With my first weekend in Jakarta for three weeks, I thought I’d take the time to be a tourist and see some of the sights that Jakarta has to offer. This involved a trip up to Kota - the sight of the original Dutch colonial city of Batavia. Rains at the end of the week had washed away some of the smog to reveal glimpses of a blue sky, and the sun was streaming through as I headed towards the busway.
Our first stop was the colonial museum which, in its own scattered kind of way, displayed some interesting colonial furniture and art. The ceilings were high and the furniture chunky heavy wood, giving the impression of a more austere living in contrast to the luxurious type structures seen in other former colonies. The building included a cramped gaol in the cellars complete with shackles and chains.
After a quick peek in the National Art Museum and the extravagant Café Batavia, we chugged towards Glodok and Chinatown in a cramped and bumpy bajaj (see photo). Indonesia is an extraordinary mix of cultures, religions and ethnic groups, and this is no better displayed than at the catholic church of St Maria de Fatima. Housed in a former buddist temple this church has an ornate red and gold entrance, and an altar and lectern decorated with Chinese characters and dragons.
Our final visit was to the DVD warehouse, where manufacturing, packaging and wholesale of pirate DVDs takes place on an extraordinary scale in cramped and maze like corridors. The special offer was twelve DVDs for £3.00; copyright law seems yet to arrive in Jakarta!
Finally, congratulations to the 44% of you who correctly named the Indonesian shadow puppet theatre as Wayang. The red herrings were: Dangdut - type of popular Indonesian music, Pencak silat - overall term for the martial arts of Indonesia, and Barry - a common English name. Best of luck in the next quiz!
Our first stop was the colonial museum which, in its own scattered kind of way, displayed some interesting colonial furniture and art. The ceilings were high and the furniture chunky heavy wood, giving the impression of a more austere living in contrast to the luxurious type structures seen in other former colonies. The building included a cramped gaol in the cellars complete with shackles and chains.
After a quick peek in the National Art Museum and the extravagant Café Batavia, we chugged towards Glodok and Chinatown in a cramped and bumpy bajaj (see photo). Indonesia is an extraordinary mix of cultures, religions and ethnic groups, and this is no better displayed than at the catholic church of St Maria de Fatima. Housed in a former buddist temple this church has an ornate red and gold entrance, and an altar and lectern decorated with Chinese characters and dragons.
Our final visit was to the DVD warehouse, where manufacturing, packaging and wholesale of pirate DVDs takes place on an extraordinary scale in cramped and maze like corridors. The special offer was twelve DVDs for £3.00; copyright law seems yet to arrive in Jakarta!
Finally, congratulations to the 44% of you who correctly named the Indonesian shadow puppet theatre as Wayang. The red herrings were: Dangdut - type of popular Indonesian music, Pencak silat - overall term for the martial arts of Indonesia, and Barry - a common English name. Best of luck in the next quiz!
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