Our train arrived in Jogjakarta at 4.00 am, I was half asleep so hubby literally dragged me out of the train into the family’s car and off we went to Magelang. After several hours of rest, our first destination was the Taman Sari a.k.a the Water Castle in Jogjakarta.
Taman Sari was the bathing place for the Sultans and his family in the old days. It was very intricately designed to pull clear fresh water from the ground and unlike your regular bath tubs, Taman Sari is much bigger, as the name implies, Taman Sari also serves as the royal garden. Basically, it’s the royal family’s spa. Going there isn’t as easy as jumping out of your bed into your bathroom, you have to follow a maze-like tunnels to get there.
Let’s start :
The walls were super tough concretes, but because of war, etc.. some parts are ruined.
Taman Sari was built in 1758, during the reign of Sultan Hamengkubuwono I.
Tunnels everywhere … Some part of the tunnels head nowhere , I wonder why.
Such as this one ..
We stopped to take a picture ! Behind us is the palace maids’ and security guards’ quarters.
Now let’s check out the main area :
Since this is the most well-preserved area and is still currently used for major events like the royal wedding,
we had to get a ticket and pay entrance fee.
All entry ways are seriously short. Our guide said, it’s not that people were shorter back then,
but to slow us down and reminded us to bow.
There are 3 bathing pools, one for the Sultan and princes , another one for the women (queen, concubines, princesses) and another one for kiddies. I think the fountains are placed there for jacuzzi effect .
This is the bed for ‘ratus’ treatment. Ratus is kinda like sauna but they add various traditional herbs to the steam.
There’s a tiny plate of ‘sajen’ (offerings for the spirits) on top of it. I asked the guide why is there a sajen there?
Is the bed haunted or something ? >.<
He said no, it’s just a custom to put sajen on places that are now empty and unused.
I think what he was trying to say was … yes … it is haunted.
This place also has a locker area, so they can change after enjoying the bath and sauna. Notice there’s a sajen there too…
The big vase was used as mirror since there was no mirror back then so they fill up the vase with water and
use the reflection to fix their hair and makeup.
Yet another intricately decorated gate.
Conclusion : Isn’t it great to be a Sultan ?? ^_^
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, I think they have major trust issues. Cannot pet them, cannot take photos of them -_-, sigh… chillax cats ! Maya is currently pregnant and my mother in law is dead sure that Luna is not the father. Hmm… how she knows this stuff is beyond me.
. She still looked exactly as I remembered her , minus her braided pigtails. She thought I looked very different without my super-thick glasses.