22.10.11
This evening we had heard there was a carnival to celebrate Jogja. So we bargained the
nearest cycle rickshaw driver down to 5000 rupiah (35p) to take us to the centre of
town. He was very amusing to talk to, kept telling us about his 'helicopter' which
we presumed was his cycle rickshaw! Before we could get to the Kraton/Palace the road was
blocked, presumably for the procession, so we hopped out and walked the rest. As
we walked towards the Kraton the streets became busier with families excitedly chatting
and trying to find themselves a good viewpoint. We realised it was going to be really
difficult to find a place where we could actually see the procession go by. However
there was a big screen set up so we headed towards there. There were lots of street
vendors hawking tasty snacks under lamp light and people selling toys, in particular
some really cool helicopters that spun really high and were lit various colours. We
became a bit of an attraction ourselves as we watched the various dancing acts and
floats come towards the main arena for the end of the processions. As people walked past
us they waved and smiled, it was a fantastic atmosphere. We then realised that the floats
were all ending up near where we were stood and were all coming to park up. So we went
over to 'greet' the first float as it arrived. All the floats were respresenting
an aspect of Yogykarta. The floats included: an large ornate batik lantern; a Borubudur
float; a large horse carrying a DJ (no idea what that was representing!); a large robot
(again no idea!) and a float that looked like the Great Wall of China?! The crowds were
very excited at the arrival of each float and rushed forward to photograph each float.
When the floats came to a halt, people took it in turns to clamber on to the float
and pose for photographs and this continued for the next hour and a half until we left.
We walked through the dark but bustling streets back to our hotel, very happy that we
had had this experience!
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