Thousands visit recreation sites

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Thousands of holidaymakers flocked to recreation centers in the capital to spend their three-day weekends.

Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) in East Jakarta recorded 60,000 visitors during the break, three times higher than the usual weekend number of around 20,000 people.

"The peak of the visitors was on Saturday and Sunday, thanks to numerous events staged to celebrate Islamic New Year celebrations," TMII spokesman T. Purnawijaya Alibasa said on Monday.

Among the entertainment was a wayang (shadow puppet) performance, featuring well-known puppeteer Ki Manteb Soedarsono, a dangdut concert and an exhibition of Javanese heirlooms.

The Ancol Dreamland Park in North Jakarta was similarly packed.

"It's been very crowded at the park during the holidays. So far, we haven't had any significant problems," said a park employee, Bambang.

He would not speculate on the total visitor numbers, saying management had yet to finish collecting data based on tickets sold at the gates.

"The number of visitors was less on Sunday, maybe because of the rains that fell all day long," Bambang said.

Holidaymakers traveling to the Puncak mountain resort were trapped in traffic jams all the way from Cipanas to the Jagorawi toll roads -- congestion much worse than at a normal weekend.

The Islamic New Year is also celebrated as the Javanese New Year -- the result of a 19th Century conciliation between Hindus and Moslems in the reign of Mataram Sultan Agung Hanyakrakoesoema.