Instagram famous

Indonesian village becomes viral hit thanks to rainbow makeover.

A FORMER slum has become one of the hottest Instagram destinations in Indonesia, thanks to the imagination of a local school teacher, a few coats of paint, and a lot of elbow grease.

Visible from afar for its kaleidoscope of bright colors, the newly-christened Kampung Pelangi, which translates to Rainbow Village, lies in Semarang, 450km east of Jakarta – or, somewhere over the rainbow.

Not only did locals paint the village red, they also painted 232 houses in bright hues of blue, green yellow and purple, with a budget of about US$22,500 (RM96,332) granted by the government and the Indonesian Builders Association in Semarang, according to The Jakarta Post.

Local high school principal Slamet Widodo is credited with dreaming up the project, after being inspired by other villages like Kampung Warna-warni, Kampung Tridi in Malang, and Kampung Kali Code in Yogyakarta, he told The Post.

These towns also underwent technicolour facelifts, but while they are painted in blocks of colours, every house in Kampung Pelangi is painted with a minimum of three colours, along with whimsical balloons, hearts and butterflies. Since its recent unveiling, the village has become a hit on Instagram and received visits from locals, as well as tourists from South Korea, Taiwan and Hungary.

This viral fame has prompted the local government to expand the borders of their rainbow village into the next town. For the second phase of the project, another 325 houses will likewise get a technicolour makeover over the next few weeks, reports The Post.

It’s hoped that Kampung Pelangi will become the biggest and most popular rainbowcoloured village in Indonesia, and turn into a profitable tourist destination. – AFP Relaxnews