We set out with the intention of visiting the Kraton Surakata, Solo’s largest palace. It’s Sunday, everyone is out on the streets in their finery and there is something of a holiday atmosphere. This is the liveliest we have seen Solo since we arrived. On the way along Jalan Salmet Riyadi we stop to watch a children’s dance troupe which is attracting a sizeable crowd. It’s a sweltering day and I can feel the perspiration running off me as we stand and watch, feeling rather sorry for the children who are wearing elaborate tradional costumes and long thick wigs. The performance is part of the Mozaik Festival and the children are followed by an adult troupe with elaborate feather head-dresses and bells strapped to their carves. There is an introduced in Indonesian by a young woman who must have spotted us, the only westerners in the audience, because she rounds off with a short explanation of the dance in English for our benefit. It tells the story of the hunting and capture of two tigers. The tigers are captured and removed from the stage early on in the dance, but like many Indonesian dances, it is repetitive and long and we don’t have the stamina or will to stay until the end.
The Kraton Surakata is the palace of the premier royal family of Solo and is on a larger and grander scale than the Puri Mangkunegaran, although not is a good repair. It is approached across an Alun Alun – a large, scrubby and litter-strewn square of grass. Here at the main entrance is the Pagelaran, a large open-sided audience hall where the susuhunan held court. Behind the Pagelaran and separated from it by a busy narrow street is the Kraton proper enclosed with a high perimeter wall. Much of the palace was destroyed by fire in 1985 and subsequently re-built. Surprisingly given its recency, most of it is in a rather dilapidated state. There is a small museum containing few bits and pieces many of which are in dire need of restoration. An inner courtyard of tall shady trees leads to the pendopo which is off-limits to the public and the Panggung Saonggo Buwono tower which dates back to 1782 – a white and blue wooden structure which seems slightly incongruous in this palace setting.
There is batik parade some time this afternoon along Jalan Salmet Riyadi, a wide boulevard that runs east to west through the city and is only a couple of minutes walk from our losmen. When seems to be a bit of a moving feast; officially it starts at 2pm but as we sit having lunch in the losmen the projected time is pushed back to 3pm and then 3.30. Around 3.15 we wander down the road to see what’s happening. The street is lined with onlookers but it is still open to traffic. We could be in for a long wait, Indonesians being notorious, apparently, for their poor time-keeping. So we step into what turns out to be a small food court which affords a view of the road and order a drink. The parade doesn’t make an appearance until after 5pm and then is a rather desultory and sporadic affair. The extravagant and theatrical batik costumes and masks are quite spectacular, though the parade is short-lived. Suddenly and without warning the road is full of traffic once more and the crowd has to scuttle back to the safety of the pavements.