JAKARTA JAKARTA PART TWO
We traveled by motor coach through the city to The Indonesian Museum. Along the route we passed several government buildings, etc. Jakarta was quite pretty! Here are several photos that I managed to take from the coach window.
This photo intrigued me for some reason. I especially noticed the women’s attire and the motor bikes. Perhaps the owners of the bikes parked here and took a bus to their destinations?
The buildings and grounds were beautiful. The buildings are very old but well maintained. The inside has been completely renovated.
Goldfish pond and school children on a field trip. There were a lot of kids visiting the museum today. Seeing them was my favorite part. They were all so cute and so friendly! One called Mark “Papa”!
I must admit that I do not like museums and we have visited and will be visiting many! When I’m in a museum, I find myself never reading about the items on display, but instead wander aimlessly admiring items that I find pretty and interesting. Today was no exception. That being said, the photos here tell no story and are in random order, but fascinating to me.
This is our guide showing our location on a beautiful map of Indonesia.
The art on the map is exquisite.
Masks used in Indonesian ceremonies.
Mask colors depict a certain sentiment- good, evil, spirits, demons, warriors….
Beautiful batik fabrics
Students on a field trip doing their studies. Male and female are separated.
The students had “homework” as one of the boys told me.
They were interested in what our guide had to say and joined our group.
My new buddies! The kids were so much fun!
Papa and his fans!
The friend who took this said that Mark was “Godlike” with the light shining on him.
Oh brother……! lol!
Tree of Life. Ceiling is stunning.
Next stop - THE MINIATURE VILLIAGE.
I was expecting to see tiny tiny replicas of homes and buildings in the areas of their origins surrounding Jakarta. Instead we saw almost full sized replicas divided in the areas of their origins! It reminded us of Disney World Epcot Center complete with overhead cable cars!
“It is kind of a cultural village to me. From here you can get to know the culture of Indonesia from in and out. The park is divided by province, the Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Palau & etc. Each of this area displayed the kind of house that they used to stay, the costume, the living style and etc…The place is quite big.”
This quote was taken from a review and expresses my feelings exactly! I think I could have enjoyed this Miniature Park had we had more time and on a nice day. A quick hour and a half tour in the rain just didn’t work for me!
Our tour began in one of the buildings that would be used for celebrations and weddings. We had to take our shoes off to enter and were greeted with an Indonesian Plate Dance.
Here is a photo of the celebration building and dancers.
Replicas of the village buildings. The architecture is stunning!
As we left the Miniature Park we made one more stop on the way out. It was a house typical of homes in the mountain region. It was raining and we were stopped there for about 15 minutes, so Mark went in to see the house and I stayed in the bus. Here are his photos and notes!
Mark’s note: Indonesia is the largest country in Southeast Asia with a population of 285 million, almost as many people as the USA. It is comprised of more than 17,500 islands, stretching over 3200 miles east to west and 1100 miles north to south. It is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire - much tectonic plate movement and volcanic activity. Indonesia takes pride in their religious tolerance. Islam is the predominant religion but there are large pockets of Christians, Hindu, Buddhist, Confucian and Ancestral worshipers intermingled in various regions east to west. One of the replica houses we visited in the museum park was from a small mountain community which still practices ancestral worship. In their ancestral worship practice, they believe when a member of their community dies, that body is to be mummified and remain in the family occupied home for at least 1 year (or longer) while the family accumulates enough money to buy a herd of Brahmin cattle (costing up to $100,000 US dollars) which are then sacrificed and feed to the community. At that point the mummified body is hoisted up a tall mountain cliff face by the men of the community to be deposited in a cave on the cliff face as its final resting spot. Before the burial, while the body remains in the home (for 1 to 20 years while accumulating the money), the family treats the mummy as though it is still alive, bringing meals, having conversations, etc…..yikes. Some of the pictures show the mummy’s bedroom next to the family living quarters. Also shows the mummy’s casket. The Indonesian lady in one picture shows us a cell phone picture of her deceased grandmother who was being prepared for this procedure. Not surprising that many of the younger generations in this community are converting to Christian or Muslim religions to avoid this costly ancestral worship practice. On our voyage, we find there is much to be learned about the similarities and differences in our family of humans. This was one of the more surreal lessons we learned today.
This was a nice excursion, even in the rain! We boarded the bus and headed to the ship. Soon it was time to move on to our next port! So long Jakarta!
Our escorts- tugboats- lead us out of the port and into the bay and then into the Straits of Malacca.
Boats anchored in the bay as we leave Jakarta.
SO LONG JAKARTA!
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