Jakarta Uncovered

Queuing for a Bit of Vacation

2009-07-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

Last 8th of July was the presidential election day in Indonesia, and acknowledged as public holiday in Indonesia. After taking my right to elect one of the candidate I immediately went to Ragunan Zoo, one of my favorite place in Jakarta to taking pictures. Apparently I was not the only one person who decided to take a little bit of vacation and taking pictures at the zoo. There was a very long line of motorcycles queuing to enter the zoo.

Working Happily

2009-07-05T08:43:00.001-07:00

Many times in my life I feel so dissatisfied with what I have achieved. I want a better job, I want a better reward, I want a better life. I'm grumbling about the burden I have to carry every day. When I take times on the weekend and walk around Sunda Kelapa Port, Jakarta, I see how the workers worked there. Unloading the trucks and carrying material from trucks into the ships that were going to bring them to another islands. Working so hard under the attack of sunshine that was burning their skin. But look at them, even under that hard situation they were still smiling, and even laughing. They work so happily. It made me remember what a friend ever told me, love your job and work happily, successful comes afterward.

Grand Indonesia - The New Shopping Center

2009-07-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

I feel so fortune that even in this crisis age Indonesia still can survive. This is proved by development of shopping center that's not halted, even maybe become slower. Last year a new exclusive shopping center open in the center of Jakarta, named Grand Indonesia. It's located not far from Bundaran H I, Jakarta. That high building in this picture is one of the tower.

This is how it looks from another angle. All the things offered at Grand Indonesia are branded items. And surprisingly when I visit it's quite crowded. Jakarta people not only survive but still spending money for expensive items.

Theme Day: Empty

2009-06-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

Why you leave me alone? Why you ignore me? Why you let me empty?

This picture taken at Kota Tua (Old City), Jakarta. There're so many old houses/building with old European architecture style. Many of these houses has been empty and damage.

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Don't Ignore Me Please

2009-06-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

While walking around a small island in Jakarta, Pramuka Island, I found this spot. This is a location where mangrove forests being set to be a conservation mangrove forest later on. There an old boat that has been ignored floating between the seeds of mangroves. Right beside it floating new beautiful boat which I believed being used to replace it. Would we be like the old bng old, ugly boat too? Getting finally ignored and replaced by the young and beautiful one?

Sunda Kelapa - Happy BirthdayJakarta

2009-06-22T09:15:00.000-07:00

Why I pick up a topic about Sunda Kelapa? It's because today is the birthday of Jakarta. The metropolitant city, Jakarta, was begun at a small port city that was used as international trading center. European were the first trader came to Sunda Kelapa Port. In the development the name of Sunda Kelapa changed several times after the latest in the Japanese colonialization era, the name was changed to Jakarta.

Currently Sunda Kelapa port is still utilized as a port for Phinisi ships that are carrying in agricultural products from Sulawesi & Kalimantan to Jakarta. Phinisi ships are small ships made of collered wood and antique shape.

Friendship with Flame

2009-06-20T19:10:00.002-07:00

If for some people flame or fire is an enemy, not for this guy and his friends. Every Sunday a kind of traditional artist group named 'Singo Barong' conducted some of Javaness traditional art at Kota Tua (Old City) area in Jakarta, located at Fatahillah Square to be exact. Part of the exhibition is blowing flame by two or three young men. As for me this is the most interesting part of the exhibition.

Other things that are interesting at Fatahillah Square the historical and vintage buildings you could find there. Most of photographers love to exercise at this spot.

Thamrin Street

2009-06-20T19:10:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of Thamrin Street, Jakarta which is located at the center of Jakarta. Thamrin Street is a part of the golden triangle location in Jakarta. It's the center of business and crowds. At the intersection between Sudirman Street and Thamrin Street there's a circle with fountain,called 'Bundaran HI circle'. Many demonstration by people who objects to goverment policy conducted at the circle. At the end of the year the circle is also used to conduct new year fireworks.

Monument National of Indonesia

2009-06-19T20:10:00.001-07:00

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Monument National of Indonesia is the icon of Jakarta. Local people usually call this monument as Monas. The built of this monument was initiated by the first president of Indonesia, Soekarno. The top of the monument was plated by real gold.

On weekend Monas area is very crowded with visitors from many other regions in Indonesia. While in the morning the park was utilized by local people as jogging area.

March Theme Day: Glass

2009-02-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

At Bank Indonesia Museum, Jakarta, there're parts of the wall that are made of glasses with an artistic motifs. This picture shows some parts of the glasses. The motifs are accessories from Netherlands and Gods of Greece.

You may wonder why it has Holland's accessories motifs and even Dutch language on the wall. It's because the museum was built in 1912, when the Dutch still colonized in Indonesia. The history recorded that Dutch was colonized in Indonesia for 350 years.

Nothing Can Stop Him

2009-02-06T21:37:00.000-08:00

Look at this guy, I like the way he enjoys life. Nothing can't stop him to be happy on his way.

At the time it was holiday in Indonesia, and Ragunan, the zoological park in Jakarta full of people from many places. It was difficult to get a place to lying down or sit at the green grass park where people usually spread out their mat and lying down or sit down with their family.

This guy might be too tired but never running out of ideas to anticipate the situation. He just spread out newspaper on the passage way where people walking back and forth and lying down there.

It's not the best place to lie down off course. It even not nice to be seen. What is nice in my point of view is the way he enjoys himself even in an unconditional situation. I can see it from the way he smoke. There's nothing can stop him.

Theme Day: Path and Passage

2009-01-25T18:45:00.000-08:00

This is one of a path in Jakarta that I like the most. This path is a way to get into Mekarsari Garden from the parking area. Mekarsari itself is a garden where you can see many kinds of plants and flowers as well as the way to caring them. Some of the plants and flowers in this garden are so unique that can't be easily seen at other places, such as Corpse Flower.

I believe one of the reason of why this garden built in Jakarta is to let Jakarta people feel the farm atmosphere of Indonesia that almost can't be found anymore in Jakarta. So to immediately offer the farm atmosphere to the visitors even the path way in covered by plant. The name of the plant covering this path way is Passiflora Edulis (or in Indonesian Language: Markisa Rola).

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Fall Down Tree at Ragunan, Jakarta

2008-11-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

I feel so lucky and thankful to God today. This afternoon (Saturday, 29 Nov 08) a horrible accident happen in front of my eyes. When I wanted to have a little bit exercise at Ragunan Zoo area, a very big tree fall down just few meters from me and hit few cars there. Before the accident, the wind blows very hardly and finally had the tree fall down. But I believe the kind of trees planted has also caused the accident.

Goverment should plant a stronger tree instead of the fragile one. I'm afraid that this kind of accident not only happened in Ragunan today. As I remember accident like this happens every year in Jakarta.

This is another picture to show you how big the tree was.

The Corpse Flower Shrinking

2008-11-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

Have you seen corpse flower (Amorphophallus Titanum) before? This flower claimed to be the biggest flower in the world. It's still under one family with the famous Rafflesia. Both flowers were originated from Bengkulu, Sumatera. The flower of this plant appears once in a year. It takes quite long time (maybe about 1 month) for the flower to really blossom and then die. The unique is that after it blossom in the next day it immediately shrink again. Few days after shrinking the whole plant will die. The plant smell very terrible when it's died. That's why Indonesian people call it corpse flower.

When I visited Mekarsari, Jakarta, to see corpse flower, I was expecting it to be on its blossom time. But I was unlucky that it just blossom 2 days earlier. That's why I can only show you the picture of corpse flower that had been shrunk. Hope I can get a better picture next year to share with you.

Indonesian Textile Exhibition

2008-11-07T08:52:00.000-08:00

Sometimes back there was an exhibition of Indonesian product and culture conducted in Jakarta. When I visit the exhibition the most interesting thing for me was the textile exhibition. I was just realized that Indonesia has so many variety of textile and they're all has their own beauty. The picture you see above is Batik textile from Java. The motifs of Batik Java is formed by applying molten wax using a tool named canting (the tool is shaped like a pen). It could takes a week to make one of fine Batik Java.

The one below is woven cloth uniquely from Sumba, a region at the east of Indonesia. Beautiful, aren't they?

Komodo

2008-11-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen komodo? Kodomo is originally lives in an island called Komodo Island, in the east of Indonesia. However to be able to see komodo you don't need to go to Komodo Island. In Jakarta we can see komodo that lives in Ragunan Zoo, Jakarta. It's believed that komodo is still a family of dinosaurus.

I noticed komodo tend to like hiding in a hole like what you see in above picture. So, if you have a chance to visit Ragunan Zoo, be careful at every hole, as you may be surprised :)

Black Rabbit

2008-11-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

This morning when I passed through my neighbor yard I was surprise to see a little cute black animal moving among my neighbor's grasses. It was rabbit, black rabbit. I believe the rabbit was belongs to somebody else in my neighborhood, which un-purposely escape from its cage.

Slowly and quietly the rabbit ate the grasses on my neighbor's yard. When the rabbit realize that I was watching and taking it pictures it immediately ran and hide.

Naughty Owen

2008-10-31T21:10:00.000-07:00

Still from Gelanggang Samudera, Ancol, Jakarta, there're also an arena where you can see attractions from dolphins and white whale. There's only one white whale involved in the attraction and its name is Owen. Owen is originated from Rusia. There it's in the picture above. In this picture, the lady was expecting to get a kiss from Owen. But...

This is what the lady got...Owen sprayed water to the lady. Naughty Owen..I hope the lady still have fun, eventhough she had to go home wet :)

Santos, the Sea Lion

2008-10-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

One beautiful day, when my niece came visit Jakarta I brought her to Gelanggang Samudera, Ancol, an arena where you can see attractions from some sea animals. One of the attraction we saw there were conducted by sea lions. Above sea lion's name is Santos, the oldest one at Gelanggang Samudera. He's unpatienly waiting for his turn to attract the audience in order to get some fishes from his coach.

Fisherman Village

2008-10-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia. As the capital of Indonesia, it's become the metropolis city in Indonesia. There're so many high rise buildings here. However, still there's a part like what you see in the picture among the high rise buildings. The place in the picture shows a village called Fisherman Village (Kampung Nelayan, in Bahasa Indonesia).

Most of people there live in poverty and lack of healthy water. If you see the the water directly by your eyes, I'm afraid you will have no guts to see it. It's so dark, until you never believe the water is part of the ocean. Dirty and smell terrible.Look at high rise buildings here, located just behind the fisherman village. Two colors of life in one location.