PRAWIROTAMAN, A Face of Tourist Kampung Category : Portrait of Jogja
There are pedicabs parked in front of the inn and some foreigners are speaking in their own languages, mostly English, while the others are walking through the alley. At the end of the alley, I find someone who sells fried tempe which is a local delicacy made from soya nuts and it smells good! I'm on Prawirotaman Kampung now which is a tourist kampung in Yojyakarta.
Walking along Prawirotaman is just like walking through an ancient kampung. Some houses have a pendopo style structure made from teak wood while others are built with strong walls and a burnt tile roof like early 50's / 60's styled architecture. You can see daily life of the locals here as they usually use the alley surrounding Prawirotaman as a shortcut. The houses look like a mixture of home and hotel as they have similar details and facades with a small yard, guest room, bar, receptionist and living room. The only difference between them is a sign saying 'kamar masih ada' which means 'rooms available'.
The Prawirotaman Kampung was founded in the 19th century by Prawirotomos in a land which was from the Sultan of Yogyakarta. In the 60's, the Prawirotaman Kampung was the centre of the batik ink stamp fabrics trade in Yogyakarta but the decrease of batik ink stamps in the early 70's forced the Prawirotomos to turn their businesses into motels and inns. Some new facilities were added to the buildings such as a guest room, dining room, living room, bath room and storage space. Until now, three Prawirotomos families run the businesses and they are Werdoyoprawiro, Suroprawiro and Mangunprawiro (you can see the similar 'Prawiro').
As with Sosrowijayan Kampung at the northern end of Malioboro street, Prawiromatan also has a complete tourist infrastructure. If you want to shop for fresh vegetables and meats, there is a traditional market in the middle of the kampung named Prawirotaman Market. Vendors, bars, shops and restaurants are easily found and some of them are open 24 hours a day. If you want a trip to the hinterland of Yogyakarta you may rent a bike, motorcycle or car from rental outlets on Prawirotaman. Looking for some gifts from Yogyakarta? Don't worry there are many merchandise and souvenir shops open for tourists during the working hours of 8am - 9pm.
