Traveling night fair full of wonder, fun<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The ongoing night fair in Tanjung Barat, South Jakarta, is no
\nDisneyland; it is not even fair to compare it with Dunia Fantasi
\nin Ancol. Some visitors might see it as cheap, with its little
\nFerris wheel, merry-go-round, ghost house and roller coaster, all
\nlooking a bit rickety.<\/p>\n
But one four-year-old visitor could not take her eyes off the
\nmerry-go-round as it was pushed around by two well-muscled men.<\/p>\n
\"She just rode the merry-go-round two times, and now she said
\nshe's feeling dizzy,\" the girl's mother, who came from Bojong,
\nBogor, just for the fair, said of her daughter, who sat outside
\nthe gate separating the Tanjung Barat railway station from the
\nnight fair, which is open for the entire month of July.<\/p>\n
For just Rp 2,500 (27 US cents), a child or an adult can get a
\nride on any of the attractions.<\/p>\n
As the sun was setting last Saturday night, vendors selling
\npopcorn, soft drinks and cotton candy, as well as clothes and
\nschool stationery, switched on their lights, welcoming hundreds
\nof visitors.<\/p>\n
Families, groups of teenagers, couples and people on their own
\nwalked around the fair, which has something for everybody.<\/p>\n
Families with children preferred the area of the fair with the
\nmerry-go-round, roller coaster and big swing set.<\/p>\n
Nearby is the ghost house, emitting hair-raising sounds of
\nwolves and horror movie-style music.<\/p>\n
Next to this is the so-called \"devil barrel\", where two
\nmotorcycle riders and a bicyclist risk all as they speed back and
\nforth.<\/p>\n
The daredevils circle around the inside wall of the huge
\nwooden barrel, and to the gasps of the audience climb six meters
\nalmost to the edge of the barrel. Seconds later, they circle back
\nto the bottom and raise their arms into the air.<\/p>\n
Then the bicyclist pedals to catch up to the motorcycles, and
\nthe audience grows more excited as he races past them, circling
\naround the wooden wall for a long three minutes.<\/p>\n
Appreciative members of the audience reach out their arms and
\nhold out banknotes for the circling daredevils to grab.<\/p>\n
Bagas, 25, one of the riders, told The Jakarta Post hours
\nbefore the show that he could make Rp 100,000 to Rp 200,000 by
\nhimself per night from his small percentage of the tickets sold,
\nwhich does not include the Rp 100,000 or more in tips from the
\naudience.<\/p>\n
Asked whether he had ever broken any bones while performing,
\nhe just smiled. \"Yeah, once, but it was only a minor one.\"<\/p>\n
The 27-strong Kelana Karya traveling fair troupe, which
\nliterally means \"working while wandering\", come from all around
\nJava island. The owner of the fair, Pak Agus, is from Demak.<\/p>\n
\"Before Tanjung Barat we were in Jati Bening, Bekasi,\" said
\nEka, a member of the fair's crew. \"Previously, we performed in
\nthe town square in Serang. Later? We don't know yet.\"<\/p>\n
Both Eka and Bagas said they had a lot more visitors in
\nSerang.<\/p>\n
Bagas said the night fair used to open in Lenteng Agung when
\nit visited Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"It was more lively there ... but the open space we used to
\nuse has become a shop-house complex,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The field where the fair is now located is normally used as a
\ntraining ground for student drivers.<\/p>\n
South of the field the fair games are set up. Candle-lit
\nstalls attract adults and teenagers, mostly male, where they test
\ntheir patience by trying to throw rings around the necks of soft
\ndrink bottles arranged in rows. Other stalls give visitors the
\nchance to try their luck at different games in the hope of
\nwinning a prize, mostly packs of cigarettes.<\/p>\n
It was already late and tired families were beginning to make
\ntheir way home, but the field was still alive with visitors.<\/p>\n
\"Sometimes we close after 11 p.m.,\" Bagas said. \"I can do the
\ndaredevil shows about a dozen times. We will not close as long as
\nthere are visitors.\"<\/p>\n
Residents still have one week before the wanderers load up all
\nof their equipment on nine trucks and hit the road, heading to
\nthe next town where there will no doubt be plenty of people
\nlining up to enjoy the wonder and enchantment of this traveling
\nnight fair.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/traveling-night-fair-full-of-wonder-fun-1447893297",
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