Malioboro
A. Introduction
In Yogyakarta, the city of memories as people name it, there is a legendary shopping area called Malioboro. The name is adopted from a British colonial who occupied Yogyakarta in 1811-1816 named Marlborough.
Malioboro was deliberately built at the heart of Yogyakarta by the Indies government at early 19th century as the center of economic and administrative activities. Symbolically, the area also aimed to compete with the domination of Sultan Mataram with his luxurious palace.
For that purpose, the Indies government then built: Vredeburg Fort (1765, now serves as a museum and public tourism arena), Colonial Residency Palace (now the President’s residence, Gedung Agung, in 1832), Beringharjo Market, Garuda Hotel (a place for colonial elites to stay overnight and assemble) and Malioboro shopping (economy) area itself. The buildings are in front (northern part) of Alun-Alun (the Palace square These historical buildings of the colonial remains in Malioboro are the silent witnesses of the journey of the so called city of students. In the future, this area is planned to be a pedestrian area in order to reduce the city’s traffic jam and air polution.
B. Feature
As a tourism area, Malioboro offers various shopping activities, from a la Malioboro traditional ways of shopping to many types of modern shopping activities.
An example of the former is the bargaining process for souvenirs sold by the vendors lining up the sidewalk. They offer various kinds of souvenirs and handicrafts made of silver, clay, batik, wood, leather, etc. However, do not be surprised if, for instance, a vendor charges Rp 50.000 for a souvenir you are interested in. You should bargain for it. The price is likely to drop drastically to, for instance, Rp 10.000. This is also applicable when tourists visit Beringharjo Traditional Market located in the same area as Malioboro. This is the uniqueness of Malioboro shopping tradition.
Unlike shopping alongside Malioboro walk, tourists can buy interesting things such as batik, souvenirs, clothes, and many more at Malioboro stores without the bargaining process. In this extent, Malioboro also serves as a modern shopping area.
Visiting this area is like the proverb saying “to kill two birds with one stone”. Malioboro is close to several historical tourism objects, architectural tourism of the colonial remains, and other traditional shopping sites. Some of the historical tourism objects are Yogyakarta Palace and its square (Alun-Alun), Masjid Agung (the Great Mosque), Benteng Vredeburg (Vredeburg Fort), Sonobudoyo Museum, dan Kampung Kauman (Kauman Village). Some architectural tourism of the colonial remains which can still be witnessed in Yogyakarta are Societet Building (now Taman Budaya), Inna Garuda Hotel, Bank Indonesia, dan Bank BNI 46. There are also two traditional shopping tourism sites nearby, namely Ngasem and Beringharjo Market. Tourists with reading passion can visit the public library run by the local government of DIY.
In addition, tourists can also enjoy other uniqueness of Malioboro i.e. becak (pedicab) and andong; special touring vehicles in Yogyakarta, parked paralelly on the right side of the slow-lane. They are ready to take tourists on a tour to Malioboro and its the surroundings. On the left side of the walk, tourists can see hudreds of motorcycles double-parked along Malioboro sidewalk showing that Malioboro is a densely-visited area.
All tourism activities above are usually performed from day till night at around 9 pm. In the evening, Malioboro offers a fascinating dinner atmosphere. Yogya unique warung lesehan (restaurants where people sit on matrasses) lining up along Malioboro sidewalk provide various menu options. Street musicians will come to and accompany the tourists enjoying their dinner. Delicious cuisine, street musician songs, city lights, and night breeze put up a homy atmosphere and tourists will remember Yogyakarta as an impassable.
C. Location
The area is located at Malioboro Street, Yogyakarta, Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is only 800 meters from Yogyakarta Palace.
D. Access
As a reliable tuorist area in Yogyakarta, Malioboro provides with many transportation options. Tourists can take the bus: city bus (Lane 3) dan Transjogja (Route 3A and 3B). These buses can be found at Giwangan Station or shelters around Yogyakarta. The current fare is Rp 2.500 for the city bus and Rp 3.000 for Transjogja.
There is also taxy as an alternative. Tourists can order one by phone from their inn or stop them at Malioboro sidewalk right away. If you wish to enjoy the true atmosphere of Yogyakarta, try andong or becak tour.
E. Ticket
Malioboro area is free of entrance charge.
F. Accommodation and Facilities
There can be no doubt that Malioboro provides various kinds of tourist accommodations, from five star hotels with the room rate ranging from hundred thousands to millions per night to motels or homestays with the room rate of around Rp 20.000 per night. Tourists who want to stay overnight can find one at around Mangkubumi, Dagen, Sosrowijayan, Malioboro, Suryatmajan, and Mataram Streets. Or else, they can find it at Ngasem Street on western part of this area and Wijilan, not far from Malioboro.
In addition, tourists can also select various cuisines of their own taste: angkringan (a cart-stall serving various local food) located northern part of Tugu Station, specialty food of Yogyakarta (such as gudeg, fried rice, lalapan [dish of raw vegetables and a spicy sauce], etc.) served lesehan atmosphere, chinese food, fastfood and western food (such as steak, beef, lasagna, etc.) in restaurants and cafes around Malioboro.
Accomodations and food court are not the only supporting facilities here. There are also tourist information posts, tourism police, house of worship, stalls, money changer, ATM, phonebooth, internet cafe, parking lot, and Tugu Train Station. If tourists want to buy gifts for family back home, they can go to Mataram Street on the western part of Malioboro which provides many kinds of Jogja cuisines such as bakpia, geplak, yangko, and various kinds of chips.
Category Article Indonesia, Jogja, Shopping
