Malls, parks and lovebirds looking for places to date

Jakartans may hardly see the hustling and bustling metropolis as a romantic city, but somehow young lovebirds manage to find places to share their affections.

Malls have gained popularity among the residents amid the shrinking number of city parks.

“I usually choose malls. Malls are the easiest places to dating,” Ignatius Ivan, 23, said recently.

Ivan said that malls were also places where he could do many activities all at the same location, like shopping and watching movies.

“Going to malls is the most efficient way for dating date even though you should sometimes have to shove deep into your pocket,” said the fresh graduate.

Similarly, Setyawati, 25, said malls are hassle-free compared to outdoor venues.

“It’d much better having chit-chat with your boyfriends at a cozy cafe in an air-con mall rather than enduring choking pollution and the sweltering heat of Jakarta by spending time outdoors,” said a company worker in Central Jakarta.

“We won’t run out of nice places for dating as we will always find new places to try at new malls,” she said.

Jakarta is home to more than 140 malls and shopping centers.

But some residents, like Yovita A, 24, still opt for dating in parks.

She said she spent time dating at Menteng Park, Central Jakarta.

“I just want to stay away from the crowd while enjoying privacy with my boyfriend. I think Menteng Park is a good place,” said an employee of a South Jakarta company.

She said that finding places where people could enjoy a tinge of privacy was a luxury in Jakarta with many of its open and green spaces now being developed.

Like Yovita, Juanita, 25, said that the coastal resort area in the north of Jakarta at Ancol is still her favorite venue for dating.

“I can enjoy time with my boyfriends at the theme park, or simply just sitting on the beach,” said Juanita, who works as a secretary at an office in West Jakarta.

Juanita said she often visits the National Monument Park (Monas) in Central Jakarta with her boyfriend if they want to see less crowds of visitors.

A senior Jakartan, Juwito S, 65, shared the view that Jakarta was once a romantic city with many spots across the capital popular for dating.

Juwito said that Ancol has become one of the most popular spots with several beaches and quiet spaces along the sea front where city youngsters could hang out .

“I spent my first date at Ancol’s old cemetery,” he recounts. “It was a bit eerie but it seemed that our love reigned supreme and I forgot how eerie the place was.”

The old cemetery is known by the locals as the cemetery of the executed, since more than 2,000 victims of execution during the Japanese occupation were buried there.

“I also loved to visit the beach, but it was not as crowded back then as it is now,” Juwito said.

Ancol was later became a resort. Ancol Dreamland Park was initiated by Indonesia’s first president Sukarno in 1966. It features several theme parks and recreational spots, including Fantasy World (Dufan) and Sea World. (not)