Sunda Kelapa Harbor

A set of travel photos on "Sunda Kelapa" Harbor, an historic area in Jakarta. Jakarta, Indonesia, 28/06/2009.

Sunda Kelapa Harbour is located at Jalan Maritim Raya, Jakarta, 14430 Indonesia.
This 500-year-old harbour area was a vital link to markets of the outside world for the 15th century kingdom of Pajajaran. It was formerly the harbour town of Sunda Kelapa where the Portuguese traded with the Hindu Kingdom of Pajajaran in the early 16th century. Since then this port has belonged to the portuguese and Dutch.
Dutch domination of Jakarta and the rest of Indonesia began from this area, whereas the remnants of Kasteel Batavia, an old fort and trading post of the Dutch East Indies Company can still be seen now. Sunda Kelapa is at present a fisherman's wharf and an inter island port. Tall-misted Bugis schooners from South Sulawesi anchoring there offer a picturesque scene. They belong to one of the last-fleets of sailboats in the world and still ply the seas between the islands, as they did centuries ago, carrying merchandise.
Tough little remains of bustling old Sunda Kelapa except the name, the harbour is still one of the most important calls for sailing vessels from all over Indonesia. The magnificent and brightly painted Makassar schooner called Pinisi is still an important means of transporting goods to and from the outer islands.

Go wander around the old Sunda Kelapa port, watching gangs of sinew-stretched coolies smoking pungent clove-laced cigarettes unload cargos of textiles and cements.
Hire a dugout canoe and paddlers and enjoy the waterside scenery. (Fare: around Rp. 10,000 per person, it depends on how good your bargaining skill is).
Ask the paddlers to do manoeuvres around the huge Pinisi boat, it’s quite an experienced. Usually there’ll be group of kids swimming in the canal, climbing to the nearest sail boat and jump down from 3-5metres height, a good subject to photographs if you’re happen to be a photographer (They’d ask for money sometimes to do this kind of stunts).

Go there around 3 p.m. so you can enjoy the warmth and windy atmosphere without having your skin burned. For the ladies, don’t wear something revealing unless you are ready to be whistle at every 50 metres or so, while it’s not harmful but can be quite annoying don’t you think.

Source : http://id.pagenation.com/
http://indonesia-tourism.com/

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