Jakarta

The City of Victory
That Never Sleeps

All these features provide vast opportunity for many tourists to enjoy the beautiful scenery and panoramic views. Indonesia is a country rich in history, cultures, and traditions because of the succession of civilizations on its land since the dawn of history. There are a lot of monuments, remains of temples, and caves which stand as a proof of a deep-rooted heritage and civilization.

The Indonesian capital is famous for being the city that never sleeps where there are places to spend the evening and suitable for all tastes. In addition to day life that never stays still, Jakarta means in Indonesian, the city of victory or the invincible city. During the era of Dutch colonization, it was called Batavia.

Jakarta is the economic center of the state where all the headquarters of major public companies are located in addition to most of the major companies owned by local and foreign investors. It is a modern city decorated with modern skyscrapers, glass tower buildings, roads and streets with beautiful architecture that give the city a marvelous look.

The city has become the most important destination in Asia, becoming highly frequented by tourists, because of its shops, markets, restaurants, exhibitions and commercial centers that are a mixture of the fragrance of the past with the modern spirit. The first thing that draws the attention of the visitor is the Sokarno international airport because of its size, buildings, facilities, chain of restaurants and cafes included in its building and its shops that offer a wide collection of gifts, antiques, and handicrafts. And the second thing that draws the attention of the visitor is the merging of the charming nature with the high rise buildings and the wide modern roads.

Among the most famous tourist attraction in Jakarta is the square of Mardhika (Independence Square). It is National Memorial which stands in the middle of the square as a symbol of the resilience of the Indonesian people and their determination to get their independence. It consists of a marble obelisk of 137 meter high. In its peak, a torch covers it with 35 kilograms of pure gold. At the base of the obelisk a museum is built and was opened in 1945. Today it is the Museum of National Struggle which represents the independence of the country and next to that is the largest mosque in Indonesia, the Independence Mosque with its eye-catching architectural design and its beautiful domes and minarets.

In the Jakarta Gulf, Indonesia’s largest recreational park (Jaya Ankol) is located. It includes the largest amusement park in Asia called, Dunia Phantasia, which includes swimming pools, artificial lakes for boat rowing, and provides daily dolphins and sea lions spectacles to visitors.

In the old town (Kota) one can see the remnants and the memories of the Dutch past and the building of the Dutch city hall built in 1627. It has in its basement large prison cells which were used to incarcerate the original population and the rebels in the remotest of times. During the 1970s, the building was converted to a history museum. The renovation of the city hall contributed to the renovation of the old parts of the city. The museum exhibits historical documents, furniture and China porcelain belonging to the Dutch era. There is an aquarium located in two warehouses all that remains from the Dutch East India Company in Java. At the same location is the Bazar Lakan (fish market) and it is the original site of Jakarta port before the Dutch invasion. It serves thousands of fishing vessels that sail between islands daily.

Among the large recreational areas, Anchol is one of the largest theme parks just west of Jakarta on the seashore of Anchol. It is a highly frequented tourist destination, because it offers entertainments suitable for children and adults alike. But you need a car to travel between different sites due to the distance between them. However, by car, it only takes few minutes to move from one site to another.

If you are only one day in Jakarta and you want to do something different that adds the pleasure to the innovation and interest, you have to consider visiting the planetarium. It will be an unforgettable experience, feeling the greatness of God, the Creator while sailing in the vast Universe.

The planetarium is a dome-shaped building from outside, as shown by the previous picture. The inside of the planetarium consists of a large hall where the seats are mounted in tilted way to provide a comfortable view towards the ceiling dome. So when a person sits he is looking directly towards the ceiling dome. The planetarium differs from observatories because it projects a prerecorded show so we can see the stars and the planets even in daylight time. The planetarium allows visitors to see the stars and planets by simulating the reality. The show begins with the sunset, the idyllic landscape that many poets describe, followed by the fall of the night. During the show the planetarium flies the audience towards one of the familiar constellation revealing its coordinated shape. The show takes you on a journey between the celestial bodies zooming in to approach some known planets such as Mars, Venus, and others.

There are endless list of places in Jakarta where the tourists find leisure and entertainment. For example, the Boulayo Sereo or the thousand islands scattered around the city, which provide clean and quiet beaches away from the overcrowded noisy city. There are plenty of resorts and chalets that provide unlimited pleasure to the sea sport’s lovers such as surface diving, scuba diving and surfing.

In addition there is the zoo which contains 3600 species of rare and wild animals. A special corner is dedicated for the wildlife, where we can see the Sumatran tigers, the komodo dragons and the special rare birds (Sendra and lacey).

There are the open park (Kepone Pinatang Ragonan ) and the Small Asia Park which extends over an area of 300 hectares and which embodies the lifestyles of the various isles of Indonesia, it was created with professionalism and high technologies. The visitors can use the train, cable cars or boats to move around the park to learn about the lifestyle, the traditions and the foods of different parts of Indonesia. There is the dolls museum which contains a large number of canvas and wooden dolls, sculptures, masks and antiques.

The shopping in Jakarta is relatively cheap in price. There are wide varieties of markets popular and modern. The most important is (Jalan Sura Bayo) which is a historical and popular market that extends over one kilometer long. The shops and stores are lined on both sides. Every visitor is keen not to miss the opportunity to visit this market. There are plenty of stalls that are selling souvenirs, wood or stone carvings, and many of the products that represent the heritage of the Indonesian people sold at affordable prices.

There is also another popular market (Sunda Kelapa) which is located in the area of the old Jakarta port, symbolizing the emergence of the city five centuries ago. It is one of the historical sites that attract tourists from all over the world and includes a maritime museum that tells the history of civilization on the Island of Java and the evolution of life. You can still see many wooden boats operating. A large fish market is located in the area with many restaurants offering seafood as well as the many cafes and shops that are scattered around.