The end of December 2022 was a year-end trip for Zauji and me. The destination we chose was the city of Palembang, the city of Pempek. Before leaving, it was Zauji's job to start googling the nearest Palembang tour that we could explore together.
In the midst of the long holiday bustle, we decided to go by plane on December 25 to avoid skyrocketing ticket prices. Batik Air with a departure time of 11.20 WIB is our choice so we don't leave too early from Bandung. Thank God it only took 1 hour and 5 minutes; we arrived in the city of Palembang at noon.
LRT
It was still 14.00 WIB when we arrived at the hotel room. After driving away the tiredness by resting for a while, Zauji invited me to try the LRT or Light Railway Transportation, the pride of Palembang, after the Asr prayer.
Initially, we intended to try the LRT from the time it left the airport. It's just that it turned 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 took 20 minutes or about 1.7 km (far away!).
Actually, I don't like walking long distances, but Zauji convinced me that walking while enjoying the atmosphere of the city would be far more exciting than using an online taxi.
Since neither of us had experience taking the LRT, of course we were both confused when we arrived 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 the elevator or escalator. To be honest, we were both amazed by the facilities of this station.
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| Outside the Palembang LRT Station |
Unexpectedly, we were also welcomed 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 counter or enter directly using e-money.
Since Zauji doesn't have an e-money card, in the end, Zauji buys tickets directly for only Rp. 5000 for any destination except airport destinations, which are subject to Rp. 10,000. We chose Jakabaring Station as our final destination because we needed to survey the travel pool we chose to return to later.
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| Palembang LRT routes |
Again, I was amazed by all the facilities of the LRT station. Because the train will still arrive in 15 minutes, we still have to wait on the 2nd floor. The waiting area is very large, complete with chairs, toilets, a prayer room, and a nursing room, which is clean and adequate.
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| Inside Palembang LRT Station |
Prior to the arrival of the train (5 minutes), the clerk asked us to go up to the 3rd floor via the elevator or escalator. We didn't wait too long. Platform 2 is for the direction of Jakabaring, while platform 3 is for the airport.
The South Sumatra LRT or Palembang LRT began operating in August 2018 when the Asian Games, which were held at the Jakabaring Complex, took place. Having a 24.5 km route between Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II International Airport and the venue, this LRT managed by PT KAI passes through 13 stations and 1 depot. A total of 14 sets of trains consisting of 3 trains for each route, the LRT can carry up to 250 passengers.
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| Palembang LRT |
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| Palembang LRT Carriage |
Songket cloth and Pempek Palembang
Visiting Palembang is not complete without shopping for Palembang's songket and pempek fabrics. The second day was a shopping day because we visited songket cloth centers and pempek production houses.
In the morning we headed to Jalan Ki Gede Ingsuro No 32, Ilir Barat II, Palembang City, to meet the owner, Zainal Songket, who is well known to many high-ranking officials in this country and celebrities.
After talking with Dr. H. Kgs. Zainal Arifin Husin, we were also allowed to see firsthand the gallery and the production site for handmade songket woven with traditional tools in the area of his 500-year-old house. We were also invited to visit the museum that he started during his career as a songket craftsman for 40 years.
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| Tanjak Limar Songket Museum |
We were also engrossed in choosing the souvenirs that we would bring home: ready-made clothes with typical Palembang motifs. The desire to buy original songket cloth seems to evaporate when you know its value reaches millions of rupiah. I don't think I even have the heart to be offered to hold a piece of cloth worth Rp. 17 million. Beautiful, captivating heart 😍.
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| Palembang Songket Cloth |
Apart from Zainal Songket, Menong friends can also choose other galleries that are scattered along Jalan Ki Gede Ingsuro. Each gallery certainly has a distinctive and unique motif. For Menong friends who still want to buy songket cloth at affordable prices, Menong friends can choose non-woven fabrics, which of course have a different quality from the original woven fabrics.
The second day's trip ended with a visit to the Pempek Cek Ya (Cek = Aunt) shop on Jalan Sejuang Putih. We met the owner of Pempek Cek Ya, who received us kindly, Raden Ayu Anisa. We were even offered to go straight into the kitchen to make our own pempek, you know? As pempek fans, I don't think Zauji and I would ever turn down any kind of pempek. Check this out!
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| Pempek Making Process |
And of course, the taste of Palembang's original pempek is very much different from the taste of pempek made in Bandung that we usually buy. It feels softer and more savory. This is due to the different raw materials used, namely belida fish and snakehead fish. I myself joked that if in Bandung belida fish are expensive ornamental fish and are kept in aquariums, in Palembang belida fish are served in the form of pempek.
Unfortunately, because the belida fish population is decreasing, belida fish pempek is starting to become rare.
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| Pempek |
Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Museum
The third day we took the LRT with the aim of Ampera station. Predictably, Ampera Station is located in the Ampera Bridge area, which connects the Ulu and Ilir areas, which are divided by the Musi River. After taking pictures with the Ampera Bridge in the background, we stopped by the Cultural Heritage Museum of Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II, which directly faces the Musi River. It could be that this museum is the closest Palembang tour.
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| Museum of Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin Palembang |
Menong friends can buy tickets for Rp. 10,000 for 2 visitors via QRIS. If a Menong friend doesn't have a QRIS, the officer at the registration counter can help us. Ticket prices for students themselves are only Rp. 1000, students Rp. 2000 and foreign guests are set at Rp. 20,000.
Under the auspices of the Palembang City Culture Office, this building is very thick with Dutch-style architecture, which can be recognized by the semicircular door with a tall and thick structure made of bricks. Sturdy ironwood, a typical wood of the archipelago, welcomes every visitor.
This 2-century-old building was made symmetrical with the aim of monitoring the condition of the community on the religious side (facing the grand mosque) and the economy (Musi River). Previously, the 2nd floor was used to announce the independence of the Republic of Indonesia shortly after the proclamation. The officer also said that the museum used to function as a torture chamber, as evidenced by the existence of hand cages embedded in the wall near the stairs before the museum was renovated.
The museum consists of 5 main rooms, namely the Sriwijaya century, the Palace century, the Palembang Darussalam century, the Colonial Age, and the Independence Age. We can see the resplendent glory of every era. We can see historical explanations, replicas of inscriptions, paintings, and other historical evidence.
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| Sriwijaya Era Currency |
The guide is happy to show original photos of Palembang's historical evidence. We were also given access to a digital museum, which we could participate in by scanning the barcode on the brochure, which we could only get when visiting the museum in person. Interesting, huh!
Sometimes there are thoughts about why some Palembang words or terms are very similar to Javanese. And finally, this question is answered from the genealogy of the Palembang kings on display in the museum. In the 15th century, there was a migration of the Demak royal family to Palembang due to the turmoil in the Demak family, which resulted in cultural assimilation from the royal level (marriage) to the current level of society at large.
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| The genealogy of the Kings of Palembang |
Because the officers 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 dim, so it makes me uncomfortable to linger. On the 2nd floor, Menong's friends can see royal relics such as a set of chairs, a replica of the royal altar, and a replica of the bridal bedroom. There are several paintings in large sizes that we can see.
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| Palembang Royal Bridal Bedroom |
This museum tour ends with seeing the statues in the museum grounds. And as explained by the officer, there are differences in the Ganesha statue between the Srivijaya era Ganesha statue and the Ganesha statue in Pasundan land.
We also stopped by to perform midday prayers at the Great Mosque of Palembang. After prayer, we drove to the next nearest Palembang tourist destination. Where are we going next?
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