Jakarta
Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, is the largest city in Indonesia. The city has all the modern amenities. But in its quest for modernization the city has not forgotten its past and has carefully preserved its rich cultural heritage. Apart from the skyscrapers, colonial structures built by European powers form an integral part of Jakarta's skyline.
Jakarta is a city of many fascinating facets. It is the main gateway to Indonesia. In recent years, Jakarta has expanded its facilities for visitors with multi-star luxury hotels, fine restaurants, exciting nightlife and modern shopping centers. Food is quite cheap in Jakarta and is available in great variety.
History of Jakarta
Jakarta was a small harbor town when the last Hindu Kingdom of Java, Kingdom of Pajajaran, was ruling in 14th century. Muslim ruler Fatahilklah conquered the city and changed the name to Jayakarta or the City of Victory on June 22, 1527.
Later on, the Dutch conquered the city in 1619 and built a new city Batavia, which remained the center of power for them in South East Asia for more than 300 years. The city came under the siege of Japanese Imperial Forces in 1941 during the Second World War and its name was changed back to Jakarta (from Jayakarta).
The defeat of Japan did not allow them to remain in Indonesia for long. Dutch again tried to capture the city but by now freedom struggle was already quite strong in the country and on August 17, 1945, the Indonesian leaders proclaimed its independence from foreign rule in Jakarta.
Weather of Jakarta
Jakarta has tropical climate with a high average humidity. There is not much difference in the day and night temperature.
Average day temperature is 28ºC while average night temperature is a bit cooler at 25ºC. October to April is the wet season while the dry season is from May to September.
Best Time to Visit Jakarta
Dry season is also the best period to visit this part of the world because weather is clear, roads in the interiors are open, and temperatures are at their best.
Tourist Attractions/Places to See in Jakarta :
The National Monument, or "Monas" as it is popularly called:
Is one of the monuments built during the Sukarno era of fierce nationalism. It stands for the people's determination to achieve freedom and the crowning of their efforts in the Proclamation of Independence in August 1945.
The 137-metre tall marble obelisk is topped with a flame coated with 35 kg of gold. The base houses a historical museum and a hall for meditations. The monument is open to the public and upon request the lift can carry visitors to the top, which offers a bird's eye view of the city and the sea.
Istiqlal Mosque:
It is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia and the second largest in the world. The mosque took 17 long years to build and the grandeur of its walls and dome is visible from quite far away.
Taman Impian Jaya Ancol (Ancol Dreamland):
The dreamland is present with its captivating beauty of Jakarta Bay and four other attraction, Sea world, Fantasy World (Dunia fantasy), Atlantis Water Adventure and Marina Beach.
Old Town of Jakarta:
Jakarta Old Town, also known as Old Jakarta, and Old Batavia (Oud Batavia), is a small area in Jakarta, Indonesia. This special region spans 1.3 square kilometres of both North Jakarta and West Jakarta.
Now, many remaining historical buildings and architecture are steadily deteriorating; at best, "dilapidated". such as; Museum History of Jakarta (ex-Dutch Indies general governoor palace), Museum Bahari, Sunda Kelapa harbour, and Omni Batavia hotel.
Ragunan Zoo:
Is Zoo Ragunan is a zoo located in the area Ragunan, Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, Indonesia. Zoo area of 140 hectares was established in the year 1864. In it, there is a collection consisting of 295 species and 4040 specimens and at the zoo there is also this "Schmutzer Primate Center".
Orchid Gardens:
Indonesia has some of the most exotic orchid gardens. Several commercial orchid gardens are open to public. Some of the best known of them are located at Slipi, Ragunan and Taman Mini.
Taman Anggrek Indonesia permai (orchid garden) at 6,5 Ha large space area is located in Slipi territorial. Inside this orchid park, saving large number of Indonesia orchid varieties. We can also buy many species from the seed until flowering plans as souvenir.
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature):
Situated just outside Jakarta, the park has miniatures of all the 27 provinces of the country reproduced in its Central Lake. This is a wonderful place to know about the entire archipelago in just one day. Regular cultural programmes and ceremonies are held in the park representing different regions.
Pulau Seribu:
This group of islands in the Jakarta Bay offers a haven away from the bustle of city life. There are golden beaches fringed with coconut palms. The surrounding waters are a paradise for scuba divers.
The islands can be reached from Tanjung Priok or Pasar Ikan (Sunda Kelapa) by ferry or by chartered boat. Some of the islands in this group developed for tourism are Pulau Bidadari, Pulau Ayer, Pulau Laki and Pulau Putri.
Museum Gadjah:
The National Museum of Indonesia is situated at Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat. It contains around 85,000 items, the largest in the world of Indonesian artefacts. There is one of the largest and rare collections of Oriental ceramics in this museum.
Shopping in Jakarta
Jakarta unlike its recent past is now home to glittering shopping arcades full of merchandises.
Taman Surapati is full of paintings displayed by peddlers.
Glodok and Pancoran in the Chinatown are the best places to buy antique furniture, Old Dutch lamps, and Chinese porcelains. There are many souvenir shops selling the best of Indonesian arts and crafts.
In recent years, Jakarta has expanded its facilities for visitors with luxury and modern shopping centers.
How to Reach Jakarta
Soekarno - Hatta International Airport is the principle gateway of Indonesia and almost all the major airlines operating in the region stop here. It is situated around 35 km away from the city centre.
Taxies and buses ( busway ) are the best transport to ferry you to the city.
Rice is most often eaten as plain rice (nasi putih) with just a few protein and vegetable dishes as side dishes. It is also served, however, as ketupat (rice steamed in woven packets of coconut fronds), lontong (rice steamed in banana leaves), intip (rice crackers), desserts, vermicelli, noodles, brem (rice wine), and nasi goreng (fried rice).Rice was only incorporated into diets, however, as either the technology to grow it or the ability to buy it from elsewhere was gained.
Tumpeng, the cone shaped rice surrounded by assorted Indonesian dishes.Tumpeng dated back to ancient Indonesian tradition that revered mountains as the abode of ancestors and gods. The cone-shaped rice meant to mimics the holy mountain. The feast served as some kind of thanksgiving for the abundance of harvest or any other blessings. Because of its festivities and celebrative value, up until now tumpeng sometimes used as Indonesian counterpart of birthday cake.Another Indonesian feast, the Rijstafel (Indonesian rice table), is demonstrating colonial opulance and Indonesian cuisine diversity at the same time.
Street and street-side vendors are common, in addition to hawkers peddling their goods on bicycles or carts. These carts are known as pedagang kaki lima - (named after the 5-foot (1.5 m) wide footpaths in Indonesia, however some people say they are named 'five feet' after the three feet of the cart and two feet of the vendor!), and many of these have their own distinctive call or songs to announce their wares. For example, the bakso seller will hit the side of a soup bowl, whereas mie ayam is announced by hitting a wood block.
Many of these fruits such as Mangosteen, Rambutan, Jackfruit, Durian, and Banana, are indigenous to Indonesian archipelago; while others have been imported from other tropical countries, although the origin of many of these fruits might be disputed. Banana and Coconut are particularly important, not only to Indonesian cuisine, but also in other uses, such as timber, bedding, roofing, oil, plates and packaging, etc.
Fossil of “Java Human” or Pithecanthropus Erectus was found in Trinil village, East Java by Dr. Eugene Dubois in 1809 giving rise to assumption that Indonesian land had been occupied since 500,000 thousand years ago.As recorded in the history that extensive migration to the Indonesian islands was known to have occurred in 3.000-5.000 before Gregorian Calendar by Mongoloid tribe from China and Tonkin. This nation brought in new stone culture, bronze, iron and Austronesian language. The arrival of traders mainly from China and India also brought in Hindu and Buddha religion.
The legacy traces of both religions cover Hindu and Buddha temple heritages that were supposedly constructed during the kingdoms epoch. Borobudur temple constructed in Central Java, for instance, is one of the glorious evidence of Buddha and Sriwijaya Kingdom. Other temples like Prambanan, Penataran, and Dieng Plateau were the glorious evidence of Hindu religion in the history of Indonesia. And Islam entered into Indonesia since the arrival of merchants and traders.Second, Sunda Kecil (Small Sunda) Island comprising smaller islands ranging from Bali Island to the East territory. Third, Maluku Island covering all islands situated between Irian Jaya and Sulawesi territory. And the last is Irian Jaya, the island situated in the most eastern part of Indonesia.
