Street Parade (Jogja)

  

It was always tricky judging ages, particularly when one never really saw oneself clearly. Often these older guys could in fact easily turn out one’s junior, if documentation was available. From a distance this chap looked an oldie, second half of his 70s, perhaps. Closer-by it was a different matter. The street and weather cruelly aged everyone of course. When the man took a seat opposite Kopi Kenangan on the bench a breather was assumed. That may have been part of it, but at the same time this was an occasion for sorting his haul. Rather than the usual large sack slung over the shoulder, this chap used cheaper, clear plastic, narrower and not as long that he carried in hand. First he took out a plastic drink container that held a couple inches of tea in the base. Straw removed first, followed by the lid, after which the man drained the contents. Carrying his drink on top of his haul was the initial thought. Thereafter he began sorting the different containers at the upper level of his collection. Like for like, one went inside the other. Some containers were smaller. Straws and lids too went into a smaller bag which was carried under the other arm. Lids were a thinner, cheaper plastic; they must have had some value; not as much as the firmer, heat-resistant cylinders. From memory straws were completely valueless, but this man did not dump them in the adjacent bin he had cleared. Our tall Malay in Geylang Serai came mornings to the utility bench at Mr Teh Tarik at the market to slake his thirst with the remains in the coffee & tea glasses. Rarely did the man fail to find refreshment at those trays. An unusual critter, heavily leathered like all of them, rake-thin, solitary of course. Somehow in his acquaintance there was a costumer of some kind with whom he was on good terms. Once or twice a week the man paraded these fantastical getups from the opera stage, some kind of Malay or Arabic troupe in question. Headdresses, capes, elaborately tailored jackets with gold epaulettes, raised collars & ballooned sleeves. It defied description. Magnificent. A stunning pageant. The 271 Year street parade here in Yogyakarta couple nights back held nothing better. Likely the shows limited the alms the man received; there was never anything witnessed passed to him. For the chap himself that was no doubt a willing trade-off.