Saudi Arabia's King Salman disembarked from a gold-clad plane via an escalator as he touched down in Indonesia with 1,000 aides and an array of expensive personal touches.
Cheering crowds welcomed the 81-year-old on Wednesday as he began the
first visit by a Saudi monarch
to Indonesia for almost 50 years, seeking stronger
economic ties with the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.
Among his demands for the nine-day trip has been a VIP toilet built for
him at a mosque in Jakarta and 506 tons of luggage including two escalators and
a pair of Mercedes-Benz limousines.
King Salman was greeted by President Joko Widodo and Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian who is standing trial for blasphemy.
Crowds of flag-waving schoolchildren lined the route as a convoy of
vehicles carrying the king and his entourage sped through pouring rain to a
presidential palace in the nearby city of Bogor, where a marching band played
the Indonesian national anthem.
Widodo hailed Salman's trip as 'historic' and said he hoped it could
lead to closer economic ties.
As well as cheering schoolchildren, the king heavy rain also welcomed
him to the country.
Making his way to the presidential palace in Bogor, West Java, seven of
his entourage surrounded him with huge golf umbrellas to shield him from the
downpour.
'As the country with the biggest Muslim population in the world, Indonesia will always have a special bond with Saudi Arabia,' he told the king at the palace.
He landed in Indonesia today to join an enormous entourage of 620 people
as well as 800 delegates, including ministers and 25 princes.
Jasa Angkasa Semesta (JAS) has been tasked with the huge operation of
lugging the cargo from Saudi Arabia, and has dedicated 572 members of staff to
handle it.
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