WPC – Place Where The Heart is

Sunset, Trees and Ratu Boko Temple, Jogja

Around two thousands years ago, a Roman philosopher, Gaius Plinius Secundus or known as Pliny the Elder, said short nice words but has deep meaning of a home,

“Home is where the heart is.”

It is not only a place where we’re back after working from day to day. It is more than that. Home is a place that makes us fully recharged and gives us peace. The place that is comforting because we know by heart.

Jogjakarta, or Jogja in short, or some say Yogyakarta, is my second hometown. The place I always be back, the place where I recharge, smell its sweet fragrance and feel its calm ambiance. I can watch sunrise at its beautiful beaches, or get lost into its old market, or wander around the labyrinth of traditional batik makers, visit the palaces and its squares, watch sunset on the hilly places and dine the gudeg, -Jogja’s traditional cuisine- which is offered in every corner of the city. Perhaps I do not know the people, but I can feel the same soul of Jogja in them.

And Ratu Boko’s palace is one of my favorite places in Jogja. Located on a small plateau not far from Prambanan temple, this palace is actually an archaeological site which has many heritage buildings. As a heritage lover I love to be there at different times, but watching sunset there is totally remarkable. From the highest point of this palace, I can see the amazing sunset and the panoramic view of Prambanan temple, and sometimes Mt. Merapi in the background if the weather is clear. Well, everyone knows about sunset, but sunset we watch from the place that is resided in our heart, surely evokes different feeling.

I can sit there in silence, do nothing, just listen to the nature’s voices, smell its calming fragrance, feel the encouraging delight ambiance, harmonize the love of people there and allow all the beauties to color the life. I am part of the amazing local.

Sunset at Ratu Boko, Jogja