2012 Rose Parade with Wonderful Indonesia

2012 is finally here! Wow. Can you believe it? Time flies by so fast

Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve started off the year great! I was in the 123rd Tournament of Roses Parade, and it was amazing. I was invited by the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism to be part of the Indonesian float as the guest of honor =D

After 16 years of absence from the Rose Parade, Indonesia made a huge comeback. The float was called Wonderful Indonesia, and it was a beautiful two-part float designed by Raul Rodriguez and constructed by the Fiesta Float Builders. The main float had a huge Garuda in it, which represented the day of independence of Indonesia, which was August 17, 1945. There were eight feathers on the back for August, 17 smaller feathers for the 17th day, and 45 feathers around the Garuda’s neck to represent 1945. Cool, huh? And the front float was of Pagar Alam with a dancer on it =)

I got to ride on the main float, and it was such an honor. Just to be in the Rose Parade is such a huge deal, but then I got to ride with the legendary Raul Rodriguez! The Indonesian float was his 500th…plus the day of the parade was his birthday. Insane, right? Well, it was definitely a once in a lifetime experience.

There were so many people in the 5.8 route. The sidewalks were absolutely packed, the stands were filled, there were photographers everywhere, and TV stations covered the entire parade. I mean, wow. I knew it was a huge deal, but I didn’t know it was that big of a deal. Lol. It was so surreal. Take a look at the video to see the behind the scenes with me!

Anyways, hope you had a wonderful start to your new years and a great holiday season. May this year of 2012 be prosperous for you and your loved ones =)