FANG-IT!: Jakarta...part 3

Starting the day with a fresh outlook, I decided today would be the day that I would be a little bit artsy-fartsy and visit some of the museums of Jakarta. My first stop was the Museum Sejarah Jakarta (Museum of the History of Jakarta) which is actually one of the 3 museums in the Batavia Square. When I arrived at the square, there were an ongoing concert. Being the nosy tourist that I was, I went closer to the stage and investigated...so i found out the concert was actually for cyclists. I didn't really know if they are just about to start their 'tour de jakarta' and the concert was a kick-off or the concert was actually a finale (it was close to 11 a.m. so I'm making a wild guess that it was actually a post cycling concert). There was a considerable amount of people on the square, add to this that it was a Sunday...saw a lot of students in uniforms milling around the museums so it might be a requirement for them from school to visit the museums.

I didn't understand a thing about the songs the artists were singing but the music had me swaying..almost! They did sing some English ditties but by that time I was already inside the museum.

So on to the museum...this was how it looked from the outside

The front and the back facade was kinda grand and it reminded me of European mansions or something. Entrance to the museum was extremely cheap (2,000 rupiah). So i was so looking forward to seeing the inside of the museum and to see how the people lived back in the 15th or 16th century when the Dutch occupied Indonesia. Imagine my horror when this was what i saw inside.....

The inside was decidedly neglected! The walls were in need of a fresh coat of paint. The lovely furnitures needed to be buffed and refurbished and restored to their old glorious state. The mirrors had to be shined and cracks repaired. There were no proper signs inside the museum to direct the patron. Lighting was of the dim-est kind (it was noon time and even I had a difficult time taking pictures inside the museum because it was too dark). You just want to cry out of frustration because we are talking about history here. It isn't everyday that we get to see grand houses with grand furnitures! And if they are in a sorry state, it does add to the gloominess of the place. I later learned from a friend that tourist attractions are really not the priority of the government but I do believe Indonesia has so much to offer aside from Bali and Borobudur. They just have to look around...and start restoring.

Enough ranting...I moved on the the next museum which is just a few steps away from the history museum...

The museum wayang houses numerous puppets which is extremely popular in Indonesia and is probably one of the best things that symbolizes Indonesia. Entrance was also at a ridiculously low price of 2,000 rupiah

Initially, I found them a little bit creepy to look at but as you look at them more closely, you will get to appreciate the beauty and the craftsmanship put into each puppet or figure

above made from buffalo skin

traditional Indonesian musical instruments

Pictures are supposedly not allowed to be taken inside the museum but since I saw a lot of people taking pictures while walking around the museum...when in Rome....

My next stop was the last museum in the block

but since it was way past twelve noon and I was getting hungry, plus, I wasn't really into ceramics and fine art unless the ceramics that we are talking about is the plate im going to use to put the food in, I decided to forego this museum as I felt I am not going to miss much.

Some sights that I saw inside the square which reminded me so much of the Philippines