Alam Bahasa Indonesia

In Depok Beach near Parangtritis we can get more than the beautiful scenery and typical beach atmosphere. There is a fish market which sells fish and other seafood. We can buy fish directly from fishermen too. The fish there are fresher and cheaper than those sold in the city markets. In Depok Beach we can directly enjoy the fish that we buy because there are some warungs where we can have the fish fried or grilled. The warungs provide also rice and fresh vegetables which are the best things to eat fried or grilled fish with.

Every person who comes to Jogja for a vacation certainly will not forget to come to its impressive beaches. Special for seafood lovers, there is a special enjoyment if you can eat seafood while enjoying wave and wind of beaches. In a very short moment you will eat the food unconsciously that you have ordered. Some beaches in Jogja serve delicious and cheap seafood. Of course, they are made of fresh fish (since the fish and other seafood are bought directly from fishermen). These phenomena happen in some beaches in Jogja such as the famous Baron beach with its kakap fish soup or the famous Depok Parangtritis beach with its roasted fish. Maybe our family sweet experience will be interesting for you to read.

On one Saturday morning I and my family, my husband and son, were ready to spoil our eyes and stomachs. Usually every two weeks we go to Depok beach for refreshing as well to complete my son therapy. According to the doctor who took care of my son, fresh morning beach air can make his lung healthy. Although the doctor already claimed him healthy, we still keep doing that habit since we have fallen in love to the beauty of Depok beach.

Usually we leave at 6 a.m. hoping that we can still enjoy the morning beach air for three or four hour. From our house located in the north Jogja the trip takes around one hour depend on which route do we choose. We pass the downtown, means that we have to breathe the polluted city morning air and the traffic jam. Another alternative is the Ring road. It has less pollution and more space but usually we have to turn around. Since we still love our lung, we usually choose the second alternative.

Relief will appear after passing Parangtritis street in the south of Ring road. Slowly we pass Pyramid cafe and restaurant, the ISI (Indonesian Art Institute) then Numani restaurant. Until here, the traffic is still busy. Then we arrived at Tembi T junction that starts to serve the original Bantul scenery. There were many bicycles on the road. Then our vision was brought to ‘Pasar Seni Gabusan’ board writing. It is an art centre and a place for selling Bantul agricultural product.

Our car keeps on moving to Manding cross road then to Jetis crossroad. It is our favorite road since there are many green rice field surrounded by fresh and beautiful hills. Sometimes we smile to farmers who are working in the rice field. This sight motivated me to grab my camera and record it. Unconsciously, we were on the Kretek Bridge. The bluish green water of Oak River flows under the bridge. In around 150 meters from the beach, the Parangtritis beach retribution check appears.

Around 25 meters before the retribution post, we had to turn right passing the village road with smooth asphalt. Several meters later after turning left our eyes will be spoilt by the onion garden on the left side and the SMP 2 Kretek Bantul building on the right. The village is the onion central in Bantul regency.

After five minutes we arrive in Depok beach retribution check, we pay for four thousand (the ticket for car was 500 rupiahs and 1500 rupiahs for one person). We do not have to pay for my son since he is still child. Just several meters before the retribution check on the right side, we can see DIY water police corps and on the left side we can see the office of the Parangtritis transmission unit of Yogyakarta TV station. Last year, the office of DIY water police corps is without a fence, but it is already fenced this year. There are some official houses there. From this place, we can see sea wave as if it greets us.

Because it is still in the morning, we play, sit, and run in the beach about two hours. Then, we wait until the fish market is open. It opens at about 9 am. There are two places to buy fish in Depok beach. The first is in fish market and the second is from the fisherman directly. We prefer to buy fish in the fish market, because usually the fishermen arrive later, about 10 am or 11 am.
It is true that if we buy fish directly from the fisherman is cheaper but we cannot choose the suitable fish for our taste. Beside that, we have to buy fish in a big size because the sell system is in the entire stock. The price of the fish in the market fish is cheaper than in town. For example, one kilogram of Bawal fish is 16.000 rupiahs, Cakalang fish is 9.500 rupiahs, squid is 23.000 rupiahs, and Windu shrimp is 36.000 rupiahs. It should be noted that one dollar as much as 9.300 rupiahs. Those prices are also up to the season. The price is become cheaper in the full moon.

In fish market, we can choose our favorite fish, and we have our settled customer there. When we bought sea product in Bu Supar’s shop, we always get a good quality of fish, shrimp, or squid. After we buy white Kakap fish and squid, we always go to Ibu Nakidi’s shop. You can cook fish or squid that you have bought there. The prices are as follows:

• Roasted 2.200 rupiahs /kg
• Fried 2.500 rupiahs /kg
• Fried with flour 3.000 rupiahs /kg
• Asam Pedas/Manis 3.500 rupiahs /kg
• Bumbu kuning 3.500 rupiahs /kg
• Boiled 2.000 rupiahs /kg
• tea ice /orange ice 1.000 rupiahs
• Coconut 3.500 rupiahs
• Fanta/sprite 2.500 rupiahs
• Teh Botol Sosro 2.000 rupiahs
• Coffee/Coffeemix 1.500 rupiahs
• Rice plus a dish of raw vegetables and a spicy sauce. 10.000 rupiahs

Therefore, in this small shop, you can pay for cooking, drink, rice, and dish of raw vegetables and a spicy sauce. Is it not too expensive, right? The most delicious is roasted food and fried with flour food.

Bathroom and toilet is available in the “Sedyo Rukun” small shop> Of course, if we use it, we should pay. We have to know that to look for tasteless water in beach is difficult, so it is proper if we have to pay for this. After we give kakap fish and squid to the cook, we wait some times before we have a meal. The time for us to wait is up to the how many guess that come to the small shop. Usually, the later, the more people come. So, we cannot stay for long time here. Although there are chair and mat, but we have to change with the other.

Finally, the clock said it was 12 o’clock and we got ready for home. We left the charming place while looking to the beautiful South Sea. In addition, in the north, we can see the Kretek Hill that lies along to Panggang, Gunung Kidul. What a fantastic natural phenomenon.
While bringing bag contained the wet and dirty clothes of seawater, we have relaxed walk passing the fish market. Ibu Supar nicely and warmly offered us to buy fresh fish for souvenirs. I politely refuse considering my stomach was already full of fish. Usually we buy peanut coconut sugar or ampyang for our snack on the road and souvenir for family at home. We thought that the taste of the made in Depok ampyang is more delicious, sticky and sweet with ginger aroma. Hmmmmmm..……. yummy. A plastic bag contained 10 pieces of ampyang just costs 5.000 rupiahs, pretty cheap. Right?

After paying the parking ticket for 3.000 rupiahs, we slowly leave Depok beach and hoping that we will be back in several weeks. From the parking lot we turned left going along the long and stony asphalt road to Parang Kusumo. There are thorn Pandan and sea sand ‘mountain’ on the right and left side of the road. Several times we looked at the traditional losmens owned by the kampong citizen that rented for guests. The sound of the sea wave on the right side of the road is just like following us.

The more losmens appear, the sooner we arrive at Parangkusumo. This beach is crowded with losmens recently. It is much different with the one that we often visited to practice martial art and to have sport in 90’s. From the alternative roads, we turned left to the exit of the beach and go along the road. While going home we went along the edge of the beautiful Opak River to the Siluk Imogiri. We chose the road to see different scenery, beside the road was not too busy to pass. After tired playing and running on the beach, my son slept tight on the way home. This is a glance of my trip and experience to Pantai Depok. So, are you interested? Please come there.

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