Don't Ask Me Where I Come From

Solo, Central Java, Indonesia. Day two, 9:30 –– the sun is shining a little too bright and the sky is cyan blue with bits of white puffy clouds here and there. Often I heard the wind run through the small palm trees in front of my room; rustle the leaves; calling me to wake up and explore the city.

My cheap-fake "Ray-Ban" sunglasses helped me to block away the sunlight as I drive the motorbike with Nina –– a modern Solonese girl I met the night before –– on the backseat. We trace down one of the innermost layers of Solo, Keraton Surakarta, Javanese imperial building, as she directing me along the way in her authentic Solonese accent –– which popularly known as the calmest and most polite tone among all Javanese' dialects.

Nina told me to stop at the front yard. There, the Java meets Europe architecture seems to pull me back in time, to its golden age. Keraton Surakarta covered with turquoise in different shades and off-white. Its complex mythical decorative carving details –– filled with specific florals and occult creatures –– have been dealing against time for more than 200 years ago. Three main doors are closed as if they are trying to say that the late King still sitting inside.

Keraton Surakarta surrounded by five meters high free standing wall to protect the imperial. Outside, also surrounding the imperial, there lays private residential which the King allows only his abdi dalem (servants), soldiers and their family to live in. Nina said, until now, most of Solo people still wishing they could be chosen as abdi dalem even though now there is no such thing as King. Their main task now is to perpetuate Javanese cultural ceremonies. First, I thought it's because of the salary, until Nina said the salary amount is just about $5.5 per month. It's unbelievable! But what's more unbelievable is, as Nina added later, she knows that someone who worked as abdi dalem could send his child to study abroad. Then, she just smile, like me, amazed by the mystery only the Javanese could have.