Discovering the Thousand Island – Pulau Seribu

As the name suggests, these small islands offer a wide range attraction, from tourism to marine life.

Pulau Seribu, the “Thousand Islands”, extend northward from Jakarta in Jakarta Bay. Actually numbering only around 140, they nevertheless offer many point of interest, particularly maritime tourism with white sand beaches, calm water, and underwater coral formations, Most of the island lie within the Maritime National Park; only 37 islands are allowed to be used for commercial purposes.

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Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), The Culture Park Archipelago

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) or "Culture Park Archipelago” is a culture-based recreational area located in Pondok Gede East Jakarta, Indonesia. It has an area of about 250 acres. TMII presented the beauty of Indonesian nature and all aspects of its arts and culture in miniature of Indonesia's customehouse.

This idea of building this smaller scale of Indonesia as whole was originally came from former Indonesian first lady, Siti Hartinah or best-known as Tien Suharto. The idea came out at a convention on 8 Cendana Street at March 13, 1970. Through this recreational site, she hoped more people will have more national pride than before. The project called "Indonesian Miniature Project" was started by Harapan Kita Foundation in 1972. The concept of building this recreational area was taken from the fact that Indonesia has unparalled richness from many different sources.

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Tugu Monas, National Monument of Indonesia

Monumen Nasional or the popular abbreviated with the Monas or Tugu Monas is one of the monuments which established to honor people's resistance and struggle against the Dutch colony of Indonesia.

The monument is located in central Jakarta close to the Presidential Palace, it is at the Lapangan monas (Monas square). The monument, with its unique style and is 137 m in high, was made of marbles with phallus form symbolizing the fertilizing. The architect for this monument was Soedarsono and F. Silaban and the consultant was Ir. Rooseno.

At the top of the National Monument there are cup-shaped to support the flame torch bronze weighing 14.5 tons, and coated by 35kg of gold. The flame or torch is a symbol of the struggle of the people of Indonesia who want to achieve independence.

As one of tourist destination in Jakarta, Monas has become more fascinating with the 80-hectare park and its various plants. This park has become the lungs of Jakarta. The entrance fee is quite cheap, that is Rp2,500 per person. Monas is opened every day from 09.00-16.00 WIB.

There are some horse-riding-guys would chauffeur you with the chariot that the local people called as Bendi or Dokar. You have to bargain the price.

Want to view Jakarta from the top? Visitors can take an elevator up to a platform, the fee is Rp. 15,000 per person. From the highest point of the monument, you can see Jakarta and surroundings such as Medan Merdeka Park, Istiqlal Mosque, and the city. Inside the base of the monument is an exhibition on the country's Declaration of Independence and several dioramas showing the history of Indonesia. However, don’t be surprise, if the wind was pretty strong from up there.

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Jakarta, Indonesia

Jakarta, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. It also has a greater population than any other city in Southeast Asia. It was formerly known as Sunda Kelapa (397-1527), Jayakarta (1527-1619), Batavia (1619-1942), and Djakarta (1942-1972). Located on the northwest coast of Java, it has an area of 661.52 square kilometres (255.41 sq mi) and a population of 8,489,910[1]. Jakarta is the country's economic, culture and political center. Jakarta currently is the twelfth largest city in the world. Its metropolitan area, Jabodetabek, contains more than 23 million people, and is part of an even larger Jakarta-Bandung megalopolis

Jakarta is served by the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Tanjung Priok harbour. Since 2004, Jakarta, while under the governance of Sutiyoso, has built a new bus system known as "TransJakarta" or "Busway", and is now planning to expand the number of routes. The city had hoped to establish its newest transportation system, the Jakarta Monorail, in 2007, but the project was abandoned by the developer, PT Jakarta Monorail, in March 2008. Jakarta is the location of the Jakarta Stock Exchange, the Bank of Indonesia, and the National Monument, or Tugu Monas.

As the economic and political capital of Indonesia, Jakarta attracts many foreign as well as domestic immigrants. As a result, Jakarta has a decidedly cosmopolitan flavor and a diverse culture. Many of the immigrants are from the other parts of the island of Java, bringing along a mixture of dialects of the Javanese and Sundanese languages, as well as their traditional foods and customs.

Jakarta is sometimes called "The Big Durian" by foreigners resident in the city. The durian is a tropical fruit with a distinctive odor and acquired taste. A bustling urban metropolis, Jakarta is known for its overcrowding, traffic congestion, and income disparity.

The Betawi (Orang Betawi, or "people of Batavia") is a term used to describe the descendants of the people living around Batavia and recognized as a tribe from around the 18th-19th century. The Betawi people are mostly descended from various Southeast Asian ethnic groups brought or attracted to Batavia to meet labor needs, and include people from various parts of Indonesia.[22] The language and culture of these immigrants are distinct from those of the Sundanese or Javanese. The language is more based on East Malay dialect and enriched by loan words from Javanese, Chinese, and Arab. Nowadays, the Jakarta-dialects used by people in Jakarta is loosely based on Betawi Language.

Jakarta has several performance centers, such as the Senayan center. Traditional music is often found at high-class hotels, including wayang and gamelan performances. As the nation's largest city and capital, Jakarta has lured much national and regional talent who hope to find a greater audience and more opportunities for success.

Ironically, the Betawi arts are rarely found in Jakarta due to their infamous low-profile and most of them had moved to the border of Jakarta, ridden by the wave of immigrant. It is easier to find Java or Minang based wedding ceremonial instead of Betawi wedding in Jakarta. It is easier to find Javanese Gamelan instead of Gambang Kromong (mixture between Betawi and Chinese music) or Tanjidor (mixture between Betawi and Portuguese music) or Marawis (mixture between Betawi and Yaman music). However, some festivals such as Jalan Jaksa Festival or Kemang Festival tried to preserve the Betawi art by inviting the artist to do some performances.

The concentration of wealth and political influence in the city means that it has much more noticeable foreign influence on its landscape and culture, an effect illustrated by the presence in the city of many major international fast-food chains, for example.

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