Life pulsates after darkness sets in

The sun had long since vanished from the horizon and the clock showed 7 p.m. as visitors began pouring into the vicinity of the Jakarta History Museum, better known as the Fatahillah Museum, in Kota, West Jakarta, on Sunday evening.

Kota was filled with the life of the street, from fortune-tellers to tattoo artists who offered their service to passers-by. The crowds were mostly young couples and groups of teenagers who wanted to see a different face of the hectic metropolis.

One fortune-teller, Firdaus, 41, had a sublime look on his face as he expounded on the fortune of his young teenage clients. “You have to be more patient in your relationship and try to understand each other because both of you are quite emotional,” he told them.

Firdaus, who started his business a year ago, charged his customers Rp 20,000 (US$2.20) a session. He uses his skill as a palm reader to tell fortunes. “I have at least five sessions a day. Sometimes, I can have seven sessions on a busy day,” he said.

He was not the only fortune-teller plying his trade in the area. Some use tarot cards and other techniques, such as so-called energy readings.

Next to Firdaus, Bawuk, a 26-year-old artist, runs a temporary tattoo and body painting counter. “I’m open every day from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. On weekends, I even work 24 hours since I have many customers to serve,” said the chubby, dreadlocked man, adding that he had at least 25 customers a day.

He charged from Rp 10,000 to Rp 50,000 for temporary tattoos, depending on the size. There are 15 tattoo artists operating in the area.

A night bazaar atmosphere was in the air as street hawkers and vendors tried to lure customers from the crowd. Other vendors provided games for those who wanted to try their luck.

In one game, players paid Rp 500 to select small, folded pieces of paper that, when opened, revealed if a prize had been won or not. Prizes ranged from a pack of cigarettes to a wall clock.

In another game, players competed to drop a ringfastened to a string into a narrow-necked bottle. The prize was a big bottle of Coke.

One visitor, Rangga D., 15, said that he liked to visit Kota because it offered many choices of games and entertainment.

“I can find stuff and play games with friends,” he said.

“I think the place is sometimes too crowded so that we can easily get lost in the crowd,” he added. (not)