The 6 Hours : Visiting Mojokerto & Trying A Legendary Satay

Welcome back to my 6 hours series! This is a post where I explore a city or areas for 6 hours and show you highly curated places to check out. This series was born 3 years ago when I started exploring Yogyakarta and around. It came out because I typically spend only 6 hours and have covered all the awesome places that one needed to see in the city. Now, since I am starting to live in East Java, we’re going to bring out the same series while I travel all around East Java and around, on a budget. Also, this is my first time since posting here since the re-brand!

The 6 hours is a travelog where I documented places I visited under 6 hours. These places are something new that I haven’t visited before. So, I am going to take you to explore these places with me.

My feet this time took me to a city called Mojokerto. It’s another historical city famous for the ruins of Majapahit Kingdom. For locals itself, this city is also a holiday and weekend getaway spot especially since it also offers mountainous and hilly areas. To reach the city, it is accessible by local commuter train and even inter-city train. I took a local commuter train there and it took me about 30 minutes to reach the main station. When I was inside the train, I was traveling with a group of kindergarteners and their parents who seemed to be en route to the capital of East Java, Surabaya. So, inside the train, it was extremely lively and loud.

Since it was my first time taking the train on that route, I was anxious. I suppose it was because I felt unfamiliar with the place that I was about to visit and not knowing what to expect. I have to say, Indonesia is massive and there are a lot of amazing places to see more than Bali and the known tourist spots internationally. Just like this city, while it is a small place, the city used to be the home of a glorious Majapahit empire, although these days, only a few ruins and spots can be seen from the city. Before I was exploring the place, I didn’t really think of many places to see and how interesting this city would be. I thought that there would be nothing at all. Usually, I passed through this town to go to the airport but that was it. So, I never thought I would find any cafes, places to eat and even sights to see. But, I ended up finding something new about the place.

Try out the famous local beef Satay that has existed for 3 generations & Walk Around The Central Park

The whole trip I did was around 7 hours in total but I only spent 6 hours from eating at the famous local eatery to visiting a cafe where it’s bustling and quite aesthetic. So, the first thing to do after you get off the train is to check out a place called Sate Pak Jamil. This is a place where they sell beef satay with various cuisines from East Java. What makes the satay unique is that it is made with minced meat that is wrapped in skewer and grilled. Then, it would be served with the food of your choice.

In East Java, they typically eat these dishes ; Pecel & Rawon. These are commonly found all across east java and topped with the satay just made it even more delightful. The place is located in Mojokerto Central Park, so at the same time, after dining in, you can check out the area. For pictures, you can see my previous post on the central park. After I went there, another place that my friend and I visited was a cafe called Kopi Bersaudara.

The local coffee shop scene, Kopi Bersaudara

Kopi bersaudara is a pretty famous coffee shop in the city. While there are many more around the area, what makes this place unique is how they roast their own coffee. They are also the busiest of them all which usually is a marker of how good they are. I also had the chance to talk to the owner who was extremely friendly and we got a chat about coffee. It was really fun that I did not expect to have found a lively coffee scene in the city. When I was inside the coffee shop, I realized that there are museums throughout the city and places that I needed to check. So, I might go back and explore a little more but this time around perhaps, I will go to the hilly side rather than the cityscape of Mojokerto.

Pictures can be seen here Coffee in Motion Toko Kopi Bersaudara

The coffee shop is serving a delicious menu that I loved and I certainly would want to go back. It’s located in Jl. Kuwung, Mergelo, Meri Mojorkerto. Around this neighborhood there are many coffee shops that are worth checking out too. When I was about to leave the place, I saw the most beautiful sunset that I’ve seen in a while. Unfortunately, the moment wasn’t really well-captured on my camera.

The local Ramen Master, a must try ramen

This one is a little odd because my friend and I were looking to get dinner and he recommended this Ramen. Personally, I have never heard of this ramen and I think it was pretty okay. The price was reasonable and it was closer to the train station that I was about to visit. My train leaves at around 6 or 7 and we were practically rushing. So, ramen was a comfortable choice but the place was also not bad. I certainly would add this into the 6 hours itinerary while visiting the place. This ramen location is in Jl. Jayanegara, Gatul Mojokerto, just around 10 minutes ride from the train station. I ordered a simple ramen that was enough to fill me up before I got into the train. While it wasn’t the best, it was pretty decent.

I certainly didn’t expect to find all that when I went to the city but apparently, these days the city is a lot more interesting than I remembered. At the same time, because of the availability of commuter lines throughout Java, it makes visiting places easier on a budget. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the video and the recommendation of the place too. See you in my next 6 hour series and I’ll be telling you about my recent adventure in a city called Surakarta!