Pandoraspace

 

Dearest Uncle G,

On our first day in Jogjakarta, Danang took us to an authentic Javanese restaurant called Yu Djum. Getting to Yu Djum reminds me of how I got to Alamo’s in Legaspi, Albay. That is - we drove through narrow alleys lined with small houses until we hit the end of a road, which opens up to a cluster of small houses, and in one of those houses, you will find Yu Djum.

We got to Yu Djum at 11:00 a.m. and were among the first customers there.

I instantly felt at ease in Yu Djum. It felt like one of those old restaurants in the province that remains unchanged by time. As we entered, four old men started playing Javanese musical instruments while an old lady sang. Inside, there are about six or seven rectangular wooden tables each with two benches. On each table there are a few glass jars filled with kerupuk (fish crackers).

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If there is such a thing as reincarnation and if an old soul was reincarnated in me, then, that soul must have been to Jogjakarta.  For strangely, while I was in Jogjakarta, I felt like I was in the old world.  But, how would I know what the old world is like, if I have never lived in it?

Ironically, while I felt a sense of old worldliness in Jogjakarta, I was reminded of what it was like to be a carefree teenager.  This was all because I was hanging out in Jogjakrta with LS and Danang.  LS and Danang are both at that stage of their lives when one is in between finishing school and finding the right job.  You know - it is that stage in life when nothing is definite and you have a lot of time on your hands to just chill.  Since I was out numbered, I was the one who had to adjust to LS’ and Danang’s languid disposition on a hectic schedule.  In the beginning, my obsessive-compulsive self, was bothered by the fact that LS would schedule activities that would ensure we were doing something every second of the day but would wake up late!  When I realized that no amount of nagging could get LS to wake up early, I let my hair down and just went with the flow.

While we did go to all the usual places that tourists would go to in Jogjakarta, we did a lot of talking, eating and joking around along the way. LS, Danang and I felt at ease with each other.  This made the Jogjakarta experience a pleasant one for me.  Of course, when it came to batik shopping, LS and Danang probably did not have as pleasant a time as I did.  But, I’ll let them tell you their version of that story.