Jakarta Guide

The City

Jakarta has been called a study in contrasts: traditional and modern; rich and poor; spiritual and wordly stand side by side in this bustling metropolis. Among the 8 million people who call Jakarta home, one find representatives of the many diverse ethnic and cultural groups which shape Indonesia, a reminder of the nation’s motto: ‘Unity in Diverse’. You may have to search high and low in this multi-cultural collage to find one of the proud ethnic Jakartans, called "Orang Betawi".

Their language.Betawi Malay, has two variations, conventional Betawi Malay, spoken by elder people and bred in Jakarta, and modern Jakarta Malay, a slang form spoken by the younger generation and migrants.

Jakarta is the port of entry for many tourists and business people. It is home to a dynamic contrast between Western-style skyscrapers, modern urban life-styles and traditional Indonesian culture. It’s rapid growth into a metropolitan city reflects the economic, political, social and industrial development of the nation. In recent years, Jakarta has expanded its facilities for visitors with luxury hotels, fine restaurants, exciting nightlife and modern shopping centers. It contains many tourists attractions such as Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Beautiful ‘Indonesia in Miniature’ Park), restored colonial period buildings, island resorts in the Pula Seribu (Thousand Island), and an extensive beach recreation complex called Ancol.

History

The strategic position of Indonesia and its waterways between the Indian and Pacific Oceans has led to fascinating and complex cultural, religious, political and economic history.

Evidence of Indonesia's earliest inhabitants include fossils of "Java Man" (Pithecanthropus Erectus), which date back some 500,000 years, discovered near the village of Trinil in East Java by Dr. Eugene Dubois in 1809. Major migration movements to the Indonesian archipelago began about 3000 years ago as the Dongson Culture of Vietnam and southern China spread south, bringing with them new Stone, Bronze and Iron Age cultures as well as the Austronesian language. Their techniques of irrigated rice cultivation are still practiced throughout Indonesia today. Other remnants of this culture such as ritual buffalo sacrifice, erection of stone megaliths and ikat weaving are still visible in isolated areas across the archipelago.

Indonesia came under the influence of a mighty Indian civilization through the gradual influx of Indian traders in the first century, A.D., when great Hindu and Buddhist empires were beginning to emerge. By the seventh century, the powerful Buddhist Kingdom of Sriwijaya was on the rise, and it is thought that during this period the spectacular Borobudur Buddhist Temple was built in Central Java. The thirteenth century saw the dominance of the fabulous Majapahit Hindu empire in East Java, which united the whole of modern-day Indonesia and parts of the Malay peninsula, ruling for two centuries. Monuments across Java such as the magnificent Prambanan temple complex near Yogyakarta the mysterious Penataran temple complex in East Java and the ethereal temples of the Dieng Plateau are all that remain of this glorious period in Indonesia's history.

The first recorded attempt at armed invasion of Indonesia is credited to the notorious Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan, who was driven back in 1293. Arab traders and merchants laid the foundations for the gradual spread of Islam to the region, which did not replace Hinduism an Buddhism as the dominant religion until the end of the 16th century. A series of small Moslem kingdoms sprouted up and spread their roots, but none anticipated the strength and persistence of European invasions which followed.

In 1292, Marco Polo became one of the first Europeans to set foot on the islands, but it wasn't until much later that the Portuguese arrived in pursuit of spices. By 1509 Portuguese had established trading posts in the strategic commercial center of Malacca on the Malay peninsula. Their fortified bases and the inability of their enemies to unify against them allowed the Portuguese to control strategic trade routes from Malacca to Macau, Goa, Mozambique and Angola.

Inspired by the success Portuguese, the Dutch followed at the turn of the 16th century. They ousted the Portuguese from some of the easternmost islands, coming into conflict with another major European power, Spain which had confused its colonial interests in Manila. The Dutch expanded their control of the entire area throughout the 17th and 18th centuries.

The Dutch East Indies, as it was known at this time, fell under British rule for a short period during the Napoleonic Wars of 1811-1816, when Holland was occupied by France, and Dutch power overseas was limited. While under British control the Lt. Governor for Java and its dependencies was Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who was known for his liberal attitude towards the people under colonial rule and his research on the history of Java.

With the return of the Dutch in 1816, a period of relative peace was interrupted by a series of long and bloody wars launched by the local people against the Dutch colonial government. The Indonesian nationalist and independence movements of the 20th century have their roots in this period. Upper and middle class Indonesians, whose education and contact with Western culture had made them more aware of colonial injustice, began mass movements which eventually drew support from the peasants and urban working classes.

The Japanese replaced the Dutch as rulers of Indonesia for a brief period during World War 2. The surrender of the Japanese in 1945 signalled the end of the Second World War in Asia and the start of true independence for Indonesia. With major changes in global consciousness about the concepts of freedom and democracy, Indonesia proclaimed its independence on August 17 of that same year.

The returning Dutch bitterly resisted Indonesian nationalist movements and intermittent fighting followed. Under the auspices of the United Nations at the Hague, an agreement was finally reached on December 9, 1949 officially recognizing Indonesia's sovereignty over the former Dutch East Indies.

Events

Wayang Orang (Dance Drama)
Performance of the Javanese Wayang Wong or Wayang Orang dance drama can be seen every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evening at the Bharata Theatre starting at 8.15 pm. and lasting till about midnight. The stories of the Wayang Wong usually relate episode of the Mahabharata and Ramayana Hindu Epics.

Ketoprak
An offshoot of the Wayang Wong dance drama is the modern popular Javanese theatre which takes its stories from popular folk legends and from history. Like the Wayang Wong, the Ketoprak show is accompanied by gamelan music but is simpler in costumes and dialogue. Performances can be seen in Jakarta at the Bharata Theatre every Monday and Thursday evening, beginning at 8.00 pm.

Traditional Indonesian Dances
Performances of traditional Indonesian dances from the various regions are stages in Jakarta at Taman Mini (Indonesia in Miniature Park) every Sunday from 9.00 to 14.00 pm. and at the Ancol Art Market every Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

Wayang Kulit (Leather Puppet Shadow Play)
Wayang Kulit (leather puppet) shows are performed every second and last Saturday night of the month at the Central Museum in Jakarta. Abbreviated versions, lasting for about on hour, are also presented every Sunday morning at the Wayang Museum Fatahillah Square in downtown Jakarta.

Gamelan Music
Every Sunday morning Sundanese gamelan music of West Java is presented at the Central Museum in Jakarta.

Crocodile Farm
Daily shows with crocodiles at Jalan Tirta Loka, Pluit from 8.00 to 16.00 pm. with snakes and other animals every Sunday.

Pameran Seni Rupa (Art Exhibition)
Permanent exhibition at Balai Seni Rupa Jl. Taman Fatahillah Jakarta, open daily.
Oceanarium Sea lion and dolphin shows at Taman Impian Jaya Ancol daily from 9.00 to 18.00 pm.

Keoug Emas Imax Theatre, TMII
The Imax film "Beautiful Indonesia" was initiated by the first Lady Madame Tien Soeharto, to present the beauty on the country from all different aspects. The film meant to make the people have more pride and affection for the country. The cinerama theatre screens "Beautiful Indonesia" Mondays through Fridays from 11.00 to 16.00, Sundays and holidays from 10.00 to 16.45 while on each Saturday performed a special theme.

Accommodation

The capital city has a wide choice of fine hotels which are managed by well known international chains. These include the Jakarta Hilton, The Mandarin Oriental, Sahid Jaya Hotel, Hotel Borobudur Inter-Continenetal, Aryaduta, Grand Hyatt, Hotel Sari Pan Pacific, Hotel Indonesia, President Hotel and independent hotels like Hotel Horison, Jayakarta Tower and Hotel Kartika Chandara.

The first five are rated five-star and the remainder four-star. All three and two-star hotels, in Jakarta have air-conditioned rooms, restaurants, bar, room service and laundry with a few exceptions. Most of those in the three-star, category have swimming pools, nightclubs and shopping arcades.

Most of the one-star hotels have conditioned rooms, with attached bathrooms telephones and restaurants.

source www.travel-indonesia.com