Car-Free Day breathes new life into Kota’s forlorn Old Town

Indah Setiawati ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 11/16/2009 10:52 AM  |  City

Tall tales: A boy on his bicycle watches the egrang show (bamboo stilts) in front of the Jakarta History Museum in Kota, West Jakarta, on Sunday. The show is part of the Car-Free Day in the area known for its heritage sites. JP/Nurhayati

Hundreds of visitors spent their Sunday morning in the Old Town area in Kota, West Jakarta, to enjoy various activities held by the municipality as part of the Car-Free Day.  

“This event is very interesting because all the spots in the Old Town are filled with activities. I will rest at my home in the afternoon and return here in the evening to see the fireworks,” said Ahmad Qurtubi, holding a bowl of crab noodles he had bought in a culinary exhibition.

Carrying a camera, the twenty-something came to the event with a number of high school students to explore every corner of the heritage site for good photograph angles.

Another visitor, Fitri Kurnia Rahim, said she had enjoyed several traditional shows.

“I watched Betawi’s Ondel Ondel [giant effigy] dance and Chinese traditional music ensemble,” she said, referring to shows staged on Jl. Kali Besar Timur, which was spiced up by a row of white tents selling traditional dishes, drinks and snacks at each end of the street.

Across the river on Jl. Kali Besar Barat, a number of visitors cheered on two teams who played futsal, while dozens of other visitors rode on their bicycles.

The center of crowds, however, was in front of the Jakarta History Museum where children and adults played traditional games like congklak (a piece of wood with cavities in which to put little shells or pebbles) and egrang (bamboo stilts) walk.

Also on display were vintage items, including old watches, old film posters, newspaper advertisements, table sets and old cassettes.

The Jakarta Environment Management Board (BPLHD) also used the event to raise awareness among the public on smoking bans aboard public transport.

Some student scouts helped hand out stickers to minivans and minibuses passing the Bank Mandiri Museum. The only thing the festivities lacked were direction signs for visitors about three separate locations of the festivities.

Mrs. Sudaryanto, the coordinator of Food Service Entrepreneur Association (APJB) who arranged 10 participants for the culinary exhibition, complained visitors had not been well informed about the location of the food center.

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