Malls packed with shoppers as New Year approaches

Dewi Santoso, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Various promotions offered by malls and shopping centers across the capital have prompted Jakartans to spend their time there during the holiday season after Christmas Day and ahead of the New Year.

Lisa, a visitor at Taman Anggrek Mall in West Jakarta, said on Sunday she took her seven-year-old son Jimmy and five-year-old son Joshua to the mall to ice skate at the arena.

"My husband and I had planned to go to Bali to celebrate the coming year but we couldn't get any tickets. All the flights were booked out, I guess. So we could only bring our children here to enjoy the holidays," said the 35-year-old mother.

The mall was packed with dozens of people, trying their skills at ice skating, buying personal gifts for the New Year's celebration, or just sightseeing.

Inside the mall's games center Timezone, the situation was not much different as loud sounds of the games that were played and dozens of people -- children and adults -- were busy playing numerous games such as bowling, basketball, pinball machine and Daytona racing car.

At the Karawaci Supermal in Tangerang, dozens of people also packed the mall's recreational area, where a variety of games were available.

Vincent, a visitor, said that he took his six-year-old daughter Tiffany to enjoy the games there.

"It's still the holiday season and I want her to enjoy the day and have fun because I can't take extra days off to go out of town," said the 31-year-old private banker.

Besides malls, other recreational sites such as Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) in East Jakarta also offered numerous attractions including traditional food and beverage bazaar, handicraft and tourism exhibitions -- not to mention a fireworks display.

The TMII head of public relations, Markus Legimin, said there would also be traditional and contemporary art performances such as West Java's traditional Jaipongan dance, East Java's traditional drama Ketoprak, West Java's Wayang Golek (puppet show), Central Java's Wayang Kulit (leather puppet show), Betawi's Wayang Kulit and a dangdut music concert performed by the famous king of dangdut, Rhoma Irama, and other noted singers, such as Evi Tamala, Meggy Z., Mansyur S. and Cici Paramida.

"Thus, visitors will be able to enjoy the whole day of entertainment," said Markus as quoted by Tempo Interaktif.