Negotiating the face of Pondok Indah Mall<\/p>\n
By Charlie Stevens<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): It looked easy enough. A 12-meter high stainless
\nsteel wall speckled with brightly colored plastic \"rocks\". On
\ncloser inspection some of these were molded into the shape of
\nskulls, an ominous sign some might say, still I was undeterred.<\/p>\n
Naldy, my supervisor, had given me a couple of demonstrations
\non the more challenging sections of the wall and watching his
\ncasual ascent filled me with unjustified confidence. But several
\nmoments later, when I was about a third of the way up the wall,
\nthe fear set in, pooling in my stomach and running down my arms.
\nNot quite as brave as I thought, considering I was only about
\nthree meters from the ground. Repressed memories of falling out
\nof a tree perhaps. But by this stage a small audience of smirking
\nshoppers had gathered in the parking lot of Pondok Indah Mall in
\nSouth Jakarta to watch the show, so there was no backing out.<\/p>\n
\"Safety is our number one priority,\" said Oki, the coordinator
\nof the climbing wall at the mall. \"There is no way of falling
\nwith the harness and the ropes. And there is a buddy holding the
\nropes from the ground.\"<\/p>\n
Somehow this was of little comfort as my knuckles turned white
\nand my knees shook, edging upward, plastic rock by plastic rock.
\nThe special rubber climbing shoes they had provided seemed to
\ncling to the wall like the feet of a fly.<\/p>\n
There are about 40 climbing walls in Jakarta, but most of
\nthese are located on university campuses and cater to the
\nadrenaline-addicted student bodies. The wall at Pondok Indah
\nMall, however, is open to anyone brave enough to test their
\nskills.<\/p>\n
\"We get an average of five people a day during the week, but
\nover the next two weeks of school holidays we can expect up to 30
\npeople a day,\" said Oki.<\/p>\n
\"About 80 percent of these are Indonesian and about 20 percent
\nare tourists,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The climbing wall at the mall is open between 10 a.m. and 8
\np.m. For Rp 20,000 you can spend an hour conquering any one of
\nthe wall's eight climbing routes, ranging in difficulty from
\nbeginner to advanced, though Oki's crew will encourage you to try
\nsomething more difficult than you might naturally choose.<\/p>\n
\"Go on, try the overhang,\" said Naldy.<\/p>\n
\"No, I don't think so.\"<\/p>\n
\"Why not, just give it a try.\"<\/p>\n
\"Well, um ... \"<\/p>\n
The wall at Pondok Indah Mall was opened two years ago by
\nBritish businessman Nicholas Andrew as the first public
\nrecreational facility of its kind in Indonesia. It is run and
\nmaintained, however, by Oki, Naldy and Javu -- all experienced in
\nclimbing both artificial rock walls and the far more serious rock
\nfaces found on the mountains around Bogor and Bandung.<\/p>\n
They, while clearly enjoying the spectacle of a clamoring
\nnovice, are supportive and understand what it means to be frozen
\nwith apprehension so far above the ground.<\/p>\n
\"The special climbing shoes are all imported from Italy or
\nSpain and the ropes are specially designed for climbing. We check
\nthe equipment regularly and we've never had an accident,\" Naldy
\nsaid kindly.<\/p>\n
\"We all compete in competitions,\" he said. \"And sometimes the
\nprize money can be very good.\"<\/p>\n
Naldy and Javu are both currently preparing for an
\ninteruniversity wall climbing competition to be held in Jakarta
\nbetween July 6 and July 8, with a grand prize of Rp 1,300,000.<\/p>\n
\"It's one of those sports that tests not only your physical
\nstrength but also your patience and concentration,\" said Asep,
\n23, one of the customers at the Pondok Indah climbing wall.<\/p>\n
\"It's not like running or swimming, where the only aim is to
\nget to the other point. It's more like vertical ballet dancing,
\nwhere you have to be nimble and stretch your arms and legs. But
\nthere's also the added danger of losing your grip, and the rocks
\nyou have to hold on to are so small.<\/p>\n
\"It's actually quite safe but it still takes a lot of
\ncourage,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/negotiating-the-face-of-pondok-indah-mall-1447893297",
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