Sunda Kelapa is the old port of Jakarta.
Today we went for a tour starting from there with Bram our excellent guide. It is from here the large traditional trading boats ( Pinisi ) go to and from Sumatra, these days mostly taking cement there and a compost/feedstock made from Palm Oil processing waste back here.
We clambered up the steep thin boarding plank up onto one of these boats. Unlike the labourers we were not carrying one hundred kilos of cement as we did it. In side we watched the workers loading in the cement. Hard dusty work for the mostly Buginese workers.
Finally we took a local bus to Old Batavia for lunch.
It was a great tour and I recommend it to any visitor to Jakarta.
Today we went for a tour starting from there with Bram our excellent guide. It is from here the large traditional trading boats ( Pinisi ) go to and from Sumatra, these days mostly taking cement there and a compost/feedstock made from Palm Oil processing waste back here.
We clambered up the steep thin boarding plank up onto one of these boats. Unlike the labourers we were not carrying one hundred kilos of cement as we did it. In side we watched the workers loading in the cement. Hard dusty work for the mostly Buginese workers.
We then took a ride in small taxi boat around the harbour. Just as we took off a rainstorm came in forcing us to shelter in the lee of a larger boat till the rain eased.
We then had a short ride around the harbour past the traditional fishing boats.
Traditional fishing boats with new apartments going up behind.
Next we toured the Luar Batang Kampung ( Fishing Village ). This village floods most years and the rain storm we sheltered from was enough to fill the tiny paths between the houses so we sloshed with 10 cm of ( filthy) water. The village is quite a eye opener far removed from the extravagant malls near where we live.
We visited the local school where the kids loved having their photos taken.
We also toured the Maritime museum set in the former Dutch East India company warehouses built from 1652 and climbed the watchtower for a view over the whole area.
From there we took a Tuk-Tuk to Glodok which is Jakarta's Chinatown, We visited a temple then walked through the chaotic markets full of all sorts of things from rubber stopper to turtles.
Frogs anyone
It was a great tour and I recommend it to any visitor to Jakarta.
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