Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Giant Ferris Wheel
If America has Disneyland, Indonesia has Dufan (short for "Dunia Fantasy" or Fantasy Land). It's an amusement park located in the northern part of Jakarta, near the beach, inside the complex called Ancol Bay City. Ancol has Seaworld, Water Park, and Amusement Park among other things. Although Dufan is not as grand as Disneyland, it offers quite a variety range of rides, including "Bianglala" Giant Ferris Wheel above. 
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Higher View
You all must be bored with all the Idul Fitri pictures by now. Here's just a little view from above.Saturday, October 28, 2006
Ketupat
It is in our tradition to eat Ketupat on Idul Fitri day.
Some people say celebrating Idul Fitri without ketupat is not complete. I personally will feel okay with or without them :)
Oh, today's supposed to be my father's birthday... another sad moment for us :(Wednesday, October 25, 2006
After Shalat Eid
after the eid prayer, people would rush to go home and greet their family. to ask forgiveness from the elders, parents, siblings, friends and each other. the day marks the start of the new muslim year hijriah with a clean slate.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Shalat Eid
eid mubarak! selamat idul fitri! today marks the first day of the celebration after a full long month of ramadhan. as early as 6am, we have walked out of our houses, headed towards the mosque to do the eid prayer (shalat eid).
my family had our prayer in the Pondok Indah Mosque, just like previous years. since the men and women are in separated areas, my mom and i got the spot in the parking lot area, with the rest of the women. nonetheless, it was a nice spot under the tree, away from the heat of the morning sun. :)
Monday, October 23, 2006
Batik Shirts
today marks the last day of ramadhan for us in jakarta, though some have celebrated the eid today too. it's one of the traditions to celebrate eid mubarak or idul fitri by shopping for new clothes, just to look best on the eid. even though the most favorite clothes are the muslims attire, batik shirts are also an option and sold throughout the shopping places. there are different variety of them, with different price ranges also, depending on the quality of the fabric and the batik. so, which one would you like? ;)
on behalf of jakarta daily photo family, i wish eid mubarak, 1 syawal 1427 H to those who celebrate it. minal aidin wal faidzin. let's start the new year with a clean slate, and forgive us for any wrongdoings or sayings we may have done.
sincerely,
jakarta daily photo family
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Gorengan
this is another popular snacks among indonesian, generally called "gorengan" (means fried stuff). it would include anything from fried tofu, tempe, banana, sweet potatoes, cassava, or mixed veggie ball (bakwan), deep fried after coated with flour-mix. they usually are sold on the street by the vendors, like pictured above. sometimes eaten with fresh chili, it tastes good (mostly salty), just the way it is, especially when still hot and crunchy.
it's sold all year long, but for me, it's one of the good thing to have for buka puasa (breaking the fast), good compliment to a sweet hot tea or any sweet drinks.. :)
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Es Cincau
this is another popular drink in indonesia. the traditional ones are sold by street vendors and most of the times, are the best ones. this is called "es cincau" or grass-jelly drink. it's sweet, mixed with syrup and shaved ice. it's a refreshing drink, perfect for buka puasa (break-fasting time).Friday, October 20, 2006
Ngaso
ngaso in bahasa means "resting", and that's exactly what this guy was doing in the picture above, taken somewhere in downtown jakarta. i guess the humid weather and location don't really matter when you're really tired.. especially when fasting. in that case, his own carriage will do. ;)Thursday, October 19, 2006
Peeling Jackfruit
jackfruit, or nangka in bahasa, is one of fruits quite popular in many parts of the world, including indonesia. it's one of the delicacy that we put inside our dessert mixed with slices of young coconut meat, avocado, and jelly in sweet syrup, usually called es teler (bahasa: es=ice teler=drunk, but it actually translate as "mixed", due to the variety of ingredients). it is quite popular during the month of ramadhan, a refreshing drink to break our fast with. but i won't put the picture of the drink here as yet.. :) cuz it's too much of a view during fasting period.. :D
however, ever wonder how the jackfruit is peeled? the fruit has so much sap in it that it takes one to know a good trick to take the fruit out. picture above was taken from a corner of a traditional market in jakarta. the guy in red hat was expertly peeling the jackfruit to be sold. usually they would cover their hands & knife with oil, so they would take the fruit easily, without collecting sap. i tried it when i was young.. it was fun, but quite messy ... :(Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Lebaran Parcels
it's also one of the customs to send parcels to relatives or friends before Idul Fitri (or Lebaran in Bahasa). but the above picture is not the regular kind of parcels. it's actually part of the tidings or zakat for the muslims to give to the unfortunate ones. usually, zakat can be given in the form of cash, directly to the unfortunate ones. but it's also common to give them in the form of basic needs, such as pack of rice, sugar, fry oil, soy sauce, milk, etc.
due to the rise of prices before Idul Fitri, they usually unable to buy them in large amounts, sometimes they just cannot afford to buy them at all. getting them as gifts like these would really useful to lighten up their burden before Idul Fitri and they can celebrate it like other families.Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Mudik
Lebaran or Idul Fitri marks the end of Ramadhan for the Muslims. It's only a week away and it has been the tradition in Indonesia, that people would rush to any means of transportation they can afford to go to their village, hometown, and so on.. so they can celebrate Idul Fitri among their loved ones. Indonesia is a country with the majority of people are Muslims. Usually a week before Idul Fitri, stations are getting filled with people who are trying to go home.
The above picture is taken by my friend, Tonny (thanks Tonny for sharing your picture with us!), in Stasiun Jatinegara.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Condolences
late last nite, santy asked me to back her up for this week's posting because her dad was admitted to the hospital again. i didn't get to reply her text message until this morning.
this morning, i told her that i'd be happy to and i wish her dad to get better soon.
just about half an hour ago, santy texted me. she said thanks for backing her up for this week, and her dad passed away this morning. i was shocked.
my deepest condolences for santy and her family. may her dad rests in peace.
whatever picture i wanted to post today, doesn't make any relevance upon hearing the news. i want to dedicate this posting for santy and her dad. i'll be back with jakarta pictures tomorrow.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Shopping for Idul Fitri
Malls, department stores and markets are getting more and more crowded every second closer to the Idul Fitri day. It is in our tradition to buy new clothes, new shoes and other new things as a symbol of cleansing oneself and hopefully being a new and better person religiously. I personally believe that you don’t need to have new things in order to grasp the true meaning of Idul Fitri. I do shop like everybody else only because it is our custom, but I try not to spend too much and I don't do it every year. Some people spend their money buying food for the needy and clothes for the orphan kids, and I think that’s a better way to celebrate.
Looking at that full parking lot, I just remember that one thing you need to avoid in Jakarta during the Ramadan month is having dinner out, cause all the restaurants on every corner of the streets (especially ones at the mall!) will be so packed starting 5 pm. You'll end up being put on a waiting list. So, it's best to make a reservation beforehand.Saturday, October 14, 2006
Full Parking
Looking for a place to park in Jakarta is quite a challenge, especially at the malls or exhibition center during weekends. Sunday, October 08, 2006
Warung Si Doel
Here's a wider view of the restaurant from my yesterday's post. Some of you might noticed the name 'Doel' and wondered how to pronounce it. Well, it's like when you say 'pull'. In the old days we spelled 'oe' for the letter 'u'. Remember this post a while back? :)
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Another Look of Ondel-Ondel
This huge puppet called Ondel-ondel is the icon of local Jakartans (Betawi people). The shot was taken in front of a restaurant called Warung Si Doel which is owned by a famous Indonesian actor, Rano Karno. Doel was his character name on a TV series (or sinetron as we call it) entitled 'Si Doel Anak Sekolahan' (Doel, The Graduate). The sinetron was very popular in the year 1996. Although the restaurant isn't quite as busy these days.
I have posted a picture of Ondel-ondel before.Sunday, October 01, 2006
Daily Photo Theme - Taxis
Daily Photo Theme is now back with... taxis in our country. When you're in Jakarta, choosing a good taxi is important. Some taxis cheat on their meters or have filthy interiors, there even some taxi drivers who mug their passangers! One reliable taxi company which has a very good reputation of being a safe and convenient public transport, is the Blue Bird Taxis. People trust them so much that they don't want to get into taxis other than the Blue Birds. Which then gave ideas to other taxis to paint their cars the exact same blue color. During the night, you can't really tell the difference.
Another thing that applies to all taxis here is the fact that it's better for you to know your way if you don't want being driven around and around just so your meter gets really expensive. Because there are two possibilities: first, the driver really doesn't know the way (weird, but that's how it is sometimes), second is if he knows a straight way but knows that you don't know it and then drives you in circles! I know it's hard for tourists, but I guess try to bring someone with you who knows the city, or at least a good map :)
Come and find out about taxis in other countries by clicking on these links:
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