Happy New Year!
So here’s what you can expect in a more or less generic New Year’s Eve in Jakarta:
- afternoon to evening, the roads will be relatively empty, as many people will still be going to Puncak, or another out-of-town destination. I still don’t know why that after 20 years and almost no development, Puncak is still a destination.
- sounds of fireworks will start as soon as it gets dark.
- the people selling new year trumpets will have a rush of orders; they’ll need to unload their merchandise quickly, anyway.
- the streets will get jammed 10 PM upwards, filled with people in the streets parking irregularly and blowing their new year trumpets in everybody’s ear.
- bars will be packed with people wanting to countdown the seconds enchanced with various types of alcoholic drinks.
- somebody, somewhere is having a DVD marathon at home and hating the noise outside.
- don’t ever go to the Monas area because it will be packed even more.
- pickpockets have the time of their life in the throng of new year crowds.
- policemen are overwhelmed trying to organize the traffic and people, simply give up and go to the nearest coffee stall.
- ‘anti-maksiat’ patrols will still make rounds in certain areas, waving their banner high.
- but all over Jakarta, people will be forgetting their worries for the moment, as they celebrate the coming of a new year!
Happy New Year, Jakartans. Keep safe and good luck!
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Why Puncak? because, if you are lucky, you can get cooler temperature compared to Jakarta… No development? not quite.. 1. traffic jams have developed for the worse2. do you know the parking lot at the mosque near puncak pass? well, it has developed into a localisation area for warungs… very inconvenient for parking. it used to be one of my fave place to take a short pause … from the jam..3. comprehension of traffic rules and regulations has developed for the worse, which is one of the cause of the development of trafficjams4. locals have developed aggressiveness in their effort to reap money out of visitors. two examples from my recent visit: tea leaf pickers openly asked for money when you walk past them at the tea plantation… was told that chicken sate was actually rabbit sate.. horse rides were offered for Rp.30.000 per ride, when rejected (not because of the price, just not wanting to have my toddler ride a horse on a steep climbing street) price fell to Rp. 5000, of course, still rejected.5. the cooler temperature I mentioned above? has developed into not so cool temperature..6. Anything I missed?
@oom waway ROFLMAO!!! i’m out of words to even respond to your comment. thumbs up!!