Budget Traveler

Photo:Jakarta Greased Pole Climbing.

Greased Pole Climbing becoming a popular sport during the Indonesia Independence Day Party, as you know that Indonesian Independenced from Colonialism on 17th August 1945, it was proclaimed by Messrs.Soekarno-Hatta. To celebrate the Indonesian Independence Day every 17th of August, the people of Indonesia from the city to the village usually prepare some sports/ games.

Beside the modern games we have traditional sports like Tug of War, eating crackers, running with marbel on spoon, running using rice bag, I think every body know it, but in this occasion I would like to show you the sport Greased Pole Climbing.

Greased Pole Climbing use a special tree which is tall not too big in diameter and has to be cleaned up, sand blasted then greased up, usually we use the betel nut or in Bahasa Indonesia, batang pinang, so the sport is Panjat Pinang.

A team of Greased Pole Climbing must climb the greased pole without any supporting tools and you can imagine how to climb it, too slippery and difficult to reach the top of the trees with all gifts hanging on it. Usually Greased Pole Climbing team must climb the greased pole with a certain time limited, if the team couldn’t reach the top then the other team should climb the greased pole, then team should be rotated.

Greased Pole Climbing is very funny sport, don’t count the gifts, this is for fun only, but this sport is dangerously as well because they have to climb the slippery greased pole. The people’s opinion on this sport are divided, some of them think this is just for fun, some of them anti with this sport said it has a bad philosophy on it and against the humanity. I leave this to you all to make a decision whether Greased Pole Climbing is a good or bad sport.

These photos above were taken in Jakarta Greased Pole Climbing






Above video was taken in Pontianak Greased Pole Climbing, West Kalimantan, Indonesia