How are you backpackers and tourists in Indonesia? Back again with a review of beautiful and interesting tourist attractions in Indonesia. If in the previous article I have told you at length about the holiday experience to Jatim Park 1 in Batu Malang, then this article is still a continuation of the tour in Batu City. In the morning until late in the afternoon I spent time exploring the Jatim Park 1 rides. Well, the afternoon walk was more relaxed and not too tiring.
The purpose of this vacation is to the Batu Town square. The square is a field in the city center that serves as a place for children to play and a cheap recreation area for local residents. From Jatim Park 1 to the Batu Town square, the distance is not too far. If taken by land it takes about 20 minutes. Apart from Batu City square, there are other interesting places close to the city center, namely the Great Mosque of An-Nur Batu City and Plaza Batu.
Enjoying Panorama of Batu City from Town Square
Surprised…! Batu Town Square has a building layout unlike most other cities in Indonesia. The urban spatial planner who made this square is creative in conjuring a small area so that it can function optimally. The shape of the buildings in Batu square resembles the icon of the city of Batu, namely apples and strawberries. There are red apples and green apples made in large shapes surrounded by dozens of fountains.
For those of you who want to see the panoramic view of Batu City’s landscape from the air, in one corner of the square there is a carousel in the shape of a basket. We often encounter these children’s games at the night market. The ticket to ride the swivel basket is IDR 3,000 per person. The rates are quite cheap to be able to see the panorama of Mount Kawi in the afternoon along with the bustle of the tourist city of Batu at night. Spending saturday nite with someone at the top of Batu sounds nice.
Batu City Square is equipped with several public facilities, such as a smoking area at the west end near the T-junction to the Great Mosque of An-Nur, a playground with water spray games, free drinking water from faucets, and public toilets. For drinking water that comes from a faucet, based on information from the manager, it can be drunk directly. But I don’t want to try. Not sure about the cleanliness of the water. Another unique thing is the public toilet in the shape of an apple. Great, just throw it away in the apple. Of course, what you use to wash your hands is young coconut water. Hehehe.
The beauty of the architecture of the Great Mosque of An-Nur, Batu City
Since it was time for Asr prayer, I and several other friends visited the Great Mosque of An-Nur, Batu City. From the outside, the mosque building is no different from other mosques in Indonesia. The dominant color is green with several pillars in the corner of the mosque. The exterior design of the An-Nur mosque reminds me of the shape of the Al-Akbar Mosque or the Great Mosque of Surabaya (MAS). The difference is, the Great Mosque of Surabaya is bigger than the Great Mosque of Batu.
Once we enter the inside of the mosque, then we know the uniqueness of the interior design. Shady, majestic, luxurious, and relaxing. Speechless. The location for ablution is on the underground floor. The mountain air of Batu City makes the ablution water very cold on the skin. The freshness of the ablution water made my body shiver. Oh yes, not far from the men’s ablution place, there is a library that can be used by the general public. Unfortunately at that time I came too late so the librarian was no longer standing by there.
After the Asr prayer at the Great Mosque of Batu, I took the time to taste the culinary tour of PKL Batu. The location is on the sidewalk in front of the mosque. The food that I like this time is mixed tofu. One portion costs Rp. 7,000,-. The taste of tofu mixed with Batu is not much different from that sold in Surabaya. There are still chunks of gravel, vegetables and thick gravy. It’s just that the vegetables used in Batu are fresher. In that way, Batu City is the main source of vegetable and stone crops in East Java.
Fruit and Flower Shopping Paradise at Plaza Batu
Not far from the Great Mosque of An-Nur, Batu City, there is Plaza Batu. The two places are only separated by a bus parking lot which is not too wide. Holiday events to Batu Tourism City are not complete if you don’t buy souvenirs typical of the city of Batu. What items are sold at Plaza Batu? Like most other shopping places, Plaza Batu offers clothes, food, fruits, ornamental plants, and various other souvenirs.
But of all the merchandise, there are two main commodities of Batu City that are sold at Plaza Batu, namely fruit and flowers. The mainstay fruit for Batu farmers is of course Malang apples and strawberries. Meanwhile, the ornamental plants sold also vary, ranging from cactus plants, anthurium plants, yellow roses, chrysantemum flowers, and others. About the price, please check the contents of the bag yourself. Whether it’s cheap or the most expensive, everything is at Plaza Batu.
Even though I’m one of those people who like to keep flowers, I don’t buy flowers at Plaza Batu. My past experience has never been successful in caring for flower plants purchased from the Batu area. Where I live in Jombang where the weather is hotter. Maybe it’s because of the difference in average air temperature that is so different that the plants from Batu will experience stress, wither, and eventually die. So, I chose to be safe by buying souvenirs from Malang apples.
I also bought a few packets of chips made in Batu City. One package of chips is sold for IDR 10,000, which consists of 4 packs, namely apple chips, pineapple chips, jackfruit chips, and salak chips. But I was disappointed because the contents of the chips were only a little bit even though the packaging was big. In this case, I’m buying air, not buying chips. But never mind, the price of 10 thousand really wants to ask for an exclusive meal. Ha ha ha. My disappointment was cured by buying souvenirs at Pandaan Market, near the Cheng Ho Mosque.
The excitement of an afternoon stroll in the Batu City square leaves beautiful memories for tomorrow’s work spirit. Don’t miss the next article about my experience on vacation to Cheng Ho Mosque in Pandaan, Pasuruan. Later I will share the story of how I got lost at night in an empty garden around the Cheng Ho Mosque. Don’t miss it! Come explore the wealth of natural tourism and cultural tourism in Indonesia!