Morning in Pecangan - Jepara, Central Java, Indonesia

The lady selling vegetables in the village of Pecangan market

It was about 2am by the time we arrived in Jepara. Jepara is only about 180km from Yogyakarta but due to the road condition and heavy traffic the journey takes more that 5 hours. There are no highway and most of the roads have only two small lanes. Java is the most densely populated island and hardly did we see any jungle along the road. Every space is occupied with human being, padi field or little shops and restaurants.

Busy morning in the Pecangan Market

In the home of Nyoirah, I tried to get two hours of sleep so that I'll stay awake the whole day. The day for a typical Indonesian villager probably starts as early as 4 am, and fajar (morning) prayer is about 4.30 am. About 95% of the locals are Muslims. By 5 am, business in the busy street of Pecangan market is in its full swing. I am delighted to be in this little village. It is amazing to see the petty traders with their happy faces calling for customers.

My appearance in the market was obvious and I could feel their eyes on me. We exchanged smiles and the next thing, they were just ready for the camera. Everything is cheap in the market. But my concern is the level of hygiene, especially most of the cooked food and cakes are placed in the tray so close to the feet of the people passing by. With a hardcore poverty population of 29 million in Indonesia, the hard life of the locals are observable.

Pecangan Market, Jepara

Sweet Potatoes 

Tapioca is the popular food in Java

Fried food at your feet

Chicken intestines sate

Grilled Squids

Smiling broadly for the camera

Local cakes and delicacies for breakfast

Busy day in the market

Walking with loads on their back