A commuting queen

JP/Nurhayati

Most of us could be forgiven to think that every queen will always have royal treatment on a daily basis. But who would have thought that the Queen of Yogyakarta, Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Hemas, the wife of Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono, who is also deputy speaker of the Regional Representative Council (DPD), does her own grocery shopping and gardening in her free time?

I spend my days off, usually during the weekend, to travel back Yogyakarta. I leave Jakarta on Saturday night by plane. When I was dating Pak Sultan, I used to go by train from Jakarta to Yogyakarta. In the past, the journey by train could take up to 12 hours, or more. So I have really sweet memories of having him by my side for 12 hours. Today, the journey by train only takes around eight hours. But I must make good use of my days off, so I had better take the plane.

During my free time in Yogyakarta, I still have to hold meetings with my constituency from morning until evening. So it is basically not a day off. It is also getting more difficult for me to have my moment alones with Pak Sultan. The last time my family was having a holiday was for the New Year’s celebration. We went to Bali from Dec. 29 to Jan. 2. We arrived over several flights, with some even coming on New Year’s Eve. The most important thing is we can still spend time together there. We go swimming. I also spend time playing with my grandchildren.

If I am in Yogyakarta, I usually cook together with my children and grandchildren We dine together afterward. Pak Sultan likes Japanese food, while I am fond of almost any cuisine including spaghetti and fried chicken.

Another errand that I undertake over the weekend is tending to my garden. We have a sizable backyard garden. We plant many kinds of trees either decorative or fruit trees. One that I particularly like is the kelengkeng tree. We plan to sell the fruit for a living after our retirement. Tending the garden is exercise too. I do every chore myself, from clearing the grass to watering them.

When I return to Jakarta and if I still have free time, I prefer to do the grocery shopping. I do shopping once a week, usually on a Monday because my schedule is freer then. I shop at any place that I happen to pass. I don’t have any favorite grocery stores. The things I buy can be anything, depending on what I feel like to eat during the week, but most of the time my groceries consist of fruits, vegetables, shrimps and white meat.

— As told to Tifa Asrianti