Resident witness to change on Jl. Jaksa
Andina Sawitri Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
It doesn't take long to walk the length of the road, which is just a bit wider than an alley.
Jl. Jaksa has been a magnet for budget tourists since the 1980s, and has felt the ups and downs of the country's tourist industry.
Cheap hotels, bars and food stalls offering beer line the some 500-meter-long street, which many local residents count on for a living.
The street offers job opportunities to those wanting to work as taxi drivers, ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers, parking attendants, waiters or waitresses, bar tenders, singers or even food vendors.
One such person is Norma. The 38 year old has been selling noodles in a corner of an alley off Jl. Jaksa for almost half of her life.
"I was born here ... I have seen many goings on here," she said in a strong Betawi (native Jakartan) accent.
"I've seen foreigners around here since I was a little girl. This place is famous worldwide. It's on everyone's map of Indonesia."
The mother of three remember the road before it was asphalted.
"I still remember the row of houses that were later sold and converted into hotels, cafes, restaurants or billiard halls. Many of those living here moved to suburban areas," she recalled.
As tourism grew, Jl. Jaksa became more crowded and dirty, with its sidewalks becoming packed with street vendors and hoodlums demanding protection money from struggling entrepreneurs.
There has been a sharp downturn in visitor numbers in recent years, triggered by the worldwide alert on terrorism after 9/11, and as a direct impact of the bombings in Bali, at the JW Marriott Hotel and outside the Australian Embassy.
Although Jl. Jaksa is in the capital and is a tourist attraction, it appears to have been neglected by the city administration.
Tourism police used to patrol the area and help foreigners reach their destinations safely, but not anymore. Now it is not unusual for the street to be victimized by hard-line religious groups.
Claiming that she does not consider foreigners her personal cash cows, Norma said even drunk foreigners did not bother her or other residents. "We protect each other here," she said.
What she loves most is foreigner customers going to her small stall for a chat.
"I make friends with them. A tourist from the Netherlands, Dave, always comes here before he goes home. He brings something for my family and children whenever he comes to Jakarta."
However, business is not so good for Norma nowadays. She has had to move several times, with the last place she parked her cart being developed into another entertainment venue.
"How can I protest? Things change and I have to adapt, that's all."
Now she sells noodles outside her house, which according to her is not a strategic place to do business.
"I can only get Rp 15,000 (US$1.50) per day now ... I would be very happy if I could get more," she said.