Most Indonesian wayang golek wooden puppets have a faint resemblance to real humans.  In my last blog I showed you one example in Putro Wayang Workshop of a Javanese woman puppet that moved toward realism.

Not far from the southern gateway through the fort walls of the Jogjakarta sultan’s palace one comes to Prawirotaman Street—long a famed hangout for backpacker tourists.  But these days there’s an increasing number of higher grade hotels, restaurants & even antique shops on Jalan Prawirotaman.

The island of Java, in Indonesia has been documented to have the most fertile soil in the world. The volcanic soil here grows rice like crazy. Where there’s abundant food people have time to do more than just look for dinner & culture thrives.  

Many Javanese have long been freed up to delve deeply into the arts.  Batik, filigree silver making, ornate wood carving—some of the world’s best of these can be found in Java.  And then, there’s wayang kulit shadow puppet theatre!

For some time we've been telling you about an amazing photo tour opportunity that's coming up--and sharing images from the stunning locations & people we'll see on this journey. We're pleased to tell you that this trip is now open for registration.  

Any visitor to Jogjakarta knows that must see attractions in the region are Borobudur & Prambanan Temples.  But sadly most visitors never know that they should visit Prambanan’s neighbor—Rato Boko’s Palace ruins.

Jogjakarta, in Central Java, Indonesia, may be the world capital of batik textiles, but that’s not the only handicraft that Jogja holds in its cards.  The Javanese are masters of fine detail in all their handcrafts.  So, any visit to Jogja is not complete without a visit to its SE suburb, Kota Gede where Indonesia’s best silversmiths show off their magic.

Javanese hand-drawn (batik tulis—pronounced BA-teek TOO-lis) has been around for hundreds of years, especially around Jogjakarta, Indonesia.  Reportedly in the 1920s someone found a way to streamline this labor-intensive process of wax masking cotton cloth with intricate designs & patterns.