Embracing Javanese Culture and Sustainable Living in Indonesia
It’s not every day you get to live in an ancient, wooden, teak Javanese bungalow, yet this was one of the delights waiting for us at Yabbiekayu, a small eco-resort in the village of Tembi on the outskirts of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and within easy reach of the train station and airport.
Four reclaimed, recycled and restored guest bungalows that have been rescued from the surrounding mountains sit comfortably on the edge of a 12 hectare rice field. A smaller bungalow, built up among the trees, is the teak and bamboo Pondok Kayu Tree House.
Sustainable living through organic farming, recycling, careful water usage, environmental care and community engagement is the focus at Yabbiekayu.
Surrounded by a multitude of tropical plants and flowering shrubs our restored Javanese bungalow is best described as rustic with its hand driven nails holding wobbly, mismatching window shutters in place. A four-poster bed, embellished with an elaborately carved headboard and draped with mosquito nets dominates the room.
A waterfall and flowering shrubs enhance a small private courtyard. We find it welcoming and homely. There is something comforting knowing that this bungalow was once a family home.
As we enter our bungalow, Babun, the senior guest relation manager advises, “Be careful of the low door frame. Don’t bump your head.” Babun explains that in Javanese culture it is a sign of respect for a guest to bow to the host on entering the home, hence the low hanging doorframe.
It was a timely reminder after I had bumped my head a number of times, so I placed white tissues through the elaborately carved doorframe as a sign of surrender and a reminder to bob and bow on entering and leaving the bungalow.
Sustainable living is the aim at Yabbiekayu. Aligning the bungalows from north to south takes advantage of the daily breezes. There is no air conditioning as ceiling fans are used to reduce energy consumption.
Surrounding the bungalows are moats and ponds brimming with water plants and fish to control the mosquitoes. Like gentle rain falling, the splash of the pond waterfalls offers a soothing sound, creating ‘white noise’ between the bungalows.
Our bungalow has an open-air bathroom surrounded by a high walled bamboo screen dripping with pink bougainvillea. Laying in the oversized stone bath on a warm tropical afternoon watching the bulging thunderclouds move slowly across a leaden sky is the height of indulgence. Handmade natural soaps, shampoos and conditioners are specifically selected for their purity and gentleness further reducing impact on the environment, as do the toilets that use natural biocycle systems.
During the day, we fling open the window shutters to bring in the cooling breezes and sit on the porch to check what’s happening in the rice field. We write, read, listen to music, take part in yoga classes, explore the local village and spend time learning about Javanese culture with the young staff as they practice their English with us.
The staff arrange a car and driver for us and we include a day trip to the spectacular 9th century Buddhist temple of Borobudur and the equally impressive Hindu temple, Prambanan, also dating back to the 9th Century.
Living at Yabbiekayu is quiet, unhurried, and calm. It is a reminder of the loveliness of an uncomplicated way of life where the stress and busyness of modern life is shed without hesitation. It is an opportunity to stop, breathe, take stock of your life, to slow down, to ponder.
There is nothing that needs to be done in a hurry. In fact there is nothing that needs to be done at all. It is a way of life that calls us to contemplate, to enjoy what it means to live without all the trappings, and best of all, it calls us to review and pay attention to our own life.
“Ask me anything you want to know about Javanese culture but don’t ask me about the garden. I am not a gardener,” says Babun, gesturing to the surrounding flourishing organic garden. We laugh. I tell him I am not a gardener either as I admire the amount of dedication required to grow such a bountiful crop.
On meeting Aji, the gardener, he enthusiastically explained his companion planting methods, his trellis designs and his watering system. He was exploring the possibility of introducing permaculture to his gardening methods so he was interested to hear of the permaculture techniques we had seen in Bali.
We follow Babun to the restaurant along the winding path where tiny fire red chillies are peeping through the foliage; pale green eggplants droop like forgotten Christmas decorations on the vine and the first flush of pink colours the miniature tomatoes climbing the bamboo trellis.
The resident rooster appears from under the greenery. Haughty and arrogant, he pecks a small white hen on the head as she dares to cross his path. The rooster has joined us as we continue following Babun to the small restaurant where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served to staying guests and the public.
Anton, the waiter, menu in hand, has our table ready. I take a seat and scan the menu. An abundance of freshly picked organic garden produce dominates but I am captured by a dish I do not know: Javanese-style bubur sum-sum. “Ah, this is eaten anytime of the day by Indonesians,” says Anton. “This dish is a favourite. Would you like to try it?”
My bubur sum-sum arrives. A white custard made of rice flour and coconut milk with pandan leaf sits in a delicate white bowl, a tiny jug of deep golden Arenga palm syrup accompanies the dish. “Pour the syrup over,” instructs Anton. I take my first mouthful and instantly I am in love with bubur sum-sum for its soft, delicate texture flavoured by the luscious sweetness of the syrup. It is a food to soothe unsettled, fractious children, a food to comfort the elderly and ill and a food to heal a broken heart. Anton is delighted by my response and I tell him that I will add bubur sum-sum to my daily menu.
As night falls, the children playing in the nearby lanes return home. The chickens appear from under the shrubbery and meander back to their roosts. Darkness settles. The soft glow of low energy LED lamps in the bungalow brings a comforting softness against the dimness of the teak walls. It evokes thoughts of earlier times, of the people of the mountains who once lived in these bungalows. Where are they now? Are they still living in the mountains? The room settles into a feeling of gentleness and peacefulness interrupted only by the croaking of frogs in the rice fields.
I am sitting on the porch listening to the frogs; the small ginger cat with the docked tail is nearby, asleep on the wooden step. I watch the full moon rise above the palm trees and shine across the rice fields and I am thankful that I am here at Yabbiekayu enjoying the tranquillity on this warm tropical night.
Header image: © Odua
(More information about staying at Yabbiekayu can be found on the resort’s website at www.yabbiekayu.com)
