Brown, brown ocean: Getting the most from the coast

Brown, brown ocean: Getting the most from the coast

They may call Jakarta a malodorous, contaminated, metropolis,
but such naysayers usually overlook the city's very own beach
"Resort", namely Ancol. So, to celebrate reports in The Jakarta
Post this week that the railway line to Ancol is to be reopened
soon, a look at Jakarta's slightly celebrated seaboard is perhaps
in order.

Taman Impian Ancol, the entertainment complex on the city's
north coast, can be found cowering behind the concrete abutments
of a toll road, which is probably a better way of getting there
than by slogging it up through the jams of Pasar Baru and Mangga
Dua. It costs Rp 10,000 per person to gain access to the
sprawling complex itself and then you are free to enjoy, well,
not much actually, as you then have to pay again for whatever
entertainment venue you finally end up in. If you are on a budget
though you can stroll around the Pasar Seni (art market) for your
initial Rp 10,000 down-payment. Pasar Seni is an endearingly
cheap and cheerful concourse of budget restaurants and clothing
stalls which is dominated by a large central stage upon which the
odd Kretek cigarette or Extra Joss sponsored dangdut concert --
usually featuring some over made-up, caterwauling tart with a big
bouffant hairdo -- takes place.

Alternatively, one could take an afternoon's constitutional
along the beachfront promenade and enjoy the brackish, ammonia-
scented ambience of Ancol Bay's radioactive waters whilst
drinking in breathtaking vistas of turds bobbing up and down and
the Three-Mile-Island-like power station belching smoke into the
atmosphere just down the coast. However if you squint through
half-closed eyes you can almost imagine that you are in Bali. It
can, in fact, be quite agreeable to sit on the promenade with a
beer and watch the sunset late on a Sunday afternoon. There's
also a cool cable car that will give you a 20-minute long,
vertiginous ride over the beach and the whole complex for Rp
20,000. If you wait until the evening and you have your own
automobile you may also wish to join ranks with the amorous,
motoring couples who like to park up at Ancol and indulge in what
is locally known as "car shaking". This is a suspension testing,
hand-to-hand combat sport much favored around Jakarta's shores.
These days, however, most of the shaking on Ancol's beaches is
caused by the 6000 MW sound systems of frequent outdoor rave
party's.

If cable cars, shaking cars or pilled-up techno parties don't
do it for you then you're just going to have to stump up some
more money for a decent day's entertainment. The most popular
part of the Ancol complex is probably Dunia Fantasi (tel: 647
12000). A day ticket for Dunia Fantasi (World Fantasy), or "Du
Fan" as it's known, costs Rp 60,000 during the week and Rp 80,000
at weekends or on public holidays. Inside, while not exactly
Disneyland in scale, Du Fan can be a surprisingly enjoyable place
although it's jam-packed solid on public holidays. There are some
pretty respectable rides to enjoy including a looping roller-
coaster and a log flume. One word of caution though: it's perhaps
not best to go to Du Fan on the Sunday after heavy Saturday night
session. I tried it once and after a turn on several nausea-
inducing rides undertaken in Jakarta's merciless midday sun, I
felt pretty much as near death as I ever have: sweating, heart
palpitations, dizziness and my trousers about to become a log
flume all of their own.

Other Ancol attractions include various animal show arenas --
dolphins doing sums on blackboards, monkeys on tricycles, seals
hang-gliding, etc. etc. One almost expects a parade of bearded
ladies or an elephant man to be topping the bill at these freak
shows. Ancol's Sea World, on the other hand, really is a treat
for tourists. Sea World is a sizable aquarium/oceanarium center
whose highlight is a fantastic underwater tunnel through which
you can watch various fish, rays and mini sharks slip by. Ancol
also features a water slide park that can be a good laugh,
although it's often too crowded and is apparently a haven for
pickpockets. Entrance to Gellanggang Renang, as the slide park is
called, costs Rp 45,000 at weekends.

Lazy golfers are also catered for and can hire one of those
electric golf carts that fat Americans in slacks seem unable to
manage without, in order to take them around Ancol's full size
course. Finally, no coastal resort would be complete without a
marina and Ancol's marina (tel: 640 1140) is full of the
aristocratic white yachts of the stinking rich. However, it also
houses boats that will ferry you to the cleaner waters of the
very wonderful Thousand Islands (Pulau Seribu) for a day trip or
for a whole weekend. A weekend trip usually costs Rp.251,000 per
night including food.

So there's plenty on offer at Ancol to keep you amused for the
day; just don't go swimming in the sea itself if staying out of
hospital is important to you.

Simon Pitchforth