Hundreds of thousands of people in Jakarta gathered at some of the city’s favorite attractions Friday night to celebrate the New Year.

People bid farewell to what some considered a tumultuous year with the country having to cope with natural disasters and unending political battles.

The past year saw a series of natural disasters, from the flashflood in Wasior, West Papua, the tsunami that struck the Mentawai Islands and the volcanic eruptions at Mount Merapi, which killed hundreds of people.

Early in 2010, the resignation of finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati prompted rapprochement between political factions, but as the year concluded, the coalition of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono once again showed signs of cracking.

In Jakarta, despite of the city’s decision to relocate the New Year’s Eve party from the National Monument (Monas) to the Ancol Amusement Park in North Jakarta, thousands of revelers thronged the city’s most well-known landmark to watch the fireworks during the last minutes of 2010.

The sea of humanity at Monas made it almost impossible for some revelers to get through the barricade of cars and motorcycles, prompting them to watch the fireworks from nearby areas.

Traffic snarls extended to areas encircling Monas, such as Tanah Abang, Menteng and Senen.

At the nearby Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, traffic was brought to a halt hours before midnight, with motorists driving slowly while blowing their horns to other New Year’s Eve revelers.

At Ancol Beach, where the city staged a more impressive fireworks display and live entertainment, thousands of revelers celebrated New Year’s Eve in a more laid-back atmosphere. Families were seen enjoying a picnic by the beach, relishing the last hours of 2010.

Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo, who led the New Year’s celebration at Ancol, said in his speech that Jakartans should keep the city clean for 2011. “You can ease the burden of the capital by properly discarding of your garbage. Be responsible citizens,” he told the crowd.

A spokesperson for PT Pembangunan Jaya Ancol, operator of the Ancol Amusement Park, Ni Ketut Sofia Cakti expected that more than 185,000 visitors flocked to the park on Saturday, a slight increase from last year’s 180,000.

Massive gridlock also formed in Ancol, where congestion extended beyond the amusement park’s multiple entrances and reached areas such as Gunung Sahari, Jl. Martadinata and Kemayoran.

“It took me more than an hour to get from the entrance to the seaside areas,” one visitor was quoted by Antara as saying.

New Year celebrations also took place at the Indonesia Miniature Park (TMII), where fireworks were lit for more than half an hour and a variety of traditional shows were held.  

The New Year celebration lasted until late Saturday, with Jakartans still crowding some of the city’s well-known sites, causing intense gridlock in many areas.

Gridlock that formed on the streets heading to and from Ragunan Zoo forced President Yudhoyono to cancel his planned visit.

South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Gatot Edi Pramono said the gridlock made it impossible for officers to ensure security for the President, who reportedly wanted to inspect the zoo, which is one of the most popular locations for the New Year’s holiday for residents of Greater Jakarta.

More than 60,000 visitors packed the zoo on Saturday.

Another popular tourist destination, Puncak in Bogor, West Java, also saw traffic snarls on Saturday as cars entering and exiting the hillside resort town clogged the narrow main road connecting Jakarta and Bogor.

One motorist complained that she had been stuck in traffic for more than two hours, with no sign of relief.

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