When a city bears the moniker "the city of bicycles" some serious two-wheelers are to be expected. Yogyakarta, the bearer of this epithet, is a charming city host to a still-functioning Sultan's court - the Sultan's always elected as a matter off course as governor for the Yogyakarta province - and a large number of universities. It's also the gateway to the magnificent monuments of Borobudur and Prambanan. But whether courtier, student or tourist, it's hard to avoid the pedal-powered contraptions.

P1080011 by ctjr, on Flickr

The city earned this nickname in the seventies, when the street were teeming with bikes. Even though most commuters have changed their pedal powered bikes for the motorcycles that form a constant drone all around Indonesia, the becak or three wheeled pedicab is still part of the infrastructural fabric of the town, especially since Indonesians tend to avoid walking as much as possible and hop on the pedicab for short neighborhood jaunts. For a tourist, the becak is a nice, quiet way to get around, although overcharging is common practice, as are unexpected stops at tourist traps selling "tourist quality" batik and shadow play puppets. The traveler will also see the bicycle, as the unofficial symbol of the city, proudly printed on the t-shirts for sale at the bustling tourist avenue of Yogya, Malioboro street.

P1080013 by ctjr, on Flickr

But never mind the t-shirts, forget the becaks. To truly experience Yogyakarta as the city of bicycles, go to the alun-alun on saturday night. Young and old gather on this old muster ground behind the sultan's palace for a nice night out. The famous kaki lima, or rolling kitchens (two wheels, one kickstand and the two legs of the cook make the grand total of five) set up shop, selling great food for the hungry riders, enjoyed the traditional Javanese way, sitting on mats on the ground. If you're thirsty, there's always a seller close by with cool drinks or the heavenly es kelapa muda, iced coconut juice. All bike clubs and sub-cultures are present: gangs of BMX'ers, herds of hipsters with fixies and pot-bellied middle aged guys with their piets onthel - the old Dutch or Dutch style city bikes. And off course, all the individuals in between, like that grey old gentleman, contently puffing away on his kretek cigarette next to a fashionable fixie! Lots of lovers, too. Young guys walking with a belle on the left hand and a bike on the right. Hop on with your friends for a ride around the ring road around the parade ground on one of the many four wheeled, six seat pedalcars, festooned with sound systems and lights arranged in all kinds of animal shapes, dragons, lions, horses, elephants - even the ubiquitous Angry Birds.

P1080159 by ctjr, on Flickr

P1080167 by ctjr, on Flickr

P1080128 by ctjr, on Flickr


While the bicycle has given way to the motorbike for personal transportation and is largely relegated to the status of weekend toy, many people sense that this is about to change. The gasoline fueling all these motorcycles is now cheap, 4500 rupiah a liter, or 0.47 USD/0.37 EUR. But by and by, it will be far more interesting to sell the precious black gold to the Americans of the Chinese, instead of selling it at cut-rate prices to the local population. "Let's go back to bike" is a popular slogan on the t-shirts, indicating that a realization is growing that motorization isn't all that it seemed to be. Someday when the wells run dry, this slogan may become a necessity instead of just a very good idea. Yogyakarta, the city with a nostalgic past, exciting present and a bright future as the "city of bicycles".

P1080229 by ctjr, on Flickr