TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Quiet Jakarta attracts out-of-towners
While most Jakartans are out of town, holidaymakers see the opportunity to enjoy the different ambience of the metropolis.
Change Size
A man walks inside the KH Hasyim Asy’ari Grand Mosque, the first city-owned grand mosque located in Daan Mogot, West Jakarta, on May 30, 2019. Built on a 2.4-hectare plot of land, the mosque, which was inaugurated in 2017, can accommodate 12,500 people. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
A
lthough the vast majority of people traveling during Idul Fitri head out of Jakarta on their way back to their hometowns, there are some people who have decided to travel in the opposite direction.
Christina Pandiangan, 34, who traveled with her husband and her two daughters to Jakarta by car from Cibinong, West Java, said that she would like to introduce the capital to her children.
“We would like to let our children know about the trendy MRT station and some other tourist attractions in the capital such as Kota Tua,” she told The Jakarta Post.
She also said that the holiday was an opportunity to educate her children about the historical background as well as the development of the capital because it was less busy.
Christina and her family were not alone in their thinking. The vacant streets have provided tourists and Indonesians alike with plenty of options to explore.
Nessa Adiani, 27, who came to Jakarta from Malang, East Java by train with her family decided to travel to Jakarta for the week.
“We are here to celebrate Idul Fitri with our family who live in Jakarta, as well as visit tourist attractions,” she said in Senayan, South Jakarta.
However, it’s not just tourists who are exploiting the exodus. Jakartans such as Rosmian Girsang, 24, are enjoying the relief from the continuous congestion and chaos.
“It usually takes more than one hour to commute from my house in Bekasi, West Java, to my office, but it only takes 15 minutes using Transjakarta during this holiday,” said Rosmian.
Rosmian, who works as a banker in Cawang, East Jakarta, said that she’s taking her brother, who lives in Medan, around the city to visit Kota Tua, Ancol, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah and also try out the new MRT with her brother because he has never taken the train before.
Her reasons for exploring the city echoed the sentiments of many people remaining in Jakarta.
“As people go back to their hometown during the Idul Fitri holiday, it is a good time for us to explore Jakarta,” she said. (awa)
-- Our intern Teddy Hans contributed to this story.
