The end of December 2022 became the year-end trip for me and Zauji. The destination we chose was Palembang City, Pempek City. Before leaving, it became Zauji's job to start googling the nearest Palembang tour that we could both try.
Amid the long holiday, we decided to leave on a plane on December 25 to avoid soaring ticket prices. Batik Air with an 11.20 WIB departure time is our choice so as not to leave too early from Bandung. Alhamdulillah only takes 1 hour 5 minutes; we arrived in the city of Palembang bada dhuhur.
LRT
The day was still showing at 14.00 WIB when we arrived at the hotel room. After expelling tiredness with a short break, Zauji invited me to try LRT or Light Railway Transportation, the pride of Palembang, after ashar prayer.
At first we intended to try LRT since we got out of the airport. It's just that it turns out that the hotel we chose was not passed by the LRT route. Finally, with the help of Google Maps, we walked to the nearest stop, namely Garuda Dempo, which was reached within 20 minutes or about 1.7 km (mud yaaaa!).
Actually, I do not like walking a distance far enough but Zauji convinced me that walking while enjoying the atmosphere of the city will be much more exciting than using an online taxi.
Because neither of us has experience riding LRT, of course we are both confused when we arrive at the magnificent Garuda Dempo station. To buy tickets and take the LRT, we have to go up to the 2nd floor, which can be reached using an elevator or escalator. To be honest, we were both amazed by the facilities of this station.
Unexpectedly, we were also greeted by the LRT Ambassador, who specifically provided information to passengers who were still not familiar with this LRT. LRT tickets can be purchased directly at the available counters or enter directly using e-money.
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| the Palembang LRT Route |
Ahead of the arrival of the train (5 minutes of curfew), the officer allowed us to go up to the 3rd floor through the elevator or escalator. We waited so soon. Peron 2 is intended for the direction of Jakabaring, while platform 3 is intended for the direction of the airport.
LRT South Sumatra or LRT Palembang, began to be operated in August 2018 when the Asian Games held in the Jakabaring Complex took place. Having a 24.5 km long route between Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport and a venue, the LRT managed by PT KAI is passing through 13 stations and 1 depot. A total of 14 sets of trains consisting of 3 trains for each route, the LRT is capable of carrying up to 250 passengers.
Songket Fabric and Pempek Palembang
After talking to Dr. H. Kgs. Zainal Arifin Husin, we were allowed to see directly the gallery and production site of handmade songkets woven with traditional tools in the area of his 500-year-old home. We were also invited to visit the museum that he pioneered during his career as a songket cloth craftsman for 40 years.
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| Songket Fabric from 1718 AD |
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| Songket Fabric For Rp. 17 Million |
In addition to Zainal Songket, Menong’s friends can also choose another gallery that is scattered along this Ki Gede Insuro Road. Each gallery certainly has a distinctive and unique motif. For Menong friends who still want to buy songket fabric at affordable prices, Menong friends can choose non-woven fabrics that certainly have different qualities from original woven fabrics.
The second day's trip ended by visiting Pempek Cek Ya (Cek = Aunt) on Jalan Sem Dan. We met with the Pempek Cek Ya owner, who received us kindly, Raden Ayu Anisa. We were even offered to jump directly into the kitchen to make our own pempek loh. 😍 As a fan of pempek, it feels like I and Zaji will never refuse any kind of pempek. Check Yes!
And of course, the taste of the original Pempek Palembang is very different from the taste of the Pempek made in Bandung that we used to buy. It feels softer and more savory. This is because the raw materials used are different, namely Belida fish and cork fish. I myself joke that if in Bandung Belida fish became expensive ornamental fish and were stored in the aquarium, in Palembang Belida fish would be served in the form of pempek.
Unfortunately, because the population of fish buyers is decreasing, Pempek Belida fish began to be rarely obtained.
When Menong's friends notice, the namesKi Gede Insuro and Raden Ayu are similar to the naming in the land of Java, huh?
So-by pempek with super cheap prices can also be a friend of Menong, getting in various traditional markets that are widely spread. The center of Pempek is in Market 26. Here Pempek is priced at Rp. 1000 only and ready to be packed in vacuum form.
Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Museum
The third day we took the LRT with the aim of Ampera station. Guessed, Ampera Station is located in the Ampera Bridge area, which connects the Ulu and Ilir areas that split the Musi River. After taking a picture against the backdrop of Ampera Bridge, we stopped by the Cultural Reserve of the Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Museum, which directly faced the Musi River. It could be that this museum became the closest Palembang tour.
Menong's friends can buy tickets for Rp. 10,000 for 2 visitors through QRIS. If Menong’s friends do not have QRIS, officers at the registration counter can help us. Ticket prices for students themselves are only Rp. 1000, students Rp. 2000 and foreign guests are pegged at Rp. 20,000.
Located under the auspices of the Palembang City Cultural Service, this building is very thick with Dutch-style architecture that can be recognized by the presence of semicircular doors with high and thick structures made of brick. Sturdy Ulin wood, typical wood of the archipelago, welcomes the arrival of every visitor.
This 2-century-old building is made symmetrical with the aim of overseeing the condition of the religious side of society (facing the great mosque) and the economy (Sungai Musi). In the past, the 2nd floor was used to announce the independence of the Republic of Indonesia shortly after the proclamation. Officers also conveyed that the museum used to serve as a torture room, which is proven by the presence of hand cages embedded in the wall near the stairs before the museum was renovated.
The museum consists of 5 main rooms, namely the Srivijaya century, the Keraton century, the Palembang century Darussalam, the Colonial century, and the Age of Independence. We can see the resounding glory of every era. We can see historical explanations, replicas of inscriptions, paintings, and other historical evidence.
The guide is happy to show the original photos of the evidence of Palembang's history. We are also given access to digital museums that we can follow by scanning the barcode in the brochure that we can only get when visiting directly at the museum. Interesting!
Sometimes there is a thought as to why some Palembang words or terms are very similar to the Javanese language. And finally, this question was answered from the genealogies of the Palembang kings who were displayed in the museum. In the 15th century, there was a migration of the Demak royal family to Palembang due to the crisis in the Demak family so that cultural assimilation occurred from the royal level (martiah) to the level of society today.
Because the attendant only accompanied us on the 1st floor, Zauji and I went up to the 2nd floor alone. Unfortunately the atmosphere is very quiet and the room tends to be dimly lit, which makes me uncomfortable to linger. On the 2nd floor, Menong's friends can see royal relics such as a set of chairs, replicas of royal laminations, and replicas of the bridal bedroom. There are some paintings in large sizes that we can see.
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| the Palembang Kingdom Bridal Bedroom |
This museum tour ended by looking at the statue in the courtyard of the museum. And as the officer has explained, there is a difference between the Ganesha statue of the Srivijaya era and the Ganesha statue in the land of Pasundan.
We also stopped by to perform the Dzuhur prayer at the Great Mosque of Palembang. After prayer, we slid to the next nearest Palembang tourist destination. Where is our next destination?
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