See the Giant Puppets At The Sultan Hotel in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia

Indonesia map from Wikipedia.


Photos by Trevor Sharot.
 http://trevorsharotphotography.com
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Photos from Wikipedia

Jakarta's nickname is The Big Durian.

Durian is called the king of fruits. The name durian comes from the Indonesian and Malay word for thorn because of the skin.

Durians are for sale in Indonesia. (Also sold in Thailand and Malaysia.) Whilst I cannot eat the strong smelling and slimy durian fruit, I love tasty durian ice cream and durian cake, and white or yellow durian sauce, which reminds me of thick egg custard or egg yolk with the flavour of chestnut.

Author of photo, ProjectManhattan in Wikipedia under Durian.

Durian is available in season in Singapore. but banned in the Singapore MRT (train system) and buses and taxis.

Jakarta's motto is Jaya Raya which is Sanskrit for victorious and great. ( I know several people called Jaya.)

Museum in Jakarta.

Photo from Wikipedia: Gunawan Kartapranata - Own work

The parade of Ondel-ondel on main street of Jakarta during car-free day.  The Ondel-ondel (a repeated hyphenated word is a plural) was originally a symbol of an ancestor protecting a village from calamity and danced in the street. In modern times the Ondel-ondel is the symbol of Jakarta and dances to entertain in streets on festive occasions, and at weddings and openings of buildings and events.

Watch a pair of them performing in pairs in a street on Youtube. Notice the musicians in the background.

Ondel-ondel puppets in Wayang Museum, Jakarta. Photo author Taman Renyah, in Wikipedia. These puppets appear in pairs, the red face being male and the female with a white face. The head-dress is made from strips of coconut leaves wrapped in coloured paper. The light bamboo body is lifted by a person standing inside who dances, twirling on the spot, or dancing and hopping around the partner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HT0Vtacah7k The puppets dancing.



Transport in Jakarta. Blue three-wheeler is a taxi.
 Picture from Wikipedia.

Useful Websites:
https://www.indonesia.travel/uk/en/home
Wonderfully engaging website pages with great pictures and helpful captions

http://trevorsharotphotography.com
Some serious photography here. Great subjects, great composition and great colours.

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.