City quite, recreation parks busy
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
On Sunday morning, Awi took his wife and three children on his motorcycle to the recreational park in Ancol, North Jakarta.
They also brought a three-tiered food container, a thermos and a plastic mat for a family picnic, their traditional Idul Fitri celebration.
"Last year, we came here also," Awi, 30, told The Jakarta Post. He added that his family spent a full day on Saturday at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) in East Jakarta. Awi works as an administrative staff at a warehouse in Tanjung Priok port and lives in Kalibaru, North Jakarta.
Like Awi, thousands of people visited popular recreational parks in the city this weekend.
On Sunday, one day after the Idul Fitri holidays which fell on Dec. 6 and Dec. 7 this year, recreation parks were buzzing with a festive mood in contrast to the quietude of the capital's empty streets.
Holidaymakers were not deterred from enjoying themselves at outdoor recreation centers by the hot day and bright sun, nor by the ever-present thick smog resulting from chronic traffic jams in the city.
Ancol Dreamland reported that visitors numbered nearly 10 times as that on a normal day, or more than 112,000 visitors per day over the weekend, as compared to merely 12,000 visitors on a normal day.
Most of the visitors, who came from all over the capital as well as from nearby cities, crowded recreational parks to enjoy the holiday with relatives and family. Many brought with them their own food and drinks to minimize spending.
"In reality, though, I still had to reach deep into my pocket, as I spent more than Rp 150,000 (US$16) just for the entrance fees, not to mention toys," sighed Awi.
Ancol Dreamland charges an entrance fee of Rp 7,500 per person, as well as additional entrance fees of Rp 6,000 per car and Rp 5,000 per motorbike. These fees, however, restricts visitor access only to the Ancol coastline. Those who want to visit Fantasy World (Dunia Fantasi) or the swimming pool must pay additional entrance fees of Rp 50,000 and Rp 20,000 per person, respectively.
Some visitors have expressed their disappointment at these hefty entrance fees, but feel powerless to protest.
"These fees are simply inappropriate, considering the poor services available for visitors. What makes me upset is that they (the management) charge the full entrance fees for children," grumbled Yoyo, a resident of Prumpung, East Jakarta.
Meanwhile, TMII charges an entrance fee of Rp 6,000 per person, while Ragunan Zoo charges Rp 3,000 per person. Elsinta radio station reported that more than 150,000 visitors packed Ragunan Zoo over the weekend.
Some public transportation vehicles which generally travel along routes through Jakarta's suburbs such as Ciledug, Blok M, Taman Mini and even Bogor, were rented by holidaymakers, who were seen packing into the vehicles. Many visitors also rode in the back of pickup trucks, which transported them to Ancol.
Ancol management said more than 9,000 cars and 7,000 motorcycles entered Ancol on Saturday; on Sunday, about 2,800 cars and 3,400 motorcycles had already arrived by the time the Post visited the computerized ticket center at 12:30 p.m. for data on visitors. Thousands of other vehicles were expected to come later in the day.
A festive mood similar to that at recreation centers also lit up shopping centers and malls in Jakarta, where most outlets were open over the holiday weekend.
In contrast to such places crowded with jovial holidaymakers, many usually busy streets and thoroughfares in Jakarta, like Jl. M.H. Thamrin, Jl. Jend. Sudirman and Jl. Salemba, as well as the normally bustling Menteng area, were quiet.
Only a few cars and motorcycles were seen passing through, most likely on their way to join in the fun and festivities of the Idul Fitri weekend.