After lunch at Move on cafe we decided we wanted to check out the Kraton (the Sultan’s palace).
We met up with another girl from the hostel that we had all stayed at whilst in Jakarta.
We debated on how to get there, there aren’t really many cabs around in Yogyakarta, only motocycle taxis and tuk-tuk (varying from push bike to motorbike).
Eventually, the driver of a tuk-tuk wrangled a price with us and convinced us it would be perfectly fine for all three of us to squash into the not-so-built-for-three-people seat and we went roaring and popping down the road.
Via a little detour at a batik shop where he tried to get us to buy some art, he then dropped us off near the Kraton which was unfortunately closed (it closes at about 2pm I believe). So a little put out, we went to check out the market which was not anything to be particularly amazed about but just quite a standard mall with claustrophobic hallways.
As we stepped out of the mall feeling a bit jaded, we noticed large crowds gathering down the road.
A local told us a parade was about to start.
We found a little spot on the curb and watched the parade unfold.
Dozens of marching bands
Free sample of Durian jelly to any takers
Weird mascots
Wonderful outfits
and giant owl things.
After the parade was finished, so many of the participants and spectators who had spotted us wanted photos with us.
E may or may not have been used as an aid in some sort of political protest
We’re not sure, we don’t know what the sign means.
We then bumped into a very enthusiastic English teachers as well as several groups of students who wanted to practice their English with us and take videos whilst interviewing us.
It probably took about an hour to get off the street and we wandered into the evening and all the way back to our hostel.
I wasn’t really able to dig up a lot of information on the parade, the English teacher we spoke to told me it was a “Youth Day Parade’ but they have many different ones throughout the year.
The Gypsy Heart Travels 