Jogjakarta - New Birds Market

3 years ago, I have a good chance to visit Jogjakarta, copied from Wiki 'a city and the capital of Yogyakarta Special Region in Java, Indonesia. It is renowned as a centre of classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry, and puppet shows. Yogyakarta was the Indonesian capital during the Indonesian National Revolution from 1945 to 1949. One of the districts in Yogyakarta, Kotagede, was the capital of the Mataram Sultanate between 1575 and 1640. The city is named after the Indian city of Ayodhya from the Ramayana epic. Yogya means 'suitable, fit, proper', and karta, 'prosperous, flourishing' (i.e., 'a city that is fit to prosper').[2]', during my course session for 'Oil & Gas Contractor', held by ESDM - Ministry of Energy & Minerals Resource. Absolutely, there's only 2 places I'd like to visit: the Birds Market and the famous 'Malioboro' street. I searched the information regarding the birds market and well informed that the previous 'Ngasem' birds market has been relocated and moved to a better place in the edge of the town, beside the main road between the city, area Dongkelan, Jl. Bantul KM 1, Yogyakarta. They named it 'Pasar Satwa dan Tanaman Hias Yogyakarta (PASTHY)'. Of course, near or in front of it (if I'm not wrong, as I remember) is where the Flower & Plants market is located. Looking at its name, actually it is not purely the birds market, since it is said the 'animals' market.

This first picture is showing how the previous Ngasem birds market looks like today. Barely almost empty from the activities as it is common in birds market, but some trader or seller are still hold on to this place. Surely the buyers are prefer to go to the big new one, except for some people who doesn't like to go more far and just buying small amount of bird food or something like that. Even the fishes and its equipment is still available in here. It is very common in Indonesia that every birds market, usually also available fishes and its equipment.

Some bird food sellers are like to stay to serve the people in this area and they should have permanent buyer or old customers, to let them alive and survive in here. They try to survive by serving the old customer near by or within the area, selling daily bird foods and some small stuff and cage's acessories

This is the face of the PASTHY, the birds/animals area, taken right from the Entrance Gate. The parking area seems neat, tidy, well paved and tens of cars can occupy the parking lots. even they made decoration in the parking pavement, marking the lot, drawing a bird shape and things like. It is not that beautiful, but I shall appreciate the effort for trying to. Nice, ehh ...

Entering the market area, there is separated walkway, quarry stones paved, with median made for garden/plantation and some big high aviary cages. A water fountain also seen in the middle of the garden, a small one and it is not activated. This walkway goes along the middle of the market, divide the market into two large area. Whether we go to the left side or right side, the whole area was fully occupied by the seller.

The walkway/pedestrian is branching, separating the seller's kiosks into blocks. No special allocation to each available block. There is area between the pedestrian and the kiosk, grass block paved. This area can be used for the seller to take care and maintain their goods, birds, or can be used for the trading place or show area. Most important, this area is a must in the birds market, since every bird requires sun bathing each day, especially in the morning, when the market started its activities. I found that this is rarely available in the common birds market I used to visit in Indonesia. I also found that garbage cans are available in every place. That's why this place is looked so clean, differs than any other birds market I ever visited.

I feel something's very different in here, more than visited other birds market. Very comfort. The place is very wide, among the garden, grass, plantation and big trees. This condition will not be found in other birds market. In Surabaya, the place is narrow, in the 1 and 2 stories building, with small size kiosks. In Jakarta, the biggest one, birds market in (Jalan) Pramuka street, even worst (or I might say the worst ever), the building's is 3 or 4 stories, the kiosks are smaller in size, the corridors are very narrow and the most uggly is the bird's waste. The waste is layering the corridor's floor and also the kiosk floor, since the place for hundreds of sellers with no appropriate garbage management. Imagine that, how many garbage and waste that should be cleaned in daily basis? More worst during the rainy season. I bet you could not stand the odors-smells it created.

Some corridors (whole corridors are open space, actually) are equiped with the place for hanging the birds. This will let the seller hang the cage in there and the buyer will take their time to watch, until the transaction is made and get deal. I believe all caged birds, even the wild one, will be happy and made their best appearance and sings their best songs ever!!

Almost all common traded birds are available in here. Even the imported bird kind, such as the parrots family. Especially the common and unrestricted birds, they will be found easily in here. Birds traded from Jakarta to Surabaya or from Sumatera island to Bali, through Java island. Landed in Jakarta city from Sumatera, going to Surabaya city before arrived in Bali. Those trip of trading commonly have to pass Solo city or Jogjakarta city. That's why we can find more easy birds kind in here rather in other city.