Jakarta/Bandung

We met our group of 11 eclectic, well seasoned travellers this morning and set off for a brief guided tour of Jakarta, visiting the former Batavia area, remnants of the colonial past, and took a stroll through the Sunda Kelapa Harbour. The first thing we had to adjust to was the number of mopeds and motorcycles weaving through the dense traffic. There is a heavy Dutch influence in the architecture and there are many canals throughout the city. Poverty is evident and many people are selling goods on the streets. The Sundra Kelapa Harbour, once the main port of the Sunda Kingdom, is now a bustling port full of Makassar schooners. We departed for Bandung in the afternoon where we had the opportunity to see a Udjo performance featuring the Angklung orchestra, resonating traditional melodies created by children shaking bamboo instruments, dancers from 6 different Indonesian provinces, a 15 minute Wayang Golek performance by a puppeteer and musical performances on other types of bamboo instruments, such as Calung, Gembyung, Tarawangsa, Jentreng, Suling (Flute) and Karinding. It was so much fun when we were given the opportunity to play Angklung and dance together with the children and other performers. 2nd day in Indonesian and we have already acquired a new skill!Read more