Solo in Solo

Wandering minstrels

I had my first taste of Javanese intercity travel today. On the bus at the intercity terminal, wandering minstrels came on in turn to entertain passengers. Each had a guitar and was singing (very well I might add) and had an accomplice to collect the proceeds for their busking. I stopped contributing when I ran out of coins.

The bus journey from Jogja to Solo (aka Surakarta) took two hours and upon arrival there weren’t any taxis at the terminal. So I took an ojek (motorcycle taxi) instead. The driver had my pack between his legs and I was pillion.

I don’t riding motorbikes in shorts; I had my jeans on in case of any accidental scrapes. Helmets are mandatory and I don’t like thinking about how many heads they’ve been on!

The sidewalk cafes of Solo

In the evening, the shops of Solo close and sidewalk cafes (of sorts) appear. Mats get unfurled and vendors set up the satay grills, pots and drinks. Solonese (or would that be Soloists? Soloers?) and visitors (perhaps only me) sit down cross-legged and enjoy the relatively cool evening air with the traffic zooming past.

So, the sidewalk cafes of Solo are quite literally on the sidewalk! Very literally “street food”.  Java isn’t somewhere you visit and see … it’s a place where you have to experience.

To add to that, the Solo International Performing Arts festival was on, featuring Indonesian and international performers. I managed to catch a few acts from Sabah, Indonesia and Netherlands but missed the one from Mexico.