New year passes off brightly

New year passes off brightly

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Bogor

Cheering Jakartans swamped main thoroughfares and recreational
sites in the capital from late Wednesday to early Thursday to
welcome in the new year, despite fears of heavy rain as
forecasted earlier by the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency
(BMG).

From Ancol beach in North Jakarta to the Blok M area in South
Jakarta, restaurants, bars and other entertainment establishments
lured in crowds, from children to the elderly, with the by
promise of fireworks, musical shows and other entertainment to
greet 2004.

The sky was vividly clear at Ancol beach when a sea of
visitors crowded Carnaval Stage to watch the performances of
popular rock bands Padi and Slank and controversial dangdut
singer Inul Daratista, known for her gyrating dance, Kristina and
Alam.

Governor Sutiyoso attended the concert with his wife and
entourage. He thanked thousands of visitors "for the support and
for being wonderful citizens who have helped create firm security
in the capital".

He also warned Jakartans to stay vigilant and uphold unity as
the country was to hold its first direct presidential election.

Sutiyoso led the countdown of the last seconds of 2003.
Fireworks colored the sky when the hands of the clock hit 12,
followed by the audience's shouts hailing the new year.

Pardi, who brought along his wife and three children, said it
was his children who insisted on being there.

"I didn't want to come here actually. I knew it was going to
be overcrowded, but my kids told me that they wanted to see the
beautiful, huge fireworks display," he said.

In Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, East Jakarta, thousands of
people packed Tugu Api square. Many merrymakers took their shirts
off and danced to the rhythm of dangdut songs performed by "King
of Dangdut" Rhoma Irama and other singers on a 360-square-meter
stage.

Other activities held in the vicinity included open-air
movies, a traditional Sundanese dance and a wayang kulit (shadow
puppet) show by well-known puppeteers such as Manteb Sudharsono
at the East and Central Java pavilions.

Another main attraction was the park's miniature archipelago,
which was lit up by 2004 torches to mark the coming of the new
year.

Besides recreational sites, the city's cafes and discotheques
were also top options for many Jakartans. At Kafe Tenda Semanggi,
Central Jakarta, people gathered hours before the show started at
8 p.m., especially fans of the famous Dewa band.

Nearby, at Taman Ria Senayan, a New Year's Eve celebration
also took place with various types of entertainment. Local
illusionist Deddy Corbuzier gave an attention-grabbing
performance, and near midnight, a band well-known for its 1970s
style, Naif, guided the crowd through the final minutes of 2003.

A visitor from Depok, Lutfi, took her three children there "to
give my kids a different experience than the usual grilled fish
party and fireworks at home".

Rockets shot up from behind the main stage, making a colorful
display. The bigger the fireworks, the louder the "oohs" and
"aahs" were from the more than 1,000 people there, followed by
the noisy sound of trumpets.

The weather was kind on Wednesday despite fears of heavy rain
as predicted by the BMG. It did, however, drizzle at Taman Mini.
Rain started pouring down on the capital at dawn on Thursday.

Owing to the merry celebrations, traffic in many parts of the
city and its surrounding areas was severely congested. Traffic
jams were inevitable on the city's main thoroughfares with the
thousands of vehicles out on the road.

Heavy traffic occurred on Jl. Kebon Sirih, Central Jakarta,
and continued along Jl. Jend. Sudirman all the way to the Hotel
Indonesia traffic circle. At 2:30 a.m., the streets seemed more
like parking lots.

A fast-food restaurant in the area was overwhelmingly crowded
with hungry people, with many people lined up outside the
restaurant.

In areas such as Cikini and Menteng, and in Blok M in South
Jakarta, cars moved at a snail's pace.

Just outside Jakarta, over 72,000 vehicles swamped the Puncak
area in Bogor. Cars were backed up on the Jagorawi toll road from
the Sentul area all the way to Puncak Pass, with people out to
celebrate the New Year on Wednesday night.

Traffic on Jl. Tajur, Bogor, was paralyzed for hours due to
local festivities held on the street. Thousands of Bogor citizens
also packed the Bogor Palace.

Several streets in Bogor were severely congested, such as Jl.
Raya Simpang Pomad and Warung Jambu. Police rerouted all
motorcycles going to the Puncak area by directing them to the
Simpang Cimahpar-Ciheuleut-Bina Marga route in an effort to
reduce congestion on Jl. Pajajaran.