Old town Bativia

We made our way through the ever present Jakarta traffic today to visit this area of the city which dates back to Dutch colonial rule. Like many places, this one reminds us of the harsh conditions and control that one group often places on another.

In front of the museum at Batavia.

Bikes for rent.

We were there on a sunny but mild day that also included some heavy rain at times. The plaza and museum were packed with families and youths out enjoying the day.good to see how much this historical scene is fading rapidly now. Daniel on the other hand was treated as a celebrity or soccer/rock star with a number of requests for group photo shoots which he good naturedly handled with a smile.

We had some great food today as always and squeezed in two lunches of very different style and brought home not your normal take-out of nasi goreng or fried banannas which is both tasty and filling.

We had quite a two-car carivan adventure today getting about through Jakarta to old town and Nana and Eko's new home in Casa Mexicana. Their small place has little furniture yet but easily absorbed the whole groupe of family & friends for a great visit and discussion on food and such.

We missed the twice a month car-free event in our travels today and it would be a great contrast to the overwhelming traffic scene. Hopefully this event will continue and expand. I've seen some brave souls out on bicycles in the traffic including one fellow with a sewing machine built into a workbench on his bike. We were in the very large textile area of the city so maybe he's in to something? The photo below shows a great collection of older bikes set up for Family enjoyment was either a reminant or hope for the future perhaps?