They say that the world is getting smaller; I’m not sure that I agree. I spent 38 hours travelling from my house to the check-in desk at the hotel in Jakarta. I went from Toronto to Los Angeles to Taipei to Jakarta with all the necessary waits and delays at three airports – and of course the plastic chicken dinner on each leg of the journey. Thirty-eight hours plus the date line so it seemed to take three days, but it was worth every minute.
The World Flower Council (WFC) held its 22nd Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia at the beginning of September and it was a whirlwind five days of social events, tourism, culture, music and exceptional floral presentations.
September 5th:
A busy day that started very early with the delegates meeting at 7:30 a.m. A bus tour of the city followed. First impression of Jakarta – I will never complain about Toronto traffic again. Our delightful guide told us about the history of this busy and thriving city, and about its role as a capital to a country comprised of thousands of islands, 300 ethnic groups and 200 languages or dialects. Later that evening, we were given a taste of the floral talents of the local WFC members. Musicians in ethnic attire entertained us while we viewed the magnificent arrangements of bright tropical flowers that depicted an area or culture of Indonesia. The Gala was held in a decorated room with tropical flowers and lush greenery. Everyone who attended had been asked to wear formal attire and flowers so the event was very elegant.
September 6th:
This was a full day of design presentations. The morning opened with designers from 16 countries giving their interpretations of “the enchanting beauty of Indonesian nature.” Some chose islands and oceans, others the lush rainforests, all created with brilliantly coloured tropical flowers, exotic foliages, berries and branches, many of which were unfamiliar to me.
After lunch, the featured designers presented a fantasy fashion show. Each designer was given a live model with a painted body and very few clothes. It was the designer’s job to ‘dress’ the model with flowers. The results were exquisite.
In the evening, the Canadian delegation hosted a cocktail party to advertise that the World Flower Council had chosen the Ottawa Tulip Festival as its next Summit location in May 2006.
September 7th:
We left the city and passed terraced tea plantations and breathtaking views. Our destination was Melrimba Garden, acres of both landscaped gardens and rugged natural beauty. After lunch, the bus took us to Bogar Palace where we were treated to fine hospitality, greetings by dignitaries of the government and a fashion show of Batik clothing.
The evening event was “Sarong Night,” which was a loud and lovely dinner on the beach with musical entertainment that sounded a bit like country and western to me.
September 8th:
There was a buzz of excitement as we waited for the bus. We were dressed in our finest Batik with embossed invitations in hand because we were invited to meet the presidential family of the Independence Palace. This was a great honour and again we were treated with much courtesy and wonderful hospitality.
Our final stop was the opening of the International Flower Show in Jakarta, and then a much-needed free evening to spend with friends to say goodbye until next year.
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