I got out by 9am for a look around Surakarta or, Solo, as the locals call it. I wanted to be out and about before it got too hot. Solo is considered a royal city. It has a royal family which I had presumed was the nations royal family but is in fact only a local aristocracy. There are two palaces in town both of which are still used as residences by branches of the royal family. I went to take a look at the principal palace Kasunanan. I needn't have bothered. The complex wasn't up to much. Most of it was out of bounds to visitors and what was open was hardly worth seeing. A guide comes courtesy of the entrance fee but I happened to get a lad new to the job. A minder came with him and continually fed him lines. So I listened to the girl first and then to his repitition. At least it was so bad it was entertaining. At the end the lad apologised. I felt sorry for the lad. He was very nervous.
There were markets in the streets surrounding the compound of the royal palace. I wandered through these streets and the city centre for the next couple of hours. Its still a novelty to see just how many mopeds and motorbikes are being driven on the streets around hereThey congregate at the front of the traffic at traffic lights and take off like swarms of angry bees, weaving and buzzing around the less numerous cars and trucks. Another thing that is very plentiful in Solo are the Becaks, the bicycle taxis. They're everywhere. As you walk along the streets they all tout for trade but the great thing about Solo is, once you smile and say no thanks the lads accept that, smile back and leave you alone. Most go back to lounging in the shade of the front seat.
Solo must be one of the friendliest cities I've been in so far. They have adopted a saying here "A smile costs nothing but it will make someone happy" and that is certainly true of the people here. They all respond to you with a big smile. Its not the most attractive of towns but its the population which gives it a special charm. They are the real attraction in Solo. while I was taking a photo of one of the sights in the city centre I heard a shout and a guy in a Becak came up and asked if I would take a photo of him. I had, moments earlier declined an offer of his taxi service. I was just about to take the shot of this guy when I heard a second shout and running down the street came this guys friend eager as a beaver to get in on the action. You couldn't help but smile. A lot of people were happy to pose for photos. Its a very friendly, safe city.
In the evening after I ate I went for a wander and ended up in an indoor football complex watching Man U v Liverpool with about 150 locals. They were crowded round a single tv high up on a wall in the refreshment area of the complex. Most were up for Man U but there was a sprinkling of Liverpool fans who went home happy after an unlikely 4-1 victory. But again what was very entertainig was the way the Indonesians watch and react to football which is completely different to the way we react during a match. Its all very jolly with ooohs and aaahs gasps and laughs as the action ebbs ad flows. It almost like watching a pantomime and lacking in the kind of vocal aggression we display when we watch football (yours truly included in that!). There's no cursing or giving out to the ref for a dodgy decision or cursing a player of the opposition or, indeed, one of your own players if they've made a gaff. All good clean innocent fun.
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