To Jakarta Again for the The Java Jazz Festival 2011

4th March 2011

These posts on the Java Jazz Festival 2011 should have been put up earlier but pakdokter was distracted by pakdokter's notes and posts on Mahathir's Memoirs as pakdokter read the book.

Pakdokter learnt about the Java Jazz Festival from a fellow golfer at the club. It has been run for the past 7 or 8 years and has grown to become the biggest jazz event in South East Asia. And the 2011 event promises a long list of big stars and pakdokter and fellow traveller, Ravi ( an audiophile) and Siti, decided to check it out.

Pakdokter was warned of the traffic jam to and from the venue and was advised to put up at a hotel nearest to it. Based on the google map search, pakdokter selected Hotel Batavia in Kota Tua Jakarta ( Old Town of Jakarta) which would not be too far away from the Jakarta International Expo Centre located in Kemayoran in North Jakarta.

Pakdokter was warned by fellow golfers who have stayed there in the past about the state of this hotel. It looked reasonably good in its website but true to their descriptions, the shower mix was weak and poor and the towels were rather brown and old. However, for the price we paid, we should not complain. The rooms were big and the airconditioning worked. Breakfast was so,so. But the plus point is that it is within walking distance to Fatahilah Square, the old historical tourist site of Old Jakarta.

After checking in, we walked to Fatahilah Square, took a tour of the Ceramics and Fine Arts Museum ( other museums around the square are the Puppet Museum and History Museum located in the old Governor's Office)

We finally went to the Cafe Batavia and had our lunch there. We were joined by pakdokter's school-mate, pakRosliKhan, who is now based in Jakarta.

Hotel Batavia in Kota Tua... this canal was used by barges to ferry goods up to Kota Tua it runs in front of Hotel Batavia.. bicycles for rent at Fatahilah Square.. and a matching hat to go...

the puppet museum..

the Governor's Kantoor

now a museum...

the ceramics and fine arts museum..

paintings by Afandi and other well-known Indonesian

artists are on display here..

kindergarten kids playing with clay

at the museum...

the bar at Cafe Batavia...

old photographs adorned the walls of the cafe

it has a nice old Dutch feel to the place...