My Visual Travel Experience: Jakarta

My wife Kamalini and I spent 4 days in Jakarta in the summer of 2013, on our way back to India from Bali. A lot of people who visit Indonesia end up just visiting Bali, with its lovely beaches, beautiful Hindu temples, and amazing volcanoes, but Jakarta didn't disappoint me at all, apart from its maddening traffic jams! We stayed with some old family friends, Zafira Lateef and her husband Guy. They were staying at the luxurious Shangrila service apartments back then, and were very warm hosts. Zafira's parents are old friends of my parents, and the two families have known each other for decades. Spending time with them added a wonderful touch to our stay.

Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia and it lies on the island of Java. It is one of the world’s most populated cities, and has over 10 million inhabitants. The city was founded in the 4th century AD when it was a part of the Hindu Sundanese Kingdom. It has been an important trading port throughout its history. The Portugese arrived in 1513 and the Kingdom of Sunda allowed them to build a port in 1522. In 1527, a Javanese General, Fatahillah, attacked the city and drove out the Portugese. Dutch ships arrived in 1592. They consolidated power and in 1619 renamed the town Batavia. It became the capital of the Dutch East India Company.

During World War II, Indonesian nationalists took the help of the Japanese and drove out the Dutch, and named the town Jakarta. In 1950, Indonesia declared independence and Jakarta became its capital. Sukarno became the country’s first president and modernised the city. General Suharto took over  as President in 1965. Despite his dictatorial style, Suharto’s tenure saw a lot of development in Jakarta. It ended with the Asian economic crisis in 1998, which triggered off violence and led to Suharto’s ouster. Since then, things have stabilised and Jakarta has turned into a bustling metropolis. 

The Jakarta History Museum is also known as the Fatahillah Museum or the Batavia Museum. It’s the most striking building on Fatahillah Square, in the old town. The building dates back to 1710, when it was the town hall of Batavia. The museum was opened in 1974, and has exhibits from the prehistorical era, the Dutch period and more recent history around the time of Indonesia’s independence.

Jakarta History Museum

Furniture Section, Jakarta History Museum

Rickshaw, Jakarta History Museum

Wayang Museum is a museum dedicated to Javanese puppetry and the museum lies on Fatahillah Square, in the heart of the old town. A church initially stood at the spot where the museum lies. The church, called the Old Dutch Church, was built in 1640. In 1732, it was renovated and became the New Dutch Church. It was destroyed in an earthquake in 1808. 

Museum Wayang

Hanuman Puppet, Museum Wayang

Puppets, Museum Wayang

The Fine Art and Ceramic Museum lies on  Fatahillah Square. The building dates back to 1870, and was originally the Court of Justice.  It was later used for various other purposes, before becoming a museum in 1976.

Fine Art and Ceramic Museum

Buddha Statue, Fine Art and Ceramic Museum

Painting of Jakarta History Museum, Fine Art and Ceramic Museum

Café Batavia lies on Fatahillah Square in the old town. It is housed in a beautiful colonial building. It’s a great place to soak in the ambience of a bygone era. It has a lively bar, a café and a fine restaurant. A must-do on any traveler’s list!

Cafe Batavia

Interior, Cafe Batavia

The Maritime Museum is located in Jakarta’s harbour area. The museum is housed in a complex that used to serve as the Dutch East India Company’s warehouses. The warehouses date back to the period 1652 – 1771. Spices, coffee, clothes etc were stored here before being exported.

Maritime Museum

Model of a Ship, Maritime Museum

The National Museum is also known as the Elephant Building because of the elephant statue in front of it that was gifted by the King of Thailand. The museum was opened in 1868. In 1931, a fire destroyed many of the museum’s works during an exhibition in Paris. The current collection includes Hindu and Buddhist sculptures, ceramics, Javan puppetry, models of traditional homes and prehistoric collections. A new wing was added in 2005. 

National Museum

Courtyard, National Museum

Elephant Sculpture, National Museum

Javan Masks, National Museum

Nandi Sculpture, National Museum

Ceramic Jug, National Museum

The National Monument, also known as Monas, is a 132 meter tower, standing at Merdeka Square in the heart of Jakarta. It was inaugurated in 1975 and was commissioned by President Suharto. The structure symbolises Indonesia’s struggle for independence.  The top of the tower has a flame covered in gold foil weighing 50 kg. The obelisk of the monument is made of Italian marble. An elevator takes visitors up to the top of the tower, for great views of the city. The Monas lies within a sprawling park.

National Monument

Jakarta Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral that was consecrated in 1901. It is also called Church of Our Lady of the Assumption. The cathedral stands where the original cathedral, built in 1829, once stood. The original cathedral was destroyed in 1890. Both the original cathedral and the present one were built by the Dutch.

Jakarta Cathedral

Pieta, Jakarta Cathedral

Immanuel Church is  a protestant church and is one of Indonesia’s oldest churches, having been completed in 1839. The church was built to honour King Wilhelm I of Netherlands. The church has a circular layout.

Immanuel Church

Organ, Immanuel Church

Istiqlal Mosque is the largest mosque in southeast Asia. It was opened in 1978 and was built to commemorate Indonesia’s independence. The mosque has the capacity to hold 120,000 visitors at a time! Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population and it was only fitting that the country should have such a grand mosque.

Istiqlal Mosque

Interior of Dome, Istiqlal Mosque

Jalan Surabaya  is a street that has a very popular flea market, where one can buy anything from wooden statues, to masks, to puppets, to jugs. It’s a great place to find antiques, works of art and a lot of miscellaneous oddities!

Jalan Surabaya

Puppets, Jalan Surabaya

Wooden Figures, Jalan Surabaya

Sea World is a large aquarium consisting of a main tank, a shark tank and other tanks. The aquarium opened in 1980. The main tank is one of the largest in Asia.

Eel at Sea World

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah is a miniature theme park on the outskirts of Jakarta, spread over 250 acres. The park depicts various aspects of Indonesia’s 26 provinces, including architecture, clothing, dances and other traditions. The theme park opened in 1975. The idea behind the theme park came from the then first lady of Indonesia, Tien Suharto. The objective was to popularize Indonesian culture and tradition.

Bali Pavilion Courtyard, 
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah

Castle of Indonesian Children, 
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah

Mosque, 
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah

Model of National Monument, 
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah

South Sulawesi Building,
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah

So Jakarta turned out to be a pleasant surprise with a large number of places that were worth visiting. The museums were particularly interesting, and our 4 days went by in a jiffy. The traffic jams were one of the worst I have seen anywhere in the world, but other than that, it was a very good visit!