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\\\"I used to be a mall rat, but I got bored with malls because I would just waste time doing nothing in them,” says Savitri Siddharta, a Jakarta resident.

It easy to feel like the mall is your second home in Jakarta. You can do just about anything in these temples of consumerism — shop, eat, drink, see a movie, go bowling, go to the gym and even go to concerts.

Asep Kambali, founder of the Indonesian History Community, thinks Jakarta’s residents are trapped in a materialistic and hedonistic way of life, but that they are not to blame because they are given little choice. “I also go to malls, but it’s all about balance,” Asep says.

There are few outdoor spots that appeal to visitors; garbage piles up and is burned on the streets, public amenities are vandalized, the city’s few parks are poorly maintained and are surrounded by traffic, which adds to the stifling heat.

Asep says that because so many residents are originally from outside Jakarta, they do not respect the city. “Many people have no sense of belonging to this city,” Asep says. “They only come for the money.”

He says that Jakarta’s residents need to learn to love the city, starting by learning about its history.

Aditya Setiadi, a musician, says his options for leisure activities are limited partly because the city is poorly planned. “It’s not clear to me which areas are for business and which are public spaces, like parks. It’s all mixed into one,” Aditya says.

Both Aditya and Savitri say they are frustrated with the city’s lack of green spaces and public recreational facilities.

“There aren’t enough public areas like parks, gardens or just open spaces where you can hang out for free,” Savitri says.

Savitri was born in Jakarta and has spent most of her life here, but she prefers quieter and more relaxed cities, such as Melbourne, where she lived for 10 years.

“I don’t really enjoy going to cafes here in Jakarta,” she says. “I suppose it’s because Indonesians don’t really have a proper cafe culture. The drinks are just ordinary.”

But despite its traffic jams and pollution, there is more to do in Jakarta than simply mall crawl. In the density of Jakarta, there is an unappreciated diversity. Right next to these lavish malls that we blame for monopolizing our time are kampongs full of culture. Tucked away in small back streets are art galleries. Communities have been formed by people with a shared love for a certain sport or activity.

In search of better alternatives to the mall, we asked 10 residents to share their favorite ways to spend the weekend. We hope that they inspire you to rediscover Jakarta ...

Jump into Parkour

You don’t have to be Superman to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Members of the Parkour Jakarta community are always running, climbing and jumping through the city.

Parkour, a daring sport that involves moving quickly from one point to another across the cityscape, was invented by the French soldier David Belle. According to Ino, an Indonesian traceur (someone who practices parkour), parkour is about accuracy and efficiency.

Ino, who was previously a climber, joined Parkour Jakarta two years ago. The group started in 2006, and parkour communities exist in Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Malang. Most members are young, primarily high-school and university students.

Ino dedicates his weekends to his sport and also practices at a small garden at the Bung Karno Sport Stadium in Senayan every few days after work. He sometimes runs along Jalan Sudirman, negotiating obstacles outside the many buildings. For him, the sport teaches discipline and self-confidence.

“The most important things in parkour are balance, precision and landing,” he says. “Know your ability and combat fear.”

Basic classes are held for free at Krida Loka Park, Senayan, from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. every Sunday.

Contact information

www.parkourindonesia.web.id

For the Jakarta group, contact Ino, Tel. 0818 0809 0939

Hit the Driving Range

David Gaida, a Canadian who has lived in Jakarta since the age of 9, never ceases to be amazed by the friendliness of the local residents. Having returned last year after six years of studying in Vancouver, the first thing he recognized stepping off the plane was the city’s heat.

“I love Jakarta,” he says. “It’s exciting, it’s vibrant. It has some drawbacks but there’s plenty of great, hidden aspects of this city to discover.”

On weekends, golf is Gaida’s way to wind down from a week at work as a communications officer for a law firm. “I’m still horrible at golf in general, so I like the relaxed, casual environment,” Gaida says.

“Driving ranges are a great entry point for anyone looking to get into golf, without the huge time and cost demands of heading to the courses. And they’re fun.”

A driving range in the Central Business District is his favorite on weekdays, but is also a good alternative on weekends.

Driving ranges

Most golf courses in Jakarta have a driving range. To find golf courses, go to www.jakartagolftour.com.

Kemayoran driving range

BKDR Club House X APC Tower Blok C-7 Bandar Kemayoran, Tel. 021 421 7314


Padepokan Golf Driving Range Pringgodani

Jl. Protokol Halim Perdana Kusuma

East Jakarta

Tel. 021 801 2050


Try Training Pigeons

For Sohib, a resident of Bendungan Hilir, South Jakarta, the weekend is a good time to train his pigeons. Every month or two, a bird competition is held in his neighborhood. He owns 15 pairs of birds, all of which are merpati tinggi (high flyers).

“There are two kinds of pigeons, merpati tinggi and merpati balap [racing pigeons],” Sohib says.

Both are trained to return to their pair mate; the racing pigeons are released within sight of their mate, the target, and the high-flying pigeons are released at greater distances, so they have to gain enough height to see where their mate is.

Sohib demonstrates with a pair of birds he has trained by asking someone to take the male some distance off, while he holds its female mate.

“Pigeons can recognize their mates even when flying up high,” he says.

Sohib says that training pigeons cannot be mastered quickly and that each bird has a different learning aptitude.

His parents also trained pigeons and he took up the hobby when he was a child. He can recognize the flying style of every bird he owns, and they also recognize him.

To call them, Sohib says, “I just yell, ‘Hey’ or ‘Oy,’ and the bird recognizes my voice.”

Information

You can buy pigeons at Pasar Burung on Jalan Pramuka, Matraman, East Jakarta.

Bargain for the price. It is recommended that beginners buy trained pigeons, which cost about Rp 100,000 each. Ask for practical tips from the vendor. Go to www.ehow.com for video instructions on how to breed and train pigeons.

Get Into Local History

“Change your mind-set — love history!” says Asep Kambali, founder of the Indonesian History Community (KHI).

KHI tours to Jakarta’s historical sites are a good way to learn about the city’s past and meet new people. Its more than 1,000 friends on Facebook are a testament to the interest in Jakarta’s past.

Late last month, KHI toured the former house of Si Pitoeng, who fought against the Dutch during the struggle for independence, and in May, a night tour of the old town area was so popular that it quickly sold out, with many interested people unable to join. The KHI also runs free tours for children during Ramadan.

KHI started at Jakarta State University as a means of getting students to appreciate the city’s past. The group broke up when Asep left the university.

“It would have been a shame for this to end because I left the student body, so I recreated it,” he says.

Contact Information

komunitashistoria.org

komunitashistoria@yahoogroups.com

Asep Kambali, Tel. 0818 0807 3636

Horseback Riding

Horseback riding is a favorite weekend activity for event organizer Eko Prabowo. The first time he tried it was during his university years in Yogyakarta, in 1990. He used to do dressage, but when he studied at RMIT in Melbourne, he rode cross-country in the more spacious fields.

These days, Eko brings his family to the stables on the weekend for a horse ride. Eko usually goes to Athena Stables at Limo, Depok, because it offers the cheapest rate — Rp 100,000 per hour or Rp 300,000 for five hours. Most other clubs charge around Rp 350,000 per hour.

“The fee includes the horse, an instructor and equipment for a ride,” Eko says. The equipment includes a helmet, vest and boots. Most riding clubs, according to Eko, provide a horsing course. This is also a fun choice for children older than 5, as ponies are also available.

Riding Stables:

Athena Stables

Jl. Duren No. 77, Parung Bingung,

Rangkapan Jaya Baru, Pancoran Mas, Depok

Tel. 021 779 3462

athena_stb@cbn.net.id

The Arthayasa Stables and Country Club

Blok Tengki, Desa Grogol

Kecamatan Limo-Cinere, Depok

Tel. 021 754 7024/5

info@arthayasa.com

www.arthayasa.com


Craft at Home

For stay-at-home parents, home activities can be fun if they are done whole-heartedly, says Savitri Siddharta, the mother of a 1-year-old . Savitri likes to do crafts on the weekends, especially if it means she can create a gift for her daughter.

“One day I had the idea of making her a doll instead of buying one, because dolls can be really expensive,” Savitri says.

Savitri started making dolls earlier this year, with the help of online tutorials, and bought her first kit at a Kinokuniya bookstore. For fabrics, she prefers traditional markets, like Mayestik in South Jakarta and Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta, where appropriate material costs about Rp 20,000 ($2) a meter and buyers can bargain.

Savitri prefers to hand-sew her dolls rather than using a machine, because it’s more satisfying and gives her dolls a rustic look. “After all, the purpose of doll-making yourself is for it to be personalized, not like it’s factory-made,” Savitri says.

Online tutorials:

www.craftster.org

www.instructables.com

whipup.net


Walk Where You Live

For the first year American expatriate Andrew Whitmarsh lived in Jakarta, he hated the city. But as he learned more about the culture, he started to love it.

“I think Jakarta is extremely exciting. There are a lot of things I don’t like, which are the usual things, but there are a million things I love about Jakarta.”

He first started exploring the city by bicycle, but after a year, he thought it was time to start walking. His first excursion on foot was to Roxy Mas, West Jakarta, following the canal, and he also explored Kuningan in South Jakarta and Sunda Kelapa in the north.

He still uses his bicycle when he wants to travel further afield. On weekends, he usually visits the city’s kampongs. He says that best time to visit is early in the morning, before the day’s dirt builds up and people start burning trash.

Whenever Whitmarsh is told of anything in the city that sounds interesting, he writes it down as a future possibility. From eating monkey at Glodok (“It’s disgusting, but it’s about the experience,” he says), to sampling snake at Pasar Ular, he tries to avoid what he calls “the fear factor.”

“If you’re not brave, you’ll sit and suffer and do the same things, and tell people how much you hate Jakarta,” he says. “Get on a bicycle and you will find the real Jakarta and avoid all of the problems, like traffic.”


Jakarta tours:

Hidden Jakarta

www.inter-kultur.blogspot.com

interkultur@royal.net


The Jakarta Explorer: Cultural Tours in and Around the City

Indonesian Heritage Society library,

Sentral Senayan 1 (adjacent to Plaza Senayan), level 17, Tel. 021 572 5870


Check Out Galleries & Cultural Centers

Aditya Setiadi, a 23-year-old pianist, often visits Jakarta’s many galleries and cultural centers on the weekend.

“I need to keep up to date about classical music through shows in Jakarta,” Aditya said. He recently saw an accordion duo play at the Dutch cultural center, Erasmus Huis, and a choir at the German center, Goethe-Haus.

To see some interesting artworks, Aditya recommends the art gallery and cafe Koi at Mahakam, South Jakarta, both for its eclectic collection and its delicious food.

Foreign films are also a good choice, and usually free. Some centers hold weekend screenings. “The films are sometimes avant-garde and hard to understand, but they give us insight into different cultures and ways of thinking,” Aditya said.

Cultural center listings Go to Jakarta-tourism.go.id


Get on Your Bike

“There’s just something about pedaling and wandering around the city,” Randi Pratama says.

Randi has enjoyed cycling since he was in high school. He stopped for three years after his bicycle was stolen, but is now back on the road and is pedaling like there’s no tomorrow. Randi cycles everywhere — to his campus at Prasetia Mulya business school in Cilandak, South Jakarta, to malls and often just around the city to explore.

Jakarta’s heat and pollution don’t deter him. “People who drive are actually trapped in a polluted car, which sounds worse to me,” Randi said, pointing out that the air circulated through a car’s air-conditioning unit comes from outside.

Randi takes a change of clothes with him everywhere, along with a water bottle, helmet, shades, his 13-inch MacBook and sometimes a DSL camera. He also records distance and time information of his trips around the city on his iPhone. He traveled more than 1,000 kilometers on his bike in June alone.

Even though his bag usually weighs about 10 kilograms, he doesn’t mind. “When you exercise, you sleep better at night,” he said.

Jakarta’s Car-Free Days are no longer of interest to Randi, as too many people crowd onto the temporarily car-free streets. The weekend is instead his chance to explore new routes, which he then shares online via several bike communities he is part of.


Cycling Groups

Onthel Batavia, Jl. Cipinang Timur Raya No.48, Rawamangun, East Jakarta

Tel. 021 4788 2340

Sepeda.wordpress.com


Puspa Cycling Club

Contact puspa_cycling_club@yahoo.com

Bike to Work

Jl. Wijaya 1/8 Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta

Tel. 021 9126 6555

Sepedaku.com is a local online forum where bikers share information about routes, equipment and biking events.


Rock Climbing

For Panji Susanto, rock climbing is not just a sport, but a way of life. The professional instructor says the sport is not only fun but character building.

“Everybody can do it, and it’s not extreme — if you know the safety procedures.”

By climbing, he said, you get a good cardio workout, stretch your body and improve both your balance and concentration. A 7-year-old can climb after practicing weekly for just a month, he says.

Panji started climbing 19 years ago after he read about a French climber in a magazine. A year later he won a climbing competition in Jakarta and decided to make his hobby his living. His students include young executives, local celebrities, students and children.

He charges Rp 70,000 for two hours of climbing at Pasar Festival in Kuningan, South Jakarta, and requires bookings at least a day ahead.

Contact information

Panji Susanto, Tel. 0813 1120 9767

panjiclimb@gmail.com

www.climbingjakarta.co.cc