Shopping in Java
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A
Mirota Batik
Miota Batik is a fixed-price shop on Jl Malioboro and a good place to start shopping.
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HS
Marginally cheaper; always ask for a substantial discount off the marked prices.
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Lucky Boomerang
Has used guidebooks and fiction, Periplus maps and books, plus souvenirs.
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B
Pasar Beringharjo
Yogya’s main market, 800m north of the kraton, is a lively and fascinating place. The renovated front section has a wide range of batik – mostly inexpensive batik cap (stamped batik) – while the 2nd floor is dedicated to cheap clothes and shoes. Most interesting of all, though, is the old section towards the back. Crammed with warungs and stalls selling a huge variety of fruit and vegetables, this is still very much a traditional market. The range of rempah rempah (spices) on the 1st floor is quite something.
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C
Jeans Street
Advertising is one thing, but a 20ft-high plaster statue of Rambo? Bandung's celebrated 'Jeans' Street, Jl Cihampelas, is the place where seeing is believing. Traditionally the home of the city's thriving textile industry, this congested drag, in the affluent northern suburbs of Bandung, is now a menagerie of kitsch plaster giants, looming over shops competing with one another for the top spot in the city's booming denim trade.
The jeans are definitely cheap; just don't expect to look like a Dean or a Monroe when you slip them on.
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Pasar Ikan
On the east beach is Pangandaran's fish market, and arguably the best place for fresh seafood. Pick out what you want from the selection of fresh seafood at the front of the warungs here and pay according to weight. The market is to the north, near the post office (not the wholesale fish market to the south).
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Jl Dr Rajiman
Jl Dr Rajiman, which runs along the southern edge of the alun-alun, is the goldsmiths street. Buy gold in the Chinese shops and have its weight and purity verified by the streetside gold testers along Jl Dr Rajiman and the side street of Jl Reksoniten near the kraton.
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D
Pasar Ikan
Further along the same street from the Museum Bahari is the early-morning Pasar Ikan. It's an intense, colourful scene of busy crowds around dawn, when the day's catch is sold. Later in the day it sells household items and a growing collection of souvenirs.
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Main Pasar
Pangandaran is famous for its excellent seafood. For cheap Indonesian food, the town has dozens of warungs, especially along the southern end of the west beach. The main pasar, near the bus terminal, is the place to stock up on fruit and groceries.
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Ambarukmo Plaza
For a regular shopping mall, Ambarukmo Plaza is 5km west of the centre on the road to Prambanan and has a great selection of boutiques, as well as a good food court, a cinema and a supermarket. Take bus 1A to get there.
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E
Blok M
The Blok M Mall, above the large bus terminal, has scores of small, reasonably priced shops offering clothes, shoes, CDs and DVDs. Most goods are of a better standard than those found in Mangga Dua, but only just.
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F
Flea Market
Jakarta’s famous flea market is in Menteng. It has woodcarvings, furniture, textiles, jewellery and many (often instant) antiques. Bargain like crazy – prices may be up to 10 times the value of the goods.
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Batik Keris Factory
In Lawiyan, west of the city, this is one place to see the batik process up close. Its shop (Jl Yos Sudarso 62) has icy air-con, a cafe and two full floors of fixed-price batik bags, skirts and shirts.
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FX Mall
An upmarket mall in the Senayan district, the main attraction here is the 72m transparent cylindrical slide that shoots you down six stories in about 12 seconds – spend 100,000Rp and the ride is free.
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Street Vendors
Kris and other souvenirs can be purchased from Street Vendors at the eastern side of the alun-alun near Kraton Surakarta. The gem sellers have a mind-boggling array of semiprecious stones.
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Balai Agung
On the north side of the alun-alun you can see high-quality wayang kulit puppets being made (and put through their paces). Gamelan sets are also on sale too.
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G
Plaza Indonesia
Exclusive Plaza Indonesia tops Jakarta’s A list for shopping centres, with dozens of designer stores. There’s a good, surprisingly inexpensive food court in the basement.
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H
Pasar Pagi Mangga Dua
This is an enormous wholesale market with some of Jakarta’s cheapest clothes, accessories and shoes, as well as a host of other goods. Quality can be a problem, though.
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Jl Kebon Sirih Timur Antique Shops
Jl Kebon Sirih Timur Antique Shops, the street east of Jl Jaksa, has a number of shops that sell antiques and curios. The quality is high, but so are the prices.
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Matahari Department Store
For everyday shopping, check out the markets or the shops on Jl Secoyudan or head to Matahari Department Store, which offers everything you would expect.
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I
Pasaraya Department Store
Opposite Blok M Mall, Pasaraya has two huge floors that seem to go on forever and are devoted to batik and handicrafts from throughout the archipelago.
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J
Plaza Senayan
This huge plaza has a cinema, one of the city’s best clubs (X2) and stores including Marks & Spencer and Prada – though prices are very steep.
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K
Swasthigita
Just north of Jl Tirtodipuran, this is a top-rate wayang kulit puppet manufacturer; it also holds the occasional wayang show.
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Hypermarket
The best of the modern supermarkets include the rebuilt Hypermarket. For everyday shopping, check out the markets or the shops on Jl Secoyudan.
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Pasar Klewer
A three-storey market near Kraton Surakarta is supposedly the largest batik and textile market in Indonesia. This is the place to buy batik.
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