Jakarta Off The Beaten Path

Pusat Kesenian Jakarta Taman Ismail Marzuki, also known as Taman Ismail Marzuki or T.I.M., is the place for the pursuit of cultural activities in Jakarta.

T.I.M. is the largest art center in Southeast Asia, consisting of exhibition halls, theaters, an academy of arts, an archives building and a planetarium, which happened to be closed the day I visited. Also it hosts the Institut Kesenian Jakarta (Jakarta Institute for the Arts.)

Sri, suggested that while she went to her art class, I should walk around the campus to see the various activities.

I stopped to watch a class of very young girls learning to move their feet, legs, bodies, arms, heads and most impressively, their eyes, to tell the story through their lovely traditional dance.

Next I came upon a sort of walled in, outdoor arena where musicians practiced for an outdoor concert to be held soon. Near the gate to the arena students were practicing their lines for a play.

Monthly, exhibitions, plays, musical and poetry recitals, dance performances, folk art and drama from the various regions of Indonesia are offered by TIM for the general public and a calendar of these events can be found at most hotels.

Also I saw Artists painting the lush exotic bit of tropical nature just outside the class room.

Address:
Jalan Cikini Raya 73

Maybe it is a surprise-
to see Erasmus of Rotterdam in Jakarta?
but you can find him-
Erasmus, the good friend with liberal views in Renaissance, a time long time before, but modern as well today
see his picture of Erasmus von Rotterdam in a coloured glass window in the entrance hall of the "Oasis Restaurant" in the Jalan Raden Saleh, See the Photo and see even the internet side of the Oasis Restaurant.

By the way, not far away of this place is the "Erasmus Huis"-
look more at the internetsite
www.heritagejkt.org

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Coffee drinking is big in Indonesia and understandably so. What is more intriguing is the peculiar marketing ploy that has been released into the open to catch gullible people and make them feel good by bestowing them with the title – best coffee connoisseurs in the world! The story goes that in Dutch times the coffee was so precious that all the locals were severely restricted from collecting it for their own consumption. Some smart guy noticed that local cat-like creatures ate the coffee beans but at the end of the digestive process they were pooped out intact and ready to be picked up. For some very strange reason, what was pure misery in dire circumstances for poor Indonesians last century became snobbish appeal to the modern know-it-all...snobs. High end coffee houses offer the STUFF for you to try out and pronounce yourself on the matter!

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Evening at Megacity like Jakarta- but it is recommended out side the big malls better with tour guide, or much more better together with friends.
So don´t miss to look the " MONAS" (Monumen Nasional) at central area at early evening with the great Park roundup.

It is surprising how much people walking and talking this park, in special young people, and mostly there are some music performances. or much people like "jalan jalan" (walking) together like here in north Europa. At photo is not so to see but quiet and friendly atmosphere.

But don`t forget: So after 9 usually the smaller side doors of the monas park garden are closed, so exit is able only at the south main gate. The Monas park is quite big!

At day - here a photo seen at high noon from Monas up down:
All is very quiet, the little pond is empty -
nothing remembers at the colourful live at MONAS malam.

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If you are up at viewing platform at the Monas look to the west side- you can near see the white RRI-Buildung with the Antenna- since long time is it at this place.

The RRI- "Radio Republik Indonesia" has a lot of stations from west to east all over the indonesian islands. And there is also an external service- via shortwave to different nearby and some far countrys. The editorial offices of "RRI- Voice of Indonesia - Oversees Service" are there.

For an Short Wave Listener (even in this internet time) is of great interest to hear a far station real "on Air" and to get and to collect the "QSL-Card" of the SW-Station. Here as second photo here let me show an very nice QSL-Card I got from RRI external service "Voice of Indonesia" some years before.

Creating an publicity advertisement has always been the fastest, best and upmost effective way for a commercial product to become, also very popular in Indonesia. This is especially true for publicity cosmetics and toiletries I noticed. Posters and billboards do attract passers-by without being perceived ...

I know a wide range of beauty salons are available in Indonesia. I've seen the small one-chair business to accommodate some friends, and the international standard establishment that uses brand name products. Most well-known names are Martha Tilaar, Mustika Ratu and even Nyonya Meneer is doing well.

The Mustika Ratu got my special attention because of the Solo Kraton and the Princess BRA Mooryati Soedibyo, who was born in Surakarta. The considerable talents of BRA Mooryati Soedibyo made the lady well-known (included the Jamu according to traditional recipes and formulating her own Lulur - body scrub). She had mastered the art of herbal making and making up faces. In 1975, the company of Mustika Ratu was launched in earnest with just 10 employees and, got to an outstanding reputation within and outside Indonesia.

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If you are at afternoon in center of Jakarta and have a good taxi driver, make a stop at the Independence Monument -
the "Monumen Proklamasi".

Let the driver wait and see the memorial.
Place and monument remembers at the foundation of Indonesia, so to Mr. Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia and Mr. M. Hatta.

Not so much tourist know this place.

In the afternoon like here, children of neigbourship play a little football -
and the greater boys use the place as welcome free space for prove their sideboards - see at photo, so like in every great citys.

The second Photo is seen the table with the text of independence declaraton.

If at holiday in Jakarta usually, it is much time at the day-

but it is recommended to wake up early so to use the fresh wind of the morning,
make some seeings before the sun gives the heat of the day.

Here in photo a view to east, from a hoteltower in central Jakarta (the time at camera is yet not correct WIT -Time).

See at photo the mostly flat traditional buildings of the typical Jakarta neaby the city areas.