Sunday walk around the streets of Yogajakarta

We have safely arrived in Yogajakarta or Joga as it is affectionately known. Today we our first day out exploring. While there are a large number of motor bikes on the streets similar to HCMC the riders and the passengers all wear very sturdy helmets, not a token plastic affair they slap on the top of their heads in Vietnam. There are huge numbers of cars on the streets as well. Adding to the chaos is the large numbers of cyclo push bike tuktuk affairs that travel as bike taxis, and the pony and carts. Streets are busy places but the traffic moves along at a reasonable pace. To cross the road you just walk out, wave your arms at the approaching cars, and motorbikes and everyone seems to pleasantly stop and let you through. Being experienced road crossers from Vietnam, this exercise is easy peasy  and far more civilised than HCMC.

This is a holiday weekend as it is Balianese New Year on Monday, so people are out on the streets and visiting the tourist attractions in force. Elections are close. The party political flags are everywhere with the usual hoardings and posters stuck everywhere of the candidates. The current PrimeMinister is in the city so the Islamic party have taken the opportunity to have a political rally around the streets. Thousands of the supporters are doing this on motorbikes with no exhausts so the noise is deafening. In the course of day we have been in the vacinity of the main streets which have been closed to allow them to progress at least 4 times. Each time the group is getting louder, and longer. They know longer have my support, the noise factor alone for about 15 minutes  each time is very intrusive. I have my fingers in my ears and still it's very loud. Wherever we wander we can hear the roar of the motorbikes. Do the people on the streets care, I think not. I watch as the procession passes yet again. People just smile and shake their heads with that grin and facial expression that says NO.