T

he area that was once only grass has turned into a popular place for residents of Jayapura city and its surrounding area in Papua to gather and enjoy the natural scenery amid a cool breeze.

Named Jokowi Hill, after President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, the place is located around Skyland Hill, connecting Jayapura and Abepura cities, directly facing the Pacific Ocean and Youtefa Bay.

From Jokowi Hill, visitors can enjoy the beautiful views of Youtefa Bay, with its two villages of Tobati and Enggros and a group of power plants as a backdrop.

The hill can be reached in about 30 minutes from downtown Jayapura and 15 minutes from Abepura city.

From the top of the hill, visitors can also see some construction projects, including a 733-meter-long bridge connecting Jayapura and Muara Tami district, and the 3.5-kilometer bypass from Hamadi Beach to a Buddhist temple in Skyland, which is part of the development of a ring road.

“Previously the whole place was called Skyland because it is located in Skyland Hill. But after Pak Jokowi visited this place, people started calling it Jokowi Hill,” coconut seller Marice Tanasale Korwa said.

During his first visit to Papua in 2014, President Jokowi chose the spot as a place to observe the development of the ring road and the bridge. The mound at the place was flattened and later became Jokowi Hill.

A customary ritual from Biak called injak piring was held when the President entered the site. The ritual’s purpose is to welcome guests entering a local place.

Ever since, people frequent the place to sit around and enjoy the sights and sounds.

“We saw this as an opportunity to sell coconuts. We built a hut and prepared benches for visitors to sit on,” said Marice, adding that she had been earning a living there for three years.

She thanked the President for visiting, saying that if he had not come, fewer people would visit, and her earnings would suffer.

Before selling coconuts at Jokowi Hill, Marice sold steamed yellow rice on a roadside in Abepura, while her younger sister sold goods from Papua New Guinea.

Now, Marice can earn between Rp 700,000 (US$52) and Rp 750,000 on weekdays and between Rp 1 million and Rp 1.5 million on weekends.

A whole coconut goes for between Rp 15,000 and Rp 25,000 with additional milk and syrup.

Sonya Obinaru of Jayapura city said the hill was her favorite place to spend her free time.

“This is very close to the Abepura–Jayapura highway. It’s secure and I never get bored of the scenery,” she said.

Visitors are only required to pay for parking (Rp 5,000 for motorcycles and Rp 10,000 for four-wheeled vehicles).

The place has also been used by the Action Papua art community, led by Jeffry Nendisa, which performs once a month.