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The Color Block Favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia

 

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

 

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

I think back in my mind as I traveled to Indonesia, and it races to the morning when I had a chance to escape the stunningly refurbished and luxury 1918 Phoenix Hotel in all its glory. I walked only about five blocks from the hotel when I had to get a police escort in order to actually cross the street. I had earlier seen some interesting color-blocked houses and wanted to go check them out. The traffic was thick and chaotic. As I approached, I realized I was seeing a clear example of the haves and the have-nots within close proximity. That morning, I had been eating a decadent breakfast with everything you could imagine on the menu at the luxury 1018 Phoenix Hotel, then came here, a mere five blocks away, where people are literally living in trash and waste.


Color-Block Favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia


Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

I even saw a woman living inside of a large wooden box with her feet hanging out. Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

As I descended into the slums, half afraid and half intrigued, I am reminded how luck plays such a huge factor as to who we are and who we will become in our lives.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

They smile and stare at me as I am coming toward them with my giant camera.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

I am sure they have seen my type before. The wandering photographer coming their way is there to snap a few photos and then to escape the poverty. We don’t speak the same language, but through gestures and smiles, I understand that it is OK with them for me to take a photograph of their neighborhood.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

Travel to the Disenfranchised 

This is not like Peru, where the poor have become so disenfranchised that they will only take a photograph for money.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

In Yogyakarta, Indonesia, they are curious!

Here in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, they are friendly and actually want you to interact with them. Soon I am summoned by a family. A good-looking man and his wife, his mother, his teen daughter, and younger son.  They hand their cell phone camera over to the friend and ask her to take a photo of me with them! They smile big and seem very happy to get a chance at a photograph of their own with a Westerner. This has happened to me more than once in other parts of the world and I do it, although this time I was covered in street sweat from the heat of the early morning. I am not as refreshed for a photo as I would like to be, but they don’t seem to mind as the perspiration trickles down my back.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

Photo of this family and the more refreshed.

I walk past a dirty staircase with graffiti, trash, and a broom.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

 

I observe that they have community showers, as I see a mother giving her baby a shower at one.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

Travel to Indonesia

Many of the dwellers here are also disposing of their untreated greywater and waste directly into the polluted river below, as they have no septic tanks. The conditions are horrible. The accessibility to the streets is narrow and there is almost no space between one house to the next.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

Shadowy Rooms in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

The rooms are shadowy, with only small rays of sunlight penetrating the dark. Obviously, there is no ventilation for air, as some rooms look as if they have no windows. I have heard that many dwellers here admit that some parts of the land belong to them, yet other parts belong to someone else. Many are squatters here within the favela.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

Apparently, these slums typically arise spontaneously in cities that have housing below quality level and are below the minimum standard of living. They are unhealthy to live in and are not supported by infrastructure services such as water supply, sanitation, drainage, emergency access roads, etc. In many areas of the world, they are known as shantytowns or favelas.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

The only bright spot I see is the fact that community artists are trying to change the look of these slums by decorating them in bright color block colors.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

Travel to Yogyakarta, Indonesia

The images almost look unreal, as when later I sent a photo I had taken to my son on his iPhone, he almost didn’t believe it was real. He thought I had doctored it. But I can attest to the looks that these artists have created. It truly does add a bright spot to the lives of these people. It also brings in people like me, to help show the world the conditions under which they live.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

The innovation and creativity of the artist trying to shine a light on these towns make life hopeful, yet almost unbearable for most of its inhabitants.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

Disclosure: My trip to Indonesia was sponsored by the Tourism Authority of Indonesia

Recommended Reading:

The Best Places to Visit in Indonesia

Indonesia Travel: Raja Ampat

Travel to Indonesia to learn the Art of Batik

An Off-Road Experience in Bandung, Indonesia

Wonderful Indonesia

Come along with me as I travel to Indonesia and explore the color block favelas of Yogyakarta, Indonesia,.

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