110 Travel | Solo
© Mark Eveleigh ; © Courtesy of Alila Solo
At Pasar Triwindu two storeys of stalls are packed with wonderful heaps of genuine antiques and cool retro bric-a-brac .
Pasar Triwindu – a musty , dusty Aladdin ’ s Cave of an antique market – might be the most enchanting market in all Indonesia .
The talented women of Kampong Laweyan produce some of the finest batik in the world . paintwork is chipping away from ornately carved pavilions in the gardens ( the only part that is open to visitors , since the Keraton remains a royal family home ). Several resplendent carriages still hint at the days of past grandeur and it is to be hoped that restoration will arrive in time to save one of the fading gems of the blue city .
There is perhaps nowhere in the city that brings alive the tangled history of Solo with its ancient feudal dynasties , Dutch colonials and Japanese occupiers in the way that Pasar Triwindu does . This musty , dusty Aladdin ’ s Cave of an antique market on Jalan Diponegoro might be the most enchanting market in all Indonesia . Two storeys of stalls are packed with heaps of wonderful genuine antiques and cool retro bric-a-brac . The laid-back , friendly stallholders are more than happy for you to browse and wander without even the slightest pressure to buy , making it surely one of the most pleasant markets in Asia . This is one of the most enticing places to pass the time of day exploring Solo ’ s mysterious history .
Beyond the blue doors of the palaces , the backstreets and markets of Solo are evocative enough to stand as a living museum in their own right . Cycle rickshaws and horse-drawn carts ply the old alleyways around Pasar Klewer and , in the grand old townhouses of the batik quarters , the talented women of the neighbourhood produce royal batik designs that , even today , are worn only by the great families of Solo .
Here , in the batik workshops of Kampong Kauman and Kampong Laweyan , where some of the most iconic batik fabrics in all Asia are produced , the cooling hints of Solo blue seem to explode into a real kaleidoscope of rainbow hues .