On Thursday, our team met bright and early at 8am at the governor's offices to have a closing ceremony hosted by the King of Pakualaman (who is also the Vice Governor of Yogyakarta.) We were very honored to be guests of a King! None of us quite knew what to expect - so we all dressed in our business formal attire (men in suites and most of the women in batik), reminded ourselves of the Indonesian greetings, and did a quick run-down of what not to do (don't point with fingers, don't cross your legs, etc.) so we didn't make fools of ourselves in the King's presence. Our clients met us at the ceremony. Before the ceremony started, we spent some time in a beautiful garden reception are and took some team pictures.
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| The ladies of the tourism project dressed in our batik - me, Nicole & Yuan Yuan |
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| Our sub-team and our clients from the Tourism Authority |
A week or so prior, a few of us had walked from our hotel to the Pakualaman Palace. This is the palace of the King we met, although he only stays there on occasion and the rest of the time spends his time in his central office located near Malioboro Street in downtown Yogyakarta.
For some history, during the Dutch occupation of what is now Indonesia, there were two principalities - Yogyakarta and Pakualaman - that had an autonomous goverment. When Indonesia declared its independence, these two principalities agreed to become part of Indonesia. The two regions were unified to form the Yogyakarta Special Region in 1950. The Sultan of Yogakarta and the King of Pakualaman work very closely with the President of Indonesia.
When we ceremony started, we were led into a long rectangular room with chairs organized on both sides of the room. We were instructed of the protocol and given pointers for how we should address the King. A brief introduction was given about our CSC projects and then the King shared some remarks. We were then encouraged to ask questions in a roundtable, before adjourning and going back out to the garden to take more formal photos.
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| Receiving a plaque |
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| Our full CSC team & our clients with the King |
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| Posing with the King |
After the ceremony, we also were given permission to explore the grounds and went into the receiving room of the King. There was a large section of gamelan instruments which are often played during receptions and other services.
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Gamelan instruments in the King's receiving area
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That evening, we had a little surprise in store for Waya and Diane. We organized a team going-away dinner at the posh Phoenix Hotel, one of the few 5 star hotels in Yogyakarta. We wanted to surprise Waya for her birthday and also wanted to give her and Diane some gifts to remember us by. Our team made two small photo remembrance books with notes from each of us to give to Waya and Diane. The food at the restaurant was delicious and the atmosphere was beautiful. Nicole led the "cake brigade" and arranged for two birthday cakes to be purchased from a bakery in the nearby mall. Transporting 2 cakes in boxes via taxis without the cream melting and without them getting smooshed was no small task - it took 6 of us to do it. We had a nice evening and then headed back to the hotel to start on our packing.
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| Waya opening her photo book |
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| Diane opening her gift |
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| Farewell dinner at the Phoenix Hotel |
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| The courtyard of the Phoenix Hotel |
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