It's a huge village of total intergalactic boredom. Also a home to parade of moaning drifters and homeless dudes. Flashy city malls, jammed intersections, sewage dirt on the street, shabby passers-by, midnight parking-lot-criminals, limitless queue lines. All you'd ever seen of a never-changing city, is just a piece of land you don't wish to live in. At least from the sight of a middle-class lady student over here.
It's been almost two years that I continue to pursue a postgraduate degree in political science in Jakarta. I met new people, new experiences, and brand new stuns and awe. As a postgrad student, I only have to attend for about 10 hours of a week in maximum. But that doesn't always mean that I've got a lot of spare time to rest my butt out.
I'd been in classroom bench too long, so that I decided to make some arrangements to enjoy life. I went to the nearby cities, I traveled the city roads and gutters, watching mentally half-paralyzed drivers while rushed along with my steps. I lived in bad tastes since I don't always know how to make fun of the situation.
When it comes to holiday season, it's an escape route for almost anyone, except the god damned-money-robber traffic police officers, to hang around the city. However, there aren't too much options. Jakarta, after all, is home to shopping squares. From Tanah Abang and Asemka Groceries to the amusing malls around Sudirman Business District or Senayan; we will certainly have the picture of the biggest capital circulation in the country.
In short, getting through the holiday in Jakarta would mean shopping, if not just culinary adventure. Here we have The Jakarta fair (sort of huge festival bazaar), Jakarta Great Sale, or live music on the street and sometimes on Seven Eleven shops. Well at least on family getaway, you will at most would drive to north Jakarta's Ancol and Dufan, or end up in Ragunan zoo.
Personally, I am not a frequent money spender, while basically I don't feel like relieved in the midst of the crowd. Shopping is not my thingy. My fatigue suddenly taking me over if I look around shopping squares too much. I simply could not stand the noise. Live music, yes, but not of them who performed on the pavement of convenient stores. In the midyear and school holidays like those days passed, it's getting boring. Especially when you don't have any friends to roam around, any sweet smelling cafes in Kemang will turn out very lonesome.
In short, getting through the holiday in Jakarta would mean shopping, if not just culinary adventure. Here we have The Jakarta fair (sort of huge festival bazaar), Jakarta Great Sale, or live music on the street and sometimes on Seven Eleven shops. Well at least on family getaway, you will at most would drive to north Jakarta's Ancol and Dufan, or end up in Ragunan zoo.
Personally, I am not a frequent money spender, while basically I don't feel like relieved in the midst of the crowd. Shopping is not my thingy. My fatigue suddenly taking me over if I look around shopping squares too much. I simply could not stand the noise. Live music, yes, but not of them who performed on the pavement of convenient stores. In the midyear and school holidays like those days passed, it's getting boring. Especially when you don't have any friends to roam around, any sweet smelling cafes in Kemang will turn out very lonesome.
But sometimes things can be different if you are enlightened by some creativeness, nice mates to substitute the boredom. Jakarta can be fun, but at least for me, I definitely won't waste my holiday here. An adequately sane people would do the same too, if chances are on side. The point is, that the city is at its length, no matter what creativity involves in it, it's not original, immature and fake. There is nothing natural here, everything is artificial as an imagined metropolis. Another point is that reality can't take the expectation of wonder skyscrapers anymore. The environment sucks, the once-great-river Ciliwung is on its edge; then the town parks are almost no shelter of cool air anymore. The city is the most polluted capital in Southeast Asia, what is worse than that? Too much load and contradiction of landscapes that I cannot love, it even breaks my heart that needy folks on the kampongs and under-nourished guys recite their own entertainment of playing ukulele and monkey circus under flyovers and city bridges (that was my view when I took the Bajaj ride).
Great for doing business, but not for leisure. We should all admit that this is a town of no joy, don't even push yourselves to enjoy. My advise is don't come near there when you have holiday, with all respects, I hope all parents take their children outta the city for awhile, just to experience nature. For youngsters and socialites as well, feel the showers of glamorous disco lamps as you like. But don't forget to balance this to meet the fantasy of clear blue skies, or just to strolling around the tea plantation before you go further climbing a mountain.
Jakarta is not for a perfect holiday. They are not a pair of shoes. When you try to walk on them, you'll likely feel uncomfortable in no time.
Great for doing business, but not for leisure. We should all admit that this is a town of no joy, don't even push yourselves to enjoy. My advise is don't come near there when you have holiday, with all respects, I hope all parents take their children outta the city for awhile, just to experience nature. For youngsters and socialites as well, feel the showers of glamorous disco lamps as you like. But don't forget to balance this to meet the fantasy of clear blue skies, or just to strolling around the tea plantation before you go further climbing a mountain.
Jakarta is not for a perfect holiday. They are not a pair of shoes. When you try to walk on them, you'll likely feel uncomfortable in no time.
3 comments:
I honestly, I won't choose a holiday in Jakarta :(
so where do you go for a break? tell me bout it
so where do you go for a break? tell me bout it
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