It was a rainy dusk in Jakarta, on mid December 2016. Me and my family went to a Pasar Malam, a local Night Festival in Jakarta.
Since it was a sudden decission, so i did not bring my Sony a6000 nor the iPhone, but i have my Xiaomi mi4C ready with me. Should i try the shots? i think i will take the risk. The Pasar Malam was actually a small amusement park in the middle of the parking lot of a wet traditional Market in the South of Jakarta. It has some rides that mostly worked manually by the hand of the operator. Literally by hand.
The Pasar Malam build by the hands of the troubadours workers. They come from Semarang, Central Java by some trucks just like the circus. You will see a lot of them has a lot of tattoos. some of them, were inmates that picked a better way to live.
You may find a not so flashy man with tattoos that they called the Boss. He is the owner and the manager of the festival. He’s in charge on how the festival would play. Most of the crew will bow to him to story that He’s already changing their life to a better way.
Now let’s start the journey!
First you have to buy a ticket to ride, it will cost you IDR 8000 to IDR 10000 – around US$ 0.5 to US$ 1 per ride.
At the middle of the venue, a big Ship swing that started with a push of the operator will welcome you. On the other corner the sounds of children yelling comes from the plane rides will cheers your evening.
Try to find the Carousel, watch out for the men who run around to spin the carousel. one ticket could turn you by 3 minutes. enough to make you dizzy. To stop? just yell, and he will hold the rail of the carousel to break. The ride? you may find a lot of interesting ride from horses to princess carts.
Next, you may ride the ferris wheel. It towers on about 5-6 meters high.Try to ride the birdcage-ish ride that works by the power of a tractor diesel engine.
When the crowd is already packed, don’t forget to see the most exciting show in the venue: The Tong Setan. Means the Devil Barrell.
You will see some attractions of motorcycle riding using the law of physic that will make Evel Knievel proud to them. Without helmet, no safety gears, and with some old Yamaha RX King motorcycle, they will perform the deadly ride inside the barrell! You may give tips to them by waving IDR 5000 bills to them, and they will get that bill while they are riding and spinning in full torque.
If you can’t stand gas and oil burnt but you still want to catch the awesomeness, don’t forget to bring mask or anything to cover your respiratory system. The smoke could give you sore throat for days.
As good as european festivals, they also have some barbequed sausages and some shaved ice. Don’t forget the sweets and the Gorengan, the traditional fritters that very popular in Indonesia. Sadly no beer allowed since Indonesia still has this greyish law about alcohol in public.
You will also find some throwing games to get some prizes. Pay for IDR 2000 – about US$ 0.2 , and try to get the bottle of a coke, or even better try to bring home a water dispenser that you won from the can toss!
