When you hear Rainbow Village, an image of multiple collored houses pops into your mind! And this is exactly what you´ll find at Kampung Wana Warni, this quarter is a place out of a postcard!
This district was saved by a group of students from the Malang University, who stepped in and repainted the whole bunch of buildings, from floor to ceiling, in bright colors and with some murals, with the help of the sponsorship of a local paint company and prevented the district of being demolished and all the families from being relocated. This district had been marked as a lost cause by the government, but the new makeover gave it a new sense of being. The residents started feeling proud of their home and tourists started coming to this area to get pictures of the colorful place.
A small entrance fee is requested at two or three points in the city, but it´s no more than 50 cents. In addition to this fee, the locals give you a keychain with a puppet made by them, they are really cute! Their generosity is something Alex and I fell in love with at once!
Just beside the Rainbow quarter, lies Kampung Biru Arema, the Blue Quarter. Following the example set by their neighbors, they also repainted their homes in the colors of their football team and it has also turned out to be successful for their economy and wellbeing. Here you also get a keychain when you pay the entrance fee!
Walking around both of this quarters, is like being in another world! The colors are everywhere, from floor to ceilings, every single stone is coated in paint. And you could say the people are colorful too! They smile and greet you, they want to take pictures and are curious. It´s something that made Alex and me feel welcomed, something we were really thankful for, after all of our anxiousness!
When you are strolling through the streets, look out for the murals. They have every kind of painting, from animals to landscapes to figures of stories and movies, it´s amazing! My favorite was a colorful lion in the Rainbow Village! What was yours?!
