Getting familiar with Indonesia

Waking up to a sunny day in Jakarta
earlier this year, I was super excited about the exploration ahead. My
counterpart Boniface Mwalii, chair of the Entertainment and Arts Journalists
Association of Kenya, was my fellow tourist on this Asian adventure. 

We left the hotel at around 8am in
a taxi under the guidance of the Indonesian Ambassador PA’s Sri Kurniasih. As
we drove across the city, Madam Kurniasih showed us some of the most iconic
buildings and statues.

These included a statue of Gen
Sudirman on Sudirman Street. Gen Sudirman was the first commander of the
Indonesian army. There was also the National Monument, a 132m obelisk in the
centre of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta. It was built to commemorate the
struggle for Indonesian independence and is crowned with a flame covered in
gold leaf, which symbolises the burning spirit of the struggle of the
Indonesian people.

I sighed at this “historic”
symbolic.

“Yes, it is,” Madam
Kurniasih said. “And actually from your hotel, you can see it and how it lights
up with flames at night.”

The road was not that busy. I
realised motorcycles are the most convenient means of transport compared to
vehicles. They also have BRT buses that are also efficient for the residents.

It didn’t take us long
until we arrived at the famous Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), which means
Beautiful Indonesia in Miniature Park. “Hii ndio our Bomas,” madam
Kurniasih jokingly said as we entered the park.

I replied, “No, I don’t
think so. This looks way better. Even from the entrance, you could tell.”

GREEN SPACE

We were received by
protocol affairs manager Bambang Sulistiyo. Some instruments were playing in
rotation as we walked in. “Nice music. What are they playing?” I
asked, moving closer and taking a video.

“This is gamelan, a
traditional music of the Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese peoples of
Indonesia,” Sulistiyo said.

He said it’s made of
different instruments: percussive, metallophones (played with mallets) and a
set of hand-drums called kendang, which keep the beat.

Tourists were streaming
in and buying some of the merchandise on display. We stood aside all together
so we could get an insight into the park.

After welcoming us,
Sulistiyo said the park covers about 150ha. “You will need more than three days
to see all places inside the park,” he said, before going on to explain
its history.

TMII was built in 1972
and officially inaugurated on April 20,
1975. It was the idea of Madam Tien Soeharto, spouse of the second president of
the republic of Indonesia, Tien Soeharto, to summarise Indonesian culture and
heritage.

The beautiful park
consists of 34 original pavilions that represent the provinces of Indonesia, 13
gardens, 16 recreational parks, 18 museums, seven worshipping houses and many
other buildings.

On September
1 last year, TMII introduced an innovative and
revolutionary new face of TMII.

Taman Mini Indonesia
Indah is supported by three pillars of tourism. One is to provide green
tourism. This is achieved by having open spaces on more than 70 per cent of the
park, picnic gardens, planting plenty of trees and plants also by the use of
shuttle services, scooters or electric tour vehicles.

With the electric cars,
tourists can drive around the park in an eco-friendly way, and use a designated
parking for low-emission vehicles.

The second pillar is a
culture in which tourists can learn and watch programmes about Indonesia. These
programmes happen on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

The last pillar is
inclusivity, where everyone is advised to visit the park.

Sulistiyo finished and
Purnomo Santosa, guide supervisor at the park, took over.

“Thank you for
visiting Taman Mini park,” Santosa said. “Which country are you
from?” “We are from Kenya,” I replied. He was happy to hear
this.

“Kenya, from East
Africa? I only know about the Masai Mara and your national park that is inside
the capital city.”

“Yes, that’s true.
And in future, you should also come and visit our parks, too,” Mwalii
said. “Very nice.”

CULTURE UNMASKED

Our first stop was a
building with an ancient structure. “This is an Indonesian Museum,”
Santosa said. “It was inaugurated right on the fifth anniversary of the
establishment of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in 1980.”

We learned that the
museum is elaborately decorated with Balinese statues and ornaments, built in
Balinese architectural style, with some large Paduraksa and Candi Bentar (split
portal) style Balinese gates, as well as several corner towers.

The museum showcases the
diversity of ethnic groups and cultures in Indonesia. It was the idea of Tien
Soeharto with support and cooperation from various parties, government, private
sectors and the community.

“During her
tenure,” Santosa said, “the First Lady appealed and moved the hearts of the
community to submit various superior cultural objects from all regions to
become the collection of the Indonesian Museum.”

For Indonesians, the
museum is not just a magnificent building that stores and exhibits collection
objects. The Indonesian Museum is factored as a place that presents a long
story of history, thoughts, ideals, messages, great works, glory and joy from
the past. “And as the next generation, we are obliged to preserve and
appreciate the past as a learning experience in the nation in the present and
the future,” he said.

We walked inside the
museum and explored various collections of traditional masks, traditional
clothes and exhibitions of woven fabrics and other native Indonesian ones.

“These masks were
Betawi style klana, and its origin is in Jakarta,” Santosa said. “There is
Jatayu Mask from Cerebon West Java, Anoman Mask from Cegesik Cerebon and many
others. These masks were used to conceal the true identities of the wearers rather
than portraying specific characters in a performance.”

In performing arts, he
went on, these masks served as attributes worn by dancers or actors. Masks
became a medium for conveying a variety of messages, stories, myths, legends
and significant narratives within their supporting communities. And as time
progressed, masks also became decorative ornaments and embellishments.

MUSEUM SIGHTS

Next, we boarded an
electric microbus for a visitor shuttle transport provided throughout TMII. We
were driven around the 34 original pavilions.

“Each pavilion
featured in typical Indonesia vernacular architecture of each province,”
Santosa said. “It also displays various traditional costumes, wedding costumes,
dance costumes, ethnographic artifacts such as weapons and daily tools, and
models of traditional architecture to describe the way of life of its people.”

The province’s pavilions
are also equipped with a small stage, amphitheatre or auditorium for
traditional dance performances, traditional music performances or traditional
ceremonies during the weekend. 

We drove past the
provinces and went straight to another eye-catching architecture with the shape
of a Komodo from its entrance.

“This is Indonesian
Fauna Museum Komodo, and it is a museum themed on the world of Indonesian
wildlife in the form of preservation,” Santosa said.

The museum building was
very unique because the exhibition room is in the form of a Komodo.
“Komodo is a type of ancient reptile that lives in its natural habitat on
Komodo Island, East Nusa Tenggara,” Santosa said.

The Museum of Komodo
occupies a building of 10,120m². It becomes a canvas that reveals the story of
the archipelago’s diverse collection of fauna.

The building was
officially inaugurated on April 20, 1978, by President
Soeharto. We came across live animals and reptiles that were caged in a
transparent glass.

“This museum houses
various animals, and reptiles are showcased in their respective natural
environments,” Santosa said.

“It features a
captivating collection of live reptiles, where visitors can experience the
wonder of direct interaction with various unique creatures, ranging from Komodo
dragons, pythons, legged snakes, monitors and iguanas, to turtles and various
crocodile species.”

THEATRICAL WONDER

The next place we
visited was the Keong Mas Theatre. The theatre’s building is shaped like a
giant golden snail. “Keong Mas Theater or Golden Snail is where special
films are screened,” Santosa said.

The building was
inaugurated on April 20, 1984. It serves as an
educational recreational space, introducing the natural and cultural richness
of Indonesia through giant screen films.

It’s also equipped with
a giant screen, state-of-the-art cinematography technology and a spacious
capacity of 836 seats. The theatre showcases selected animated films and films
about Indonesian regions. 

There was a lot to see
but time was not on our side. We were finalising our tour. We had to take a
ride with a cable train, which covers 1.7km and has three stations with 81
cabins.

The ride takes visitors
flying in the air while exploring the charm of the Indonesian archipelago from
Sabang to Merauke. You get to enjoy a bird’s eye view of this park and to see
the map of Indonesia, which made up of more than 17,000 islands.

We were curious if this
was the biggest park in the city of Jakarta or Indonesia.

“Taman Mini
Indonesia Indah is just one many parks in Indonesia,” Santosa said, before
listing the others.

They include Kebun Raya
Bogor Botanical Garden of Bogor, located in West Java, which borders the city
of Jakarta. The garden is a collection of flora from Indonesia and around the
world and a place where one of the Indonesian Presidential Palaces is located
(Istana Bogor). There is also Resto Rasa, meaning Restaurant of Taste, with
both garden and restaurant managed by BRIN Badan Riset dan Inovasi National
(National Research and Innovation Agency).

Another one is Taman
Impian Jaya Ancol, an amusement park with an aquarium that has fish and other
water species. The big aquarium’s purpose is education and entertainment, with
dolphins shows and Dunia Fantasi, more popularly known as Dufan.

The tour took about
eight hours. Time did not allow us to visit other sites, but we enjoyed the
much we saw.

“Thank you so much
for visiting Taman Mini park, and you are welcome to visit us again,”
Bambang Sulistiyo said.

As we were waiting for
our taxi, Madam Kurniasih explained about the towering Pancasila Flame Monument
we saw.

“It consists of
five keris (traditional Indonesia dagger) standing in a pool and always
emitting water upwards,” she said.

“That symbolises the
five principles on which the republic of Indonesia is founded: belief in one
God, a just and civilised humanity, unity and diversity, democracy under the
wise guidance of representative consultations, and social justice for all
Indonesian people.”

The 45m-high tower
monument was also full of symbolism, showcasing the year of the proclamation of
Indonesian independence.

We left feeling
enlightened and culturally enriched.