Amusement parks, beaches still teeming
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
As the long Idul Fitri holiday was winding down, more than 95,000 visitors flocked to Taman Mini park (TMII) in East Jakarta on Saturday, one of the most favored of recreation sites for local families who visit the capital.
The number was higher compared to last year's figure during the same period.
"The number of visitors this year increased by around 5,000 over a year ago," J. Purnawijaya Alibasa, head of the public relations department of TMII, was quoted as saying by Antara.
Most visitors on Saturday came from areas outside Jakarta. They arrived in the morning on buses or trucks and spent the whole day.
TMII, which hosts dozens of miniature buildings representative of the different cultures from each province throughout the archipelago, also offered a few other attractions.
The attractions included traditional dances and music performances as well as singing by famous child singers.
Each building also has shops selling handicrafts from the respective provinces.
Ani, 25, a visitor from Kuningan, West Java, said that it was her first visit to TMII.
"My friends and I came here on two buses. We wanted to see art performances and traditional houses from places throughout Indonesia," she said.
TMII charges Rp 7,000 (82 U.S. cents) for adults and Rp 5,000 for children for the entrance ticket. It also charges Rp 7,000 for a car entering the site and Rp 4,000 for a motorcycle.
Separately, Anyer and Carita beaches in nearby Banten province were also packed with visitors over the weekend.
The traffic to and from the beaches was heavily congested, causing a 13-kilometer long line of traffic on Saturday.
Udin Hardi, a public minivan driver, told Antara that the traffic was worse during this year's Idul Fitri holiday than in past years.
"I had to find alternative roads and charge Rp 2,000 more than the normal fare to each of my passengers," he said.
Anyer and Carita beaches are popular recreation sites, hosting plenty of hotels and cottages. Many Jakartans spend their weekends or holidays there, because it is generally only three hours away by car.