Street at day, restaurant at night

All streets in all countries are only streets all day long.  There is nothing except city decorations, pedestrians, beggars, and hawkers or sellers.

Street 1

Street 2

Street 3

Street 4

But do you know that in Indonesia, a normal street at day can be changed to an open-air streetside restaurant at night?
Malioboro street in Yogyakarta is one of those unique streets. The street is the center of Yogyakarta’s largest tourist district which is surrounded by many restaurants and hotels nearby.

Malioboro street at day

Malioboro street at night

If you are a souvenir lover, this street is your heaven. The street is crowded with small stalls selling variety of local goods like batik, silvers, leather puppets, rattan ornaments, bamboo handicrafts, blangkon, miniature of traditional vehicles, key chains, and other accessories. If you are good at bargaining, you can buy these items for a very cheap price. Try to bargain for a 50 % cut.

Souvenirs from Yogya

Authentically designed guitars

Miniatures of traditional vehicles

Don’t forget to bargain a lot

At night, it is another heaven for culinary lovers. A very unique culture of eating in the streetside restaurants is ‘lesehan’ or sitting on the ground.
When night comes, most of the streets will be closed by several mats, tables, and food stalls. The hygiene is not too good because it’s on the streetside, but the unique experience of eating in ‘lesehan‘ style and enjoying the street band can only be felt in Indonesia.

Lesehan dinner 1

Lesehan dinner 2

Lesehan dinner 3

Lesehan dinner 4

Lesehan dinner 5

Street band 1

Street band 2

Small streetside stalls

(See this video about the Malioboro street at day)

(And this video about Malioboro street at night, and ‘lesehan’ style)

(Credits go respectfully to the rightful owner)

Batik, informally formal business outfit

I am sure most people anywhere in this world are dressed formally when they are working. Even though the fashion for business outfits varies nowadays, the theme seems to be in uniform. Either it is a shirt with a tie and a coat, or  just a shirt. I bet most of them are bored as they always wear the same model but only with different colors every day in their office. Not to mention, the suffocating feeling of buttoning your neck or the stiff shoulder due to limited body movement. This, of course, can make working in the office become so tiring. But if you are lucky, you might be working at a formal place with informal outfits.

Man in formal suit

Woman in formal suit

Woman in fashionable suit

Daily office uniform

Well, if you wear that in Indonesia and using public transportation, get ready to sweat a lot and making your formal suit becomes a lot more uncomfortable.
The hot temperature added with pollution and crowded public transportation is not really the situation you would want to be in with your formal suit.

Crowded TransJakarta bus

Crowded minibus or ‘metromini’

BUT do you know that there is an informal suit that can be worn formally in Indonesia? Even directors can wear it.
‘Batik’ is an Indonesian native cultural heritage and it is the identity for Indonesia itself. Because of the design and color, batik is a unique clothings with patterns different from other clothings. The batik clothing is more refreshing if compared to typical formal suits. The material is thinner so it is suitable for a tropical country like Indonesia.
When you wear it, you also don’t need to button your neck so it is not suffocating. It also comes with short sleeve or long sleeve, a very refreshing companion to be worn in a hot country.

Batik for everyone

Batik, as formal as a suit

Director wears batik

Various patterns of batik

Wearing batik is normal and formal

Suitable for everyone

(See this video below about how to make Batik clothings)

Too bad most Indonesian people think that the Batik clothings is not cool and therefore they don’t use it.
The way to appreciate and love our own country is begun from small and simple things like wearing batik as an example,
But they don’t really need to appreciate it. Clothings are meant to be worn, not appreciated, and it is never wrong to wear Batik because it is, after all, the same level with the formal suits.
Now you can see the business opportunity from having a Batik clothing business, right?

(Credits go respectfully to the rightful owner)