'No space available, even for hide-and-seek'

The jungle of high-rise buildings and infrastructure used to be the playground of Jakartans. With the decline in public parks and open fields, many people The Jakarta Post talked to complained about the expensive facilities they were forced to turn to for exercise and sports.

Anggraeni Kartika Putri, 28, is a pianist. She lives with her family in Mampang, South Jakarta:

A cheap sport is jogging in Senayan, but the problem is that it's quite far from where I live. I think it's nice there -- it has parks, albeit small, but at least people can play badminton.

People can also jog in big housing complexes, but I don't jog in my neighborhood. It's better to train with other people. Running alone requires much more motivation than with a mate.

The easiest way to tone muscles is to go to a fitness center, but they tend to get more expensive, with the amount of equipment they have.

I don't do sports because I don't have the time. I would prefer sports such as body language to shape the body, but the sessions are usually held after office hours or in the evening at 7 p.m., when I start working.

Ribowo, 36, is a taxi driver. He lives with his family on Jl. Dewi Sartika, East Jakarta:

I play soccer with my friends in the neighborhood once or twice a month. We once went as far as Bogor for a match with another team. It's fun and relatively inexpensive, although it's not easy to find a nice soccer field that has an affordable rental fee.

I don't do sports much. If I have a day off that is not a soccer day, I prefer just to sleep.

I want my children to become athletes; I think that's a good profession. If they do sports, not only they will stay healthy, they'll learn how to respect others, to fight for their own interests and strive for high achievement.

Well, besides school, I don't think they can do that anywhere else. There's nowhere even for them to play hide-and-seek. They have to join sports clubs, and that doesn't come cheap.

-- The Jakarta Post