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Places of Interest
 This
building is located at Jalan Menteng Raya 31.
During revolutionary days of 1945 it was the
meeting point of Indonesian freedom fighters and
militant youth to plan strategies and tactics in
obtaining the independence of Indonesia and total
freedom from colonialism.
At
that time, despite the Japanese surrender to the
Allies after the bombing of Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, the Japanese troops stationed in Jakarta
were instructed to maintain the status quo
awaiting the arrivals of Allied troops. It
was in this building that the militant youth
discussed and decided that Indonesia should
proclaimed its independence, not granted by the
Japanese authority in Indonesia. It was also in
this building that the decision was made to
"kidnap" Soekarno , and his family, and
Hatta and brought them to Rengasdengklok several
km east of Jakarta, to persuade them to proclaim Indonesia's
Independence. Fantasy
Land  The
latest addition to Jakarta's growing recreation
facilities is the Fantasy Land, a 9.5 hectare
(23.75 acres) entertainment park located inside
the Ancol Dreamland.
It
is the Indonesian version of Disneyland, and is
great for kids. The park also offers a number of
restaurants and souvenir shops. It
is open on Monday to Friday from 2 to 9 pm, on
Saturdays from 2 to 10 pm, and on Sunday and
holidays from 10 am to 9 pm. Indonesia
in Miniature Park  An
extensive park showing at a glimpse the diversity
of the Indonesians archipelago.
The
park represents Indonesia's 27 provinces and their
outstanding characteristic, reflected most
strikingly in the regional architecture of the
provinces. It
has its own orchid garden in which hundreds of
Indonesian orchid varieties are grown. There is
also a bird park with a walk in aviary. This
Indonesian in Miniature park is popularly known as
Taman Mini. Jaya
Ancol Dreamland  This
is Jakarta's largest and most popular recreation
park. It is built on reclaimed beach land on the
Bay of Jakarta and has sea and fresh - water
aquariums, swimming pools, an artificial lagoon
for fishing and boating, bowling, an assortment of
night clubs, restaurants, steam bath and massage parlors,
and "art market" filled with items of
handicraft, paintings and all sorts of souvenirs.
You
can also order paintings and sketches or have your
own portrait done on paper or canvas. The latest
addition to Jakarta's growing recreation
facilities is the Fantasy Word, a 9.5 hectare
(23.75 acres) entertainment park located inside
the Ancol Dreamland. Planned
to eventually become a part of a 200 hectares (500
acres) park designed to usher the visitors the
fascinating world of modern science and
technology, the present facility takes him on an
imaginary tour of Old Jakarta, Africa, America,
Indonesia, Europe, Asia and of the Palace of
Dolls. Each
of the area is designed to give the visitor a feel
of the region he is visiting through features of
architecture peculiar to the area at a certain
period of its history and by the use of animated
puppets in the Palace of Dolls. The park also
offers a number of restaurants and souvenir shops. Keong
Emas (Golden Snail) Theatre  Located
in the Taman Mini is the Imax Theatre which
presents "Beautiful Indonesia" on the
gigantic screen using the latest Imax system.
Not
to be missed if you are visiting Taman Mini. Open
from 11.00 hrs - 17.00 hrs. Seribu
Island  This
group of islands in the Jakarta Bay offers a
heaven from the hustle and bustle of city life.
There are golden beaches fringed with coconut
palms.
The
surrounding waters are a paradise for skin divers.
They are filled with a myriad of tropical fish
which live among the multicolored coral. The
islands can be reached from Tanjung Priok or Pasar
Ikan (Sunda Kelapa) by ferry or by chartered boat. Among
the island in this group developed for tourism are
Pulau Air, Pulau Bidadari, Pulau Petondan and
Pulau Putri. Pulau Putri has cottages, a
restaurant and skin diving facilities. Sunda
Kelapa  Sunda
Kelapa, popularly better known as Pasar Ikan
(meaning fish market) is the area at the mouth of
the Ciliwung River. It was formerly the harbor town of Sunda Kelapa where the Portuguese traded
with the Hindu kingdom of Pajajaran in the early
16th century.
Formerly
the fish catch of the day was auctioned in the
early morning at the old fish market (now moved to
Muara Karang and Muara Kamal) and the street
leading to it is lined with shops selling all
sorts of shells, dehydrate turtles and lobsters
and most everything the seafarer might need. Dutch
domination of Jakarta and Indonesia began from
this area and the remnants of Kasteel Batavia, an
old fort and trading post of the Dutch East India
Company, can still be seen. Sunda Kelapa is at
present a fishermen's wharf and inter- island
port. Tallmasted
Bugis schooners from South Sulawesi anchored there
offer a picturesque scene. They belong to one of
the last fleets of sailing boats in the world and
still ply the seas between the islands as they did
centuries ago, carrying merchandise. The
National Monument (Monas)  The
monument, symbolizing the nation's independence,
is situated at the centre of Taman Medan Merdeka (Medan Merdeka Square).
Its
architecture is designed as a lingga and yoni, the
Hindu symbol of fertility. The lingga reaches a
height of 137 meters and is topped with a flame
wrapped in 35 kilograms of pure gold. An elevator
rides to the top of the monument and from its
viewing platform visitors can get a bird's eye
view of Jakarta. The
basement houses a museum depicting the nation's
history. In the Hall of Silence visitors can hear
the recorded original voice of Soekarno reading Indonesia's
Proclamation of Independence on August 17, 1945.
Near the monument is a statue of Prince Diponegoro
on horseback. The
prince, declared as a national hero, fought the
Dutch in the Java War in 1825 - 1830. After he was
treacherously captured by the Dutch and jailed in
the Town Hall of Batavia and Ujung Pandang (Makasar) before being exiled to North
Sulawesi. Opening
hours: Daily from 08.00 to 17.00
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