The whole day of walking around starts here. The bus station. This is Day 3 of our Jakarta trip. Needed to take a photo since I can't take down notes. Haha!
Since we have made a lot of changes with the itinerary and to do's we were only able to visit 2 museums. The Wayang Museum and the Ceramic Museum. We didn't attempt to go inside the Historical Museum and the Bank Museums since it was so crowded on a very hot humid day. Plus, it will take all our time if we visit all the museums which is impossible with the whole day that we only have. Hopefully, there will be a next time.
The Wayang Museum is where the traditional Indonesian puppets/dolls are showcased. It was actually proclaimed by UNESCO as "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" in the year 2003. This originated as a product of the Royal Court culture where it was used as a means to worship the ancestors. And up to now, it is actively being preserved in various communities in Indonesia.
There's a lot to see in this museum. Scary looking dolls and puppets, writings on the walls during the Dutch colonization. You will actually wonder, especially when looking at the wayangs, as to where the Indonesians get the inspiration for the looks of their wayangs. Talk about creative!
Jean, Genna and I had fun looking at the wayangs and watching the show. We were able to watch the performance of Wayang Orang. I forgot what the story is about and also, it was in Bahasa. But we enjoyed it, a taste of the Indonesian culture. :) There are three more performances that are being shown, but you need to stay for the whole day to watch it all. There's still performances of Betawi purwa Wayang Kulit, Javanese purwa Wayang Kulit and Sundanese purwa Wayang Golek. All these three are done with the traditional Wayang puppets while the Wayang Orang is performed by actors with singers in the background.
We've also met new friends there. Hengky and the rest of the Wayang Museum staff are so accomodating. Below is the photo.
More museum walking and of course lunch at this quaint little restaurant that actually looks like a hole in the wall. Nasi Goreng, Bakso and Tahu for a quick lunch as Genna repeated the time and place where we will meet later in the evening and as we take notes on the bus station and directions going to the Grand Indonesia Mall.
There also bank museums in Jakarta. There are a lot of banks in Jakarta! So if you are traveling within the city, you will see their buildings in almost all corners.
After walking and seeing the nearby museums, we decided to head on over to our meeting place which is Grand Indonesia Mall. We would need to go to the train station again and then get off at Bundera HI station then just walk towards the mall. I really like Indonesia's bus system. Its efficient like a train, since it has its own lane, and there are conductors who regulate the number of people who will onboard just to make sure as well that the bus is not over crowded! Kudos! In Jakarta, there are a lot of fountains as well and monuments. Too bad we weren't able to go to Monas and the Museum Nacional. I was dying to see the tall tower that marked their independence. But when you ride the bus, you can actually see it from afar.
Grand Indonesia is such a delight to see. Every floor has a theme. There's Broadway, Japanese, Moulin Rouge to name a few. Christmas is already evident as well in all the decorations. There's also a Magnum Cafe there, which had a long line of people waiting to be seated.
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| Our taxi fare! hahaha |
The trip to Jakarta was so much fun! We felt that four days was not enough since there are so much still to see. Maybe we will be back soon? Yes? =p
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