Old Batavia Heritage Tour in Jakarta
Highlights of the tour with the Jakarta tour guide:
Glodok China Town: Called "Glodok," it is the oldest Chinatown in Jakarta, built around 1650. Open markets, small shops with typical old Chinese architecture, tiny alleys, and charming cracks make this area a photographer's paradise.
Archive Museum: Located on Jalan Gajah Mada, this is one of the old museums displaying old maps. At night, the lights and atmosphere become even more beautiful and romantic.
Puppet Museum: An old Dutch colonial house containing great collections of Javanese leather "Wayang" puppets, wooden "Golek" puppets, and masks from Indonesia and some other parts of the world. The former Old Dutch Governor-General graveyard was also here.
Historical Jakarta Museum: Originally built by the Dutch in 1707 as Jakarta City Hall or "Stad Huis." It is furnished with antique furniture, porcelain, old maps and portraits, an underwater jail, and other items used by the former Dutch Governor-General.
Sunda Kelapa Harbor: The old port of Sunda Kelapa is full of magnificent Makassar schooners (Pinisi). The dock scene here has barely changed for centuries, and porters unload cargo from these sailing ships by hand and trolley. Sadly, the port itself is rundown, and its waters are grotesquely polluted these days.
Kota Intan Drawbridge: At the north end of Kali Besar lies a small 17th-century Dutch drawbridge, the last in the city, called the Kota Intan Drawbridge.
