A great little trip can be created by combining a nice lunch at Omahe Mbok Giyem with a visit to Ganjuran church.

This is a wonderful blend of the Christian, the Javanese, and the Hindu. I'm sure many would cry "syncretism" at the sight of the candi-like building that houses the Javanese-clad Christ figure, and the mini-candis that dispense the holy water. Personally, I love it. I love localization. I'm much more bothered by the kind of images that feature a Middle Eastern backdrop and a resolutely white holy family...

It is beautifully kept, this little complex. The church is immaculate, the shrine area quiet and pleasant, the atmosphere tranquil but relaxed.

Lovely.

The triangular ride (though marred on the way back by yet more Rufus paw trouble, necessitating yet another visit to a tambal ban) is also beautiful. Rice paddies, red-roofed villages, and the sharply rising land of the Gunung Kidul. Quintessential Java. No wonder Jesus wanted to be Javanese...