The Best Tourism

 1. Old Town

The Old City is an important area during the colonial period. This area covers parts of West Jakarta and North Jakarta, from Sunda Kelapa Harbor to the Bank Indonesia Museum. Once upon a time, Sunda Kelapa Harbor was the largest and busiest port used for buying and selling activities in international trade activities. Meanwhile, the area around the Bank Indonesia Museum and Fatahilah Museum was one of the centers of the colonial government.

Just like the old urban areas in several cities in Indonesia and even the world, Kota Tua Jakarta is used as a historical tourist spot by changing the function of old buildings into museums that store a lot of valuable information about the history of the city. Due to its wide coverage, the Kota Tua Jakarta area has several interesting tourist objects that you must visit for the sake of getting to know history, including:

a. Sunda Kelapa Harbor

This ancient port which was once the main port of international trade has witnessed the glory of Jakarta or Batavia in its time. In the past, this port was very busy with traders from China, Arabia and India who were busy selling the merchandise they brought in exchange for money or spices.

Because of its age, which can be said to be quite old, Sunda Kelapa Port is even claimed to have been operating since Jakarta was founded. This place has witnessed the glory of the Pajajaran Kingdom, the arrival of the Portuguese, the prosperous life of the Demak Kingdom, until the beginning of Dutch rule in Indonesia.

Different before, different now. Currently, this port is used as a 'parking' for local fishing boats. But that doesn't mean it makes Sunda Kelapa Harbor any less attractive. The right time to visit this tourist spot is in the late afternoon. The silhouette of fishing boats combined with orange light will become a beautiful photo object to remember. For culinary delights, around this tourist spot there are many food stalls serving a variety of delicious seafood.

b. Bank Indonesia Museum

The Bank Indonesia Museum is one of the tourist attractions that attracts the attention of many tourists. The building where the museum stands was formerly Binnen Hospital. However, as time went on, De Javasche Bank was founded in 1828 or what would later become the forerunner of Bank Indonesia.

There are many interesting objects that you can see at the Bank Indonesia Museum, especially for those of you who like photography. No wonder this place is one of the most visited tourist objects in the Old City area of ​​Jakarta.

The Bank Indonesia Museum can be visited every Tuesday through Thursday, which is between 8:00 WIB and 14:30 WIB, on Friday at 08:00 WIB to 11:00 WIB and on Saturdays and Sundays, namely between 9:00 WIB to 16:00 WIB. Interestingly, visitors can enter this museum at no cost.

2. Borobudur Temple

Borobudur is a Buddhist temple located in Borobudur, Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia. This temple is located approximately 100 km southwest of Semarang, 86 km west of Surakarta, and 40 km northwest of Yogyakarta. This stupa-shaped temple was founded by Mahayana Buddhists around the year 800 AD during the reign of the Syailendra dynasty. Borobudur is the largest Buddhist temple or temple in the world, as well as one of the largest Buddhist monuments in the world.

This monument consists of six square terraces on which there are three circular courtyards, the walls are decorated with 2,672 relief panels and originally there are 504 Buddha statues. Borobudur has the most complete and largest collection of Buddhist reliefs in the world. The largest main stupa lies in the center and crowns the building, surrounded by three circular rows of 72 perforated stupas in which there is a Buddha statue sitting cross-legged in a perfect lotus position with the Dharmachakra mudra (turning the wheel of dharma).

This monument is a model of the universe and was built as a holy place to glorify Buddha as well as function as a place of pilgrimage to guide mankind from the world of worldly lust to enlightenment and wisdom according to Buddhist teachings. Pilgrims enter via the east side and begin the ritual at the base of the temple by walking in a clockwise circle around this sacred building, while continuing to climb the next steps through the three levels of realm in Buddhist cosmology. The three levels are Kāmadhātu (the realm of lust), Rupadhatu (the realm of form), and Arupadhatu (the realm of intangibility). On the way the pilgrims walk through a series of aisles and stairs seeing no less than 1,460 beautiful relief panels engraved on the walls and balustrades.

According to historical evidence, Borobudur was abandoned in the 14th century as the influence of Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms in Java weakened and the influence of Islam began. The world began to realize the existence of this building since it was discovered in 1814 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who at that time served as the British Governor General of Java. Since then Borobudur has undergone a series of rescue and restoration efforts (repairs). The largest restoration project was held between 1975 and 1982 under the efforts of the Government of the Republic of Indonesia and UNESCO, then this historic site was included in the list of World Heritage Sites.

Borobudur is still used today as a place of religious pilgrimage; every year Buddhists who come from all over Indonesia and abroad gather at Borobudur to commemorate the Trisuci Waisak. In the world of tourism, Borobudur is the single most visited tourist attraction in Indonesia.