Lasem
Visiting Lasem City
There is a small town in Rembang district, Central Java which we want to explore. Its ancient China-Dutch style buildings makes us feel like going back to the past
This time, we try to explore Lasem City, (after some adventure activities 😉 ) which is located in Rembang district, Central Java. This small town makes us feel like going back to the past by its China-Dutch style ancient buildings.
One Sunday morning, we went to Lasem by car via the nearest route. It was from Solo-Purwodadi-Pati to Rembang and it took about four hours. Because many large vehicles went through this route, you would find a lot of potholes here. But also, you would see some beautiful sceneries such as the corn fields, the salt evaporation ponds, and a lot of boats on the river.
Omah Londo
The first place that we visited was Omah Londo. But, the gate was locked and we were disappointed (either because we went there on Sunday or it was locked too on the weekdays), so we could only take photos from the outside.
When we walked to the next place, we passed through the small alleys. It was quiet and peaceful. I thought that walking or riding a bicycle here was so nice (it was a combination of having fun and exercising 😉 ).
Tiongkok Kecil Heritage
Do you see the big red building in Lasem? If your answer is yes, then it is Tiongkok Kecil Heritage. You could stay in here, order food in the canteen, and buy several kinds of batik products such as batik fabrics, clothes and souvenirs from Batik Tiga Negeri.
You would have to buy a ticket to take photos in the lodging area. But, it would be returned into a voucher to buy batik (it’s still useful, right? 🙂 ).
We were accompanied by a guide when we entered the lodging area. There were several spacious rooms in the main building. They were complemented with some amenities such as a television and an air conditioner.
Then, the guide brought us into a room with a tunnel. The tunnel was connected to another room, but now the exit had been closed. That tunnel looked like it was previously used for hiding.
We walked to the side yard and found a large house and a small building. In that small building, there were a bedroom and a kitchen that were filled with some antiques such as a bed, a nightdress and kitchen equipments.
Roemah Oei
The day was getting late and my stomach started rumbling 😀 .We went to Roemah Oei and found several food stalls on the left of the gate. These food stalls sold various Lasem culinary such as soto kemiri, kelo mrico and kopi lelet.
After lunch, we entered the Roemah Oei. Its shady and comfortable yard was used for the visitor’s dining area. On the right-hand yard, there was a decorated wall that was quite instagrammable for taking photos.
The main building kept a lot of antiques that were neatly arranged such as cutleries, cassettes, old money, Javanese blouse (kebaya), etc.
There was a lodging area in the backyard. It was still well-maintained and clean too, although it had been built since 1818. The environment was quiet and cozy. It was very comfortable and made us want to stay longer 😀
Lawang Ombo
Actually we had arrived in Lawang Ombo before, which was located next to Cu An Kiong Temple. But, the gate was locked and the house was empty too. Finally we met the watchman after getting information from a neighbor.
We entered this house from the yellow big gate on the side. The wide yard was full of scattered dry leaves because it wasn’t cleaned for a few days. This house looked neglected.
On the left of the main room, there was a tunnel that was connected to the river. It was used as an opium smuggling route from a merchant ship. This hole was bigger in the past, but now it had been narrowed because the water entered this room when the tide was rising.
In the main room, we found a prayer table and some furnitures with detailed carvings. There were two dark and humid rooms here, if you were brave enough to stay because it was free! 😀
There was another big building in the backyard. I didn’t enter this place because it was dark and people got scared when they entered this place. For me, I must respect the existence of ‘spirits’ regardless if I believe it or not. On the left of this building, there was a big tomb whose owner was unknown. Some people said that it might be the owner of this building in earlier times.
Wates Beach
The day was approaching afternoon, and we decided to eat at Hokky Restaurant. It served Chinese food menus that were quite delicious for me 🙂 .We wouldn’t spend much time here because we still wanted to hunt some photos and enjoyed the Wates beach.
This beach actually had a beautiful scenery. A row of pine trees grew on the edge of the beach. It had really soft white sands. However, the environment wasn’t well-maintained. The sea water was murky and it smelled bad, it’s so pitiful 🙁
Time flew so fast and it was about half past four in the afternoon. We rushed home via the route from Rembang-Pati-Kudus-Demak-Semarang (via toll road to Solo) because we preferred the smooth roads although it was farther.
We had spent a day wandering around Lasem city. It was fun “to go back” to the past to where I hadn’t been born yet. I really enjoyed it! 😀 (JULY 2019)
You May Also Like
Jomblang Cave
Kedung Kayang Waterfall
