Saturday, February 28, 2009

Shadow Puppet Museum (Museum Wayang)

Wayang is a theatrical performance employing puppets or human dancer. The puppet could be made of leather which perform shadow puppets play, or of wooden. Shadow Puppet Museum (Museum Wayang) is a museum which keeps collections of wayang from various territories in Indonesia and even from other countries.

The idea of building Shadow Puppet Museum (Museum Wayang) started when H. Ali Sadikin, the governor of DKI Jakarta, attended the second Shadow Puppet Museum (Museum Wayang) week in 1974. With the support of the committee of the Shadow Puppet Museum (Museum Wayang) week, wayang lovers, and the governor of DKI Jakarta, then the building at Jalan Pintu Besar Utara # 27, West Jakarta decided to be Shadow Puppet Museum (Museum Wayang) . The museum was officially open on 13th August, 1975 by the governor of DKI Jakarta, H. Ali Sadikin. Read more...

Friday, February 27, 2009

Jakarta History Museum

Jakarta History Museum is known as Fatahillah Museum. Jakarta History Museum provides information on Jakarta’s history, starting from the prehistoric age to current age, in a creative way, through the collections of the museum.

History of the Museum
In 1937, Oud Batavia Foundation proposed a plan to establish a museum about Batavia’s history. The foundation then bought a warehouse of a company, Geo Wehry & Co, that was located at Jl. Pintu Besar Utara no. 27 (now it’s the building used as Wayang Museum). The warehouse was then renovated as Oud Batavia Museum. In 1939 the museum was open for public.

After the independence of Indonesia the name of the museum was changed to Old Djakarta Museum, under the responsibility of Indonesian Culture Institution. In 1968 the Old Jakarta Museum was handed over to DKI Jakarta’s government. On 30th March, 1974 the museum name officially changed to Jakarta History Museum by the government in-charged, Ali Sadikin. Read more...

National Museum of Indonesia (Museum Nasional Indonesia)

National Museum of Indonesia (Museum Nasional Indonesia) is also recognized as Elephant Museum (Museum Gajah). It’s called as Elephant Museum (Museum Gajah) because there’s an elephant (Gajah) sculpture made of bronze medal at the front park of the museum. The sculpture was a grant from King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) of Thailand who visited the museum in 1871. Around the sculpture there are cannons which position are facing the National Monument (Monas).

History of National Museum of Indonesia (Museum Nasional Indonesia)
The founding of National Museum of Indonesia (Museum Nasional Indonesia) initiated by the founding of Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen association. The association was founded by the government of Holland colony on 24th April 1978.

At that time, there was an intellectual revolution (the enlightment era) in Europe, wherein people start to develop science thinking. In 1752 in Haarlem, Nedherland, stand a science association (de Hollandshe Maatschappij der Wetenschappen) which urge Dutch people in Batavia (Indonesia) to found the kind of organization, which later on became Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen (BG). Read more...

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Interesting Places Near to Jaya Ancol Dreamland (Taman Impian Jaya Ancol)

Other interesting places that near to Ancol Dreamland Park are Mangga Dua Square (about 1-2 km away from Ancol), and Kota Tua, about 2-5 km away from Ancol.

There’re many interesting spot you can visit at Kota Tua area, such as Jakarta History Museum, Wayang Museum, Fineart and Ceramic Museum, Maritime Museum, Sunda Kelapa Harbor, Kota Intan Bridge, Syahbandar Tower and old building inheritance of Dutch colonial time. On the Dutch colonialization time in Indonesia, Kota Tua area was a city well known as Batavia. Read more...

Transportation to Reach Jaya Ancol Dreamland (Taman Impian Jaya Ancol)

There’re several transportation alternatives for Jaya Ancol Dreamland Park visitors in order to reach the area:

  • By taxi or TransJakarta Busway. To reach Ancol by busway you can use the fourth corridor, route from Kampung Melayu to Ancol. As an alternative you can tak the busway from first corridor, which route from Blok M to Kota Tua. Later you reach Kota Tua busway station, you can take taxi, bajaj or other public transportation to reach Ancol Dreamland Park. The closest Ancol games facility to TransJakarta Busway terminal is Dunia Fantasy (Fantasy World).
  • You can also reach Ancol Dreamland Park by public transportation facilities from Tanjung Priok Terminal, Senin Terminal, Kota Tua Terminal and Grogol Terminal.
  • Ancol touring train. The management of Jaya Ancol Dreamland Park provides touring train from other cities around Jakarta such as Bogor, Depok, Bekasi, Serpong and Tangerang. Read more...

Beach Park at Jaya Ancol Dreamland (Taman Impian Jaya Ancol)

Parks and beaches in the Jaya Ancol Dreamland Park area consist of several parts of beaches that reaching 2 km of length and 15 hectares of width. Each part of the beaches has specific name which is different one another, such as Festival Beach, East Beach, Ria Beach, Elok Beach and Danau Beach. The facilities provided at Ancol Beach Park are including exercising facilities, games facilities, and transportation facilities.

Festival Beach has the most complete facilities as compared to other beaches at Jaya Ancol Dreamland Park. Many visitors coming to enjoy the Festival Beach which is located at Jakarta Gulf, with their family or in group. The facilities provided at Festival Beach are including restaurant, gift shop, and tends rental.Visitors can rent a sail boat to look around Festival Beach in an achievable price. Cable car station is located at the Festival Beach area, and visitors can use it to enjoy the view of Jaya Ancol Dreamland Park from the sky.

East Beach characterized by the existence of beach pool that functioned to hold waves of the ocean. You can find place for swimming and showering at the East Beach, as well as a one kilometer length of pier. East Beach is interesting for the younger visitors and family visitors due to the atmosphere offered there and the culinary tourism facility provided on the beach. Read more...

Atlantis Water Adventure at Jaya Ancol Dreamland (Taman Impian Jaya Ancol)

Atlantis Water Adventure is a swimming arena with several types of swimming pools. The swimming pool types are including swimming pool with fountain, rainbow balls pool, streaming pool, wave pool, rainbow pool, river rapids pool, and waterfall pool. Rainbow balls pool with 0.5 meter depth is a pool for children and their family.

The rainbow balls pool is characterized by statues of heron tails in the middle of the pool which functioned as the slider of fountain. Read more...

Gelanggang Samudera at Jaya Ancol Dreamland (Taman Impian Jaya Ancol)

Gelanggang Samudera is located at Jaya Ancol Dreamland Park area. Gelanggang Samudera is an exhibition arena for several marine animals that combine the dimensions of sciense and the development potense of marine mammal intelligence.

The exhibitions will show some attractions of dolphins, sea lions and white whales as well as a show by several kinds of wild animals. There’s also a four dimension theater presentation.

Facilities
There’re several facilities you can enjoy in Gelang Samudera, Ancol, such as presentation of variouse marine animal, sea lions, dolphin and white whale, four dimensions theater, aquarium, marine museum and gift shop. Read more...

Seaworld Indonesia

SeaWorld Indonesia is the first underwater world recreation area in Indonesia with thousands collections of marine fauna in many different colors. SeaWorld Indonesia occupies a three hectares area with the building spreading about 4500m2, stand in Jaya Ancol Dreamland Park complex.

Many kinds of marine fauna placed in many aquariums which layed out tidily at SeaWorld Indonesia. SeaWorld Indonesia is carrying three missions for its existence, which are as an underwater educational facility, underwater conservation and entertainment.

History and Background of Seaworld Indonesia
Indonesia is an archipelago country with seashore border length reaching 81000km, consist of thousands islands and spreading across 5000 km along the equator line. Indonesian territorial waters have abundance of fish’s species, coral and sponge. Read more...

Dunia Fantasy (Dufan) at Jaya Ancol Dreamland (Taman Impian Jaya Ancol)

Dunia Fantasy is a theme park arena, part of Jaya Ancol Dreamland Park. For most Indonesian people, Dunia Fantasy better known as Dufan. Dunia Fantasy has variose kind of games that divided and grouped into regions that consist of Jakarta Region, Balada Kera Region, Indonesia Region, Eropa Region, Hikayat Region, Amerika Region, Istana Boneka Region and Asia Region.

Jakarta Region
Jakarta Region is characterized by the existence of Turangga Rangga, a merry-go round with tens of ride horses decorated with thousands of flickering lamps. At evening time, the flickering lamps will be looked more glittering and merrier.

Indonesia Region
Indonesia Region has games arena like Alap-Alap (some kind of swinging carriage), Balon Race (balloons that go around carrying childrens round and round), Jungkang-Jungking (arena for childrens located on a hill facilitated with climbing facility, sliding board, net climbing and many other games). Read more...

Art Market at Jaya Ancol Dreamland (Taman Impian Jaya Ancol)

Ancol Art Shop was built to provide facilities for Indonesian artist to create valuable artistic fine arts. There’re variose kinds of fine arts, craft and souvenirs sold at Ancol Art Shop, like paintings, sculptures, carves, reliefs and crafts made of ceramic, horns, leather, earthenware, bamboo, rattan, wood, and brass.

There’re also other kinds of collections like woven cloth, batik and accessories made of pebbles, pearl and shells. The visitors of Ancol Art Shop could see the activities of wayang maker, paint and carve artists working on the arts. Read more...

Jaya Ancol Dreamland (Taman Impian Jaya Ancol)

Jaya Ancol Dreamland Park is a recreation area located at the seashore of Jakarta Gulf. Jaya Ancol Dreamland Park is better known as Ancol by most of Indonesian people. There’re several recreation facilities you can find at Jaya Ancol Dreamland Park: Golf Course, Ancol Marina Bay, Art Market (Pasar Seni), Dunia Fantasy, SeaWorld Indonesia, Gelanggang Samudera, Atlantis Water Adventure, and Beach Park (Taman Pantai).

Jaya Ancol Dreamland Park provides facilities for those visitors who wants to stay in the Ancol area. Visitors can choose between three hotels and one cottage provided which respectively are Raddin Hotel, Mercure Hotel, Wisata Hotel and Putri Duyung Cottage. Read more...

Sunda Kelapa Harbor

Along Sunda Kelapa Harbor you could see Phinisi ships in a line, which have unique shape and the body painted in some different colors. Phinisi ships were coming from many regions of Indonesia, carrying logs, rattan, copra and other agricultural products to Jakarta.

When Phinisi goes back from Jakarta, it carries construction materials like steel and cement. You could see the hectic of loading and unloading activities that is still conducted traditionally at Sunda Kelapa. Read more...

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Jakarta Old Town (Kota Tua Jakarta)

Jakarta Old Town (Kota Tua Jakarta) is an area of Dutch colonization inheritance which was well-known as Batavia in the 17th century. At Jakarta Old Town (Kota Tua Jakarta) area you can see old buildings with architecture style influenced by the Dutch or European architecture style, Chinese and even some of them with combination of Dutch and Chinese architecture. Some of the old buildings at Jakarta Old Town (Kota Tua Jakarta) area occupied as museums by the governor of DKI Jakarta.

Jakarta Old Town (Kota Tua Jakarta) is one of a very interesting place or area to visit when you travel to Jakarta since it’s a center of historical tourism object in Jakarta. Read more...

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII)

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) or literally translated: “Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Park” is a recreation area and park which is the synopsis of virtual aspects of Indonesian life, representing the cultures, natures and heritages of Indonesian people. Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) located at an area called Pondok Gede, East Jakarta, with total width of 165 hectares.

History of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII)
It was on 13th March 1970 in a meeting in the residence of President Soeharto (the 2nd President of Indonesia), Mrs. Siti Hartinah Soeharto, President Soeharto’s wife, proposed an idea of creating a way to raise the senses of nationality, devotion and proud of Indonesia among Indonesian people.

The idea was then realized by constructing a recreation area which represents the wealth and beauty of Indonesia in miniatures, which named Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII). The construction of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) was started in 1971, and officially open on 20th April, 1975. Read more...

National Monument (Monas)

Indonesia National Monument or what Indonesian and Jakarta people usually call as Monas is a monument built to remember the struggle of Indonesian heroes fighting the colonial domination.

Monas was built based on the idea of the first president of Indonesia, Ir. Soekarno, with the help of Sudarsono and F. Silaban as the architect, and Ir. Rooseno as the consultant. It’s builts on an area with a width of 80 hectares. Monas was officially open on 17th August 1961 by President Soekarno, and publicly open on 12th July 1971.

The top of Monas shaped like a flame, symbolizing a never extinguished spirit of Indonesian people. The flame was made of bronze medal which weight was 14.5 ton, and was plated with 35 kg gold. The flame has 6 meters diameter and consist of 77 concentrated parts. Read more...

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at Jakarta

Soekarno-Hatta International Airport has an important role as the main gate to Indonesia. It’s located at Tangerang, Banten Province, 20km away from Jakarta. Jakarta still has another airport which is Halim Perdanakusuma Airport with limited function to serve state and military affairs flight.

There’re two main terminals at Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Terminal One serves all domestic flight except the flight by Garuda Indonesia and Merpati Nusantara Airlines. Read more...


Accomodation in Jakarta

There are many luxurious and enchanted stared hotels for staying in Jakarta. However, cheap hotels and motels can be found too. Luxurious hotels usually located at the exclusive area called the Golden Triangle, which covers Jalan Sudirman, Jalan Gatot Subroto and Jalan HR. Rasuna Said (usually called as Kuningan area). Besides, luxurious hotels can be found around Jalan Thamrin as well.

Cheap hotels and motels are usually located at Jalan Jaksa, Jalan Wahid Hasyim and Jalan Cikini Raya. Read more...

Interesting Places in Jakarta

Jakarta is a metropolitan city which has millions enchantments to enjoy. There are many comfortable malls and luxurious plazas for shopping, entertainment places like bars, night club, discotheques and live music, as well as international restaurants serving good taste cuisines.

Besides modernity, there’re many simplicity you could see in Jakarta, such as small shops (warung) under the tent, sidewalk shops, bajaj (three wheeled vehicle), and bicycle ojek (ride by bicycle).

Tourism areas that are interesting to visit in Jakarta are including:

Read more...

Jakarta Culture

The ethnic of Betawi is the original people lived in Jakarta. At the beginning of Jakarta city, there were some people from different ethnics like Sundanese, Javanese, Balinese, Malayan, Maluku people, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Arabian, Indian and some other ethnics living in Jakarta brought various kind of culture to Jakarta.

The colloquial language used in daily communication was Malay with some influence of Portuguese, Chinese and English on the dialect. Those people from different ethnics then slowly assimilated one another and finally lost of their original culture. Read more...

Jakarta Demographic

Total population of Jakarta is about 10 million people. The population of Jakarta is increased at day time when the workers whose resident are at small towns around Jakarta like Bekasi, Tangerang, Bogor and Depok coming to Jakarta for work.

East Jakarta which population is about two million people is the most populated municipality, while Thousand Islands with about 20,000 population is the least populated regency. Indonesian language (Bahasa Indonesia) is the language used in daily conversation. Regional languages still used by those people originated from the same region. Read more...

The history of Jakarta

The history of Jakarta began from a small port at the mouth of Ciliwung River, centuries ago. The port city then emerged to become a busy international trading center. Journals of European journalist in 16th century mentioned that there’s a city, named Kalapa (Kelapa in Sundanese called kalapa, means coconut), seemed as the main port for a Hindu Kingdom named Sunda, with a capital of Pajajaran, located near to the current location of Bogor.

Portuguese was the first fleet from Europe that arrived at Kalapa Port. Read more...

Jakarta Travel Guide

Jakarta is the biggest city in Indonesia with a role as the capital of Indonesia as well as the government center of Indonesia. Jakarta is also one of the 33 provinces in Indonesia, and therefore governed by a governor who reports to the President of Indonesia through the Internal Affairs Minister. Due to the multi role as both a province and the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta then given a status of Special Capital Region (Daerah Khusus Ibukota=DKI). DKI Jakarta has five municipalities and administrative regency. The five municipalities are North Jakarta (Jakarta Utara), East Jakarta (Jakarta Timur), West Jakarta (Jakarta Barat), South Jakarta (Jakarta Selatan), Central Jakarta (Jakarta Pusat), and Thousand Islands Regency (Kepulauan Seribu). Each municipality headed by a Mayor who assists to prepare the planning of their region. Thousand Island is headed by a Regent who’s responsible on the financial matters. Read more...