Saturday, 2 July 2016
Yesterday I had traditional Sumatran food for lunch – rice, cassava leaves and fried pork, with chilli on the side. We went to a crowded place called Senayan which were full of locals, so this was really authentic local food. I also tried their ‘Teh Botol’ which is the most popular beverage in Indonesia.
The jam wasn’t so bad yesterday because of the Friday prayers – most employees get long lunches. We drove on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, Jakarta's main avenue and business district.
Today is sightseeing day! Most of Jakarta's landmarks, monuments and statues were built during the Sukarno era beginning in the 1960s, then completed in the Suharto era, while some originated in the colonial Dutch East Indies period.
First stop was Merdeka Square which is an almost 1 km square field originally created by the Dutch Governor-General Herman Willem Daendels (1810) and was originally named Koningsplein (King's Square). It was completed in 1818. On 10 January 1993, President Soeharto started the beautification of the square.
This is where Jakarta’s most famous landmark is - the National Monument (Monumen Nasional or Monas). This is an obelisk that is about 132 m tall, and is a symbol of the city. We walked around the Monas in the scorching sun but we were unable to find the entrance. Maybe we were blinded by the sun. And we saw a long line of people so we decided that it was not necessary to go into the Monas.
We then went to the deer park and fed a deer. I read that there are 33 trees here in this park around Monas that represent the 33 provinces of Indonesia. There is a Mahabharata themed Arjuna chariot statue and fountain across the road from where we exited the Monas grounds. Appa will be so proud again.
Then we took a cab to Kota Lama or Kota Tua or old town. There is a square here called the Fatahillah Square with a lot of artisan like people selling paintings, handicrafts and such like. In 1527, a prince named Fatahillah built Jayakarta on the land of Sunda Kelapa. This area was invaded by the Dutch in 1619 and in 1620, they built Fatahillah Square as the City Hall.
Here I saw the City Hall of Batavia (Stadhius van Batavia), the seat of the Governor General of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in the late 18th century. The building now houses the Jakarta History Museum.
We then went to the Museum Wayang or Puppet Museum which, according to its owner, has the largest puppets in the world. This building used to be a church and some important Dutch people are buried on the grounds. The tombs or crypts can still be seen here, with ancient Dutch wordings. The owner of the museum runs puppet (3D puppets) and wayang kulit (flat puppet) shows throughout the world. He informed us that a typical show lasts 9 hours, but he has shortened it to 1 hour. The show is based on the Ramayana. He showed us how these puppets are made (from water buffalo skin) and we saw a short wayang kulit sketch (about 15 minutes). He said he is the 4th generation of puppeteers, and he is not sure if his children wishes to continue this tradition. It’s quite sad really.
Yesterday I had traditional Sumatran food for lunch – rice, cassava leaves and fried pork, with chilli on the side. We went to a crowded place called Senayan which were full of locals, so this was really authentic local food. I also tried their ‘Teh Botol’ which is the most popular beverage in Indonesia.
The jam wasn’t so bad yesterday because of the Friday prayers – most employees get long lunches. We drove on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, Jakarta's main avenue and business district.
Today is sightseeing day! Most of Jakarta's landmarks, monuments and statues were built during the Sukarno era beginning in the 1960s, then completed in the Suharto era, while some originated in the colonial Dutch East Indies period.
First stop was Merdeka Square which is an almost 1 km square field originally created by the Dutch Governor-General Herman Willem Daendels (1810) and was originally named Koningsplein (King's Square). It was completed in 1818. On 10 January 1993, President Soeharto started the beautification of the square.
This is where Jakarta’s most famous landmark is - the National Monument (Monumen Nasional or Monas). This is an obelisk that is about 132 m tall, and is a symbol of the city. We walked around the Monas in the scorching sun but we were unable to find the entrance. Maybe we were blinded by the sun. And we saw a long line of people so we decided that it was not necessary to go into the Monas.
We then went to the deer park and fed a deer. I read that there are 33 trees here in this park around Monas that represent the 33 provinces of Indonesia. There is a Mahabharata themed Arjuna chariot statue and fountain across the road from where we exited the Monas grounds. Appa will be so proud again.
Then we took a cab to Kota Lama or Kota Tua or old town. There is a square here called the Fatahillah Square with a lot of artisan like people selling paintings, handicrafts and such like. In 1527, a prince named Fatahillah built Jayakarta on the land of Sunda Kelapa. This area was invaded by the Dutch in 1619 and in 1620, they built Fatahillah Square as the City Hall.
Here I saw the City Hall of Batavia (Stadhius van Batavia), the seat of the Governor General of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in the late 18th century. The building now houses the Jakarta History Museum.
We then went to the Museum Wayang or Puppet Museum which, according to its owner, has the largest puppets in the world. This building used to be a church and some important Dutch people are buried on the grounds. The tombs or crypts can still be seen here, with ancient Dutch wordings. The owner of the museum runs puppet (3D puppets) and wayang kulit (flat puppet) shows throughout the world. He informed us that a typical show lasts 9 hours, but he has shortened it to 1 hour. The show is based on the Ramayana. He showed us how these puppets are made (from water buffalo skin) and we saw a short wayang kulit sketch (about 15 minutes). He said he is the 4th generation of puppeteers, and he is not sure if his children wishes to continue this tradition. It’s quite sad really.
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