IO – Even though I have been to college and regularly return to Yogyakarta, there is always something interesting to visit in this cultural city. After visiting nostalgic places to hang out in college, there are times when you need to go to a new place that is trending. One of the most popular and often uploaded on social media is Tebing Breksi (Breksi Cliff).
Breksi Cliff is a tourist destination recommended by rental car drivers in Yogya. Hearing the word Breksi, my memory immediately floated to Brexit. It feels like by just hearing the name we are immediately interested in visiting. We believe in our driver’s recommendation even though there is no clue of what this new tourist spot looks like.
The car leads to the Kalasan region. “Breksi Cliff is located not far from Ratu Boko Temple. After Breksi, you can also go to Ratu Boko later,” suggested the driver. Ratu Boko Temple is also popular among local tourists because it was once the filming location of the film “Ada Apa dengan Cinta?2”, commonly abbreviated as AADC. Not a few Indonesian tourists who come to this place to repeat the dramatic interaction of Cinta and Rangga, the main characters of AADC.
Adjacent also to Breksi Cliff is a temple called Ijo Temple. This Hindu temple from the ancient Mataram era in the 9th century is only 700 meters from Breksi Cliff. With one go, we can also stop by at three tourist sites in Yogyakarta.
Just opened in 2016, the access road to Breksi is still narrow. The road leading to the place was uphill because it was at altitude. We arrived during the day after the rain and felt fortunate that not too many people were there.
Entering the parking lot, from a distance Breksi Cliff turned out to look impressive. The former rock quarry cliff with a height of 30 meters looks massive and exotic. Artists who are also residents carved the cliff so it looks even more impressive.
Breksi cliff in Sambirejo village, Sleman Regency was originally a mine for natural stone to be used as a building material. The mine was closed in 2014 for environmental sustainability.
The closure of the mine seems to be more beneficial to the residents around because now many residents are involved in managing the new tourist destination. Some sell food and souvenirs, manage traffic and guard parking. This traffic control is necessary because on holiday the number of visitors can reach thousands.
Social media plays a role in making Breksi more popular. Every tourist who comes to that place always takes pictures and uploads it to social media. As a result, more and more people are curious about the very Instagrammable place.
Former cliff exploitation of natural stone becomes interesting because it is carved into various forms, among other objects things in the form of puppets and snakes. This is the site where tourists take turns taking pictures.
Creative graffiti on walls inspire smiles; signs also point to attractions. For example, one says the place requires a smile or a sign which indicates a “Javanese escalator’ in front of stairs made of natural stone inlay. Near the natural stone stairs, there is also a signpost bid for photos with an owl. That is, of course, a photo requiring payment of a small fee.
The best time to visit Breksi is apparently in the morning and evening. In the morning the weather was not too hot. While in the afternoon when the weather is good, we can watch the peaks of the Prambanan temple and the sunset. Unfortunately, we came in the afternoon when the sky was covered in clouds. There is practically no view in sight. (Caecilia Linggarjati)