After the big adventures in Sumatra I had an absolutely dead-quiet day the first day we were back in Jakarta - other than a walk around the block I don't think I left the apartment all day. But after a day of rest I was back out exploring Jakarta for the next two and a half days.
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia - with a population of over 10 million people it is also the country's economic, cultural and political centre.
Most of Jakarta's landmarks, monuments and statues were built during the Sukarno era (Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first president from 1945 to 1967) around the 1960s and completed in the Suharto era (Suharto was the second President of Indonesia, having held the office for 31 years from 1967 following Sukarno's removal until his resignation in 1998), while some are of the colonial Dutch East Indies heritage.
Selamat Datang Monument also known as the Welcome Monument, (selamat datang is Indonesian for "welcome") is a monument located in Central Jakarta. Completed in 1962, Selamat Datang Monument is one of the historic landmarks of Jakarta.
This is just one of many statues that can be found in central Jakarta. This one is along the main street just south of the Selamat Datang Monument:
this one is outside the General Post Office:
and this one is just outside Medan Merdeka Park in the centre of the city. I'm not 100% positive but I'm pretty sure this statue is of Sudirman, who was a high-ranking Indonesian military officer during the Indonesian National Revolution.
Also within Medan Merdeka Park is The National Monument, known as Monas (Monumen Nasional). It is a 132 metre tower symbolizing the fight for Indonesia. Construction began in 1961 under the direction of President Sukarno and Monas was opened to the public in 1975. It is topped by a flame covered with gold foil. The obelisk and flame symbolize the Indonesia people's struggle for independence.
Around the base of Monas is a stone paved grand plaza and a central garden around the monument filled with colourful flowers and decorative plants.
Also near the national monument stands a Mahabharata themed Arjuna Wijaya chariot statue and fountain. The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India.
Wisma 46 is the tallest building in Indonesia. It is a 250m tall (roof height) skyscraper located in central Jakarta. The 48 storey office tower was completed in 1995.
Walking the streets in Jakarta takes a lot of effort and concentration. You REALLY have to pay attention to where you're walking.
Jakarta is also strained by transportation problems, so usually taking any sort of motorized vehicle isn't any faster than walking ... in fact often it's much slower.
That being said, taking a bajaj to zip around on the congested streets can be rather fun.
Located in central Jakarta, just north of Medan Merdeka Park, is Jakarta Cathedral, a Roman Catholic Cathedral. Its official name is "Gereja Santa Maria Pelindung Diangkat Ke Surga" (from Dutch, De Kerk van Onze Lieve Vrouwe ten Hemelopneming, in English: The Church of Our Lady of Assumption). This current cathedral was consecrated in 1901 and built in the neo-gothic style. There are three main spires in Jakarta Cathedral: the two tallest ones measure 60 metres tall and are located in front on each side of the portal, and the third spire rises above the roof's cross intersection and measures 45 metres tall from the ground.
There are three altars in this cathedral, with the main altar located in the centre made in the 19th century in the Netherlands. It was moved here from a Jesuit Church in Groningen in 1956.
Within the cathedral there is a large Neo-Gothic style organ made in Verschueren, Belgium, then moved and installed in Jakarta.
Even within a building as magnificent as this one you can still find the upkeep work and repairs being done by hand.
Directly across the street from the cathedral is Istiqlal Mosque, or Masjid Istiqlal (Independence Mosque). This is the largest mosque in Southeast Asia and has the highest capacity, with a capacity of over 120,000. This national mosque was built to commemorate Indonesian independence and named "Istiqlal", an Arabic word for "independence". The mosque was opened to the public in 1978. Although I was allowed to go inside the mosque, I got there just at prayer time on a Friday so I decided to not to try and go inside. Not surprisingly it was incredibly busy!!
The National Museum of Indonesia is an archeological, historical, ethnological, and geographical museum located in central Jakarta. It is popularly known as Elephant Building (in Indonesian: gedung gajah) after the elephant statue in its forecourt. Its broad collections cover all of Indonesia's territory and almost all of its history. The museum has endeavoured to preserve Indonesia's heritage for two centuries.
Although I have this photo of the museum building itself it was unfortunately closed the day I was there because it was Vesak (Buddha's birthday), a national holiday in Indonesia. Perhaps it was a good thing though that I couldn't go inside as I went for a walk in Medan Merdeka Park instead and just happened to come across some festivities being held in the park. I loved watching the traditional dance performances that were a part of the celebration.
More adventures in Jakarta still to come in the next post.
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