemed to be more statues on display, including collections of previous generals and captains of the country. One figure that caught my attention was Captain Pierre Tendean, who died at the young age of 26 and is remembered as a hero throughout the country, with his name being commemorated on streets and in other public places.

This is what I said to my mom, “ Look, he's considered a hero. But look at me, I am 25 and do nothing haha”. “ Perhaps I need to stop being distracted”. My mom just laughed and our conversation was interrupted by a loud “ Goodbye” from a group of students and their teachers.

When I turned, I noticed two white women, seemingly a mother and daughter who were most likely asked to be photographed with the children. As a context, it’s pretty common over here. When they walked towards us, I heard them talking in Deutsch. Then, my mom and I walked away and we explored more maps displayed in the area.

After exploring various compounds, we returned to the center of the fort, where we saw the famous miniature symbol of the city called the Tugu Jogja. I have passed the road where the actual symbol is located many times before, but there is something special about it that draws me to take pictures of it every time I see it. The Tugu Jogja has a certain magic that makes it an attractive subject for photography.

In this area, there are several statues of soldiers from the Dutch, Japanese, and Indonesian soldiers and citizen soldiers. It’s quite an intriguing sight but these statues serve as a reminder of those dark past.

After spending some time sitting on a bench inside the compound, we heard an announcement that the museum would be closing promptly at 4 PM. We decided to leave the compound and sit in the garden for a while longer.

From this point, we were able to observe the new Indies architecture, which is still used as office buildings today. As someone who has visited these buildings multiple times, I found them to be spacious and unremarkable. However, for those visiting the city for the first time, the architecture may seem magical and interesting.

At that point, I was feeling exhausted and overwhelmed by the crowds of people. I am not a fan of being in large crowds, and the energy of the people around me quickly drained me. As a result, we decided to leave and search for some cold drinks. We ended up at one of my favorite stalls, which also sells durian drinks. As the access to this area would be closed from 5-6 PM until 10 PM, we decided it was time to head home. I have had negative experiences with being caught in this area after it closes, and so I try to avoid it. After finishing our refreshing drinks, we began the journey back home. I told my mother that we should avoid visiting this location on Saturdays and Sundays.

I haven't seen my mother in a while, but now that she has more free time and is no longer working two jobs, it is much easier for us to travel together. While it may not have been her choice to be laid off, it has given us the opportunity to focus on our bakery and take trips whenever we want. In the past, she was always very busy and had little time to rest, with her longest holiday being only three days in a month. My mother is also here to discuss various matters related to our bakery and to explore options for upgrading some of our tools. We will also be sampling popular pastries and cakes to determine which ones might be worth adding to our menu. We hope that during this trip, my mother will be able to try something new that could potentially be sold in our bakery back home.

That's what I did over the weekend. What about you?