South Jakarta offers a tour of native Jakartan culture
JAKARTA (JP): South Jakarta to many people is not much other than the Blok M shopping area, cafes and elite housing complexes.
Only few people know that the area also has several attractive tourist sites, such as the Ragunan Orchid Garden, Situ Babakan and Situ Mangga Bolong water reservoirs and Betawi kampongs in Jagakarsa, and Ciganjur's freshwater fish nursery.
As part of efforts to boost agricultural tourism, Betawi (native Jakartans) culture and preservation areas in South Jakarta, the city organized a day-long tour of the sites Tuesday.
"This so-called Nature and Culture Tour is just part of a program which has been running since 1969, called the Muhammad Husni Thamrin (MHT) program, which is named after the renowned independence hero from Jakarta.
"It is a program to upgrade kampongs which are commonly home to poor facilities and are occupied mostly by poor people," tour organizer Mimis Katoppo Sasmoyo said.
The tour is a result of the city's research on kampongs funded by the World Bank several years ago.
"The research indicated that South Jakarta has the most potential to be developed into a site of cultural and agricultural tourism because it still has kampongs and huge, untouchable green areas.
Amazing
"Besides, the Betawi people who live there still maintain their traditional way of life. This is amazing," she added.
The tour started at the 33-year-old Ragunan Zoo, home to more than 4,000 animals.
From an initial area of 85 hectares, the zoo has expanded to 135 hectares and is considered Jakarta's water catchment area.
It is now regarded among Asia's finest modern zoos in terms of size and the variety of animals.
The zoo is also renowned for its wide variety of rare species. Among them are the komodo (giant lizard), Sumatran tigers and orangutans.
The zoo currently houses 12 orangutans aged between two and 30 years.
Ragunan Zoo primarily functions as a research and education center, not just a recreational site. Entrance tickets cost Rp 1,000 (US$2) per person.
The second stop is the Ragunan Orchid Park. Few people in Jakarta are even aware that such a beautiful park exists in the capital.
Located on a five-hectare plot, the park has a wide collection of species and varieties of orchids, such as Dendrobriums, Oncidiums, Arachnis and Phalaeopsis.
The garden is divided into 42 lots which are used for cultivating orchids and cutting flowers as well as marketing sites.
Various ornamental plants can be rented or bought.
The park opens daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A rare and unique species of orchid can be worth as much as $100.
But this year, farmers have struggled to produce quality orchid flowers.
El Nino
"We couldn't produce good flowers this year due to the El Nino effect. The bad climate and weather affected the development of the flowers," said Syamsul Bahri, one of the plot's owners.
For fans of Indonesian fruit such as star fruit, rambutan, durian and sapodilla, there is the fruit plantation located next to the Situ Babakan and Situ Mangga Bolong in Jagakarsa.
Visitors can also buy syrup, fresh juice and fruit for between Rp 750 and Rp 1,000 each.
Covering 47.5 hectares, the fruit plantation is surrounded by two water reservoirs which have been left untouched by development for almost 50 years.
But just last month Governor Sutiyoso announced the municipality would convert the site into Jakarta's largest Betawi cultural preservation area.
Despite people's criticism that the preservation program would "exile" and "fossilize" Betawi people in their own homeland, Governor Sutiyoso has continued the plan by clearing 70 percent of the Situ Babakan area.
The next port of call on the tour was the freshwater nursery house in Ciganjur, which belongs to the municipality. The three- hectare plot houses a 600-square-meter fishing pool, fish seedlings and nursery.
The nursery is a must-see for freshwater fish lovers and special recreational and educational programs are also available.
All of the sites can be visited in one day.
The price of the tour has not yet been set as it is still a pilot project, said Mimis.
But at least the tour can provide an enjoyable break from the hustle and bustle of this chaotic city. (edt)