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7/20/2014 0 Comments

Serenity in the middle of bustling Jakarta 

Jakarta is a big and busy city. We often felt we knew every inch of the town where we were born, but we always found a new place that we never knew its existence before yet its been there decades ago. One of those places is this Dutch war cemetery in Menteng Pulo.
Ereveld Menteng Pulo is a field of honor for the Dutch armies who died when Japanese invaded Batavia in 1942. During those time, Dutch war cemeteries were all 22 places, scattered throughout the archipelago. Between 1946 and 1950 these were built by the Counts department of the Royal Dutch East Indies Army /Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger (KNIL). After the handover, in agreement with the Indonesian government, the remains were reburied at seven war cemeteries located in Java.

The seven war cemeteries are ereveld Menteng Pulo and ereveld Ancol in Jakarta, ereveld Leuwigajah in Cimahi, ereveld Pandu in Bandung, ereveld Kembang Kuning in Surabaya, ereveld Candi and ereveld Kalibanteng in Semarang.  From all these seven Dutch war cemeteries, ereveld Menteng Pulo is the most famous. This is mainly due to the Simultaankerk (Simultaan Church) and the adjoining Columbarium which usually make a deep impression on visitors.
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The cemetery was built in 1947 initiated by Lieutenant General SH Spoor and finished in 1949. The Simultaankerk and Columbarium finished in 1950. The graves in Menteng Pulo are victims (both civilian and military) of the Japanese camps and Dutch soldiers who were killed in 1945-1949.
The Simultaankerk was built of white plastered brick. The construction was completed in 1950. Rectangular vessel terminates in an altar room. The highest point of the complex is the 22 meter high tower of the chapel. The entrance to the chapel consists of two doors that open outward. There’s an ironwork with the symbols of creation on both doors. On the right door, from top to bottom, the images of a bird, the animals of the land and the trees. On the left door, the fish, the plants and fruits. In the bell tower clock with the inscription hanging: "The gratitude of the people of the pious interpreter, I tamp over the graves of their allegiance to the red, white and blue bars here in dust and ashes."
Next to the church is the Columbarium, a two-part gallery with white columns. There are shelves with 754 urns containing the ashes of (Dutch prisoner of war) deceased in Japan and cremated.
Top of the columns are carved medallions. These contain different symbols. At first, the signs of the four major world religions. The other symbols relate to Life, Death, Time, the Immortality and Eternity. There is a pond in the middle of Columbarium.
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In the corner of the gallery, there is a small square tower with a mosque dome-shaped roof. This building have urns of the unknown soldier. There is a niche on the wall with an urn tabernacle with a relief above it. The relief is a female figure with raised hands. She carries a burning torch on her right hand. Above her there’s a text “De geest heeft overwonnen” means The spirit has prevailed. This was the motto of the military graves department of the Royal Dutch East Indies Army.
On the right and left sides of the niche are two stained-glass windows with images symbolizing the reconciliation between the Indonesian and the Dutch people. The windows in the Columbarium and those in the church were made in 1950 by C. Stauthamer.
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When we walked around the cemetery, we saw other war cemetery of British soldier. It is very next, side by side, and it only bounded by a wall of trees and small gate.
Ereveld Menteng Pulo is very quiet and peaceful in the middle of the bustling metropolitan city. For you who like to learn about history this place is worth a visit, and plus you can have a moment to enjoy the serenity before get back to our routine life. Please note, in order to visit ereveld, you will need a permission from the management (Oorlogsgravenstichting) by sending them an email. If you do visit this place, take a moment and sit on one of the bench on the garden. It is very peaceful. -SK-
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6/9/2014 0 Comments

Major's House

Jakarta have so many colonial buildings. Some are well-preserved, some are neglected, some are only their names that left behind. For they’re no longer exist physically.

If you are on jalan Gajah Mada and passing the famous Gedung Arsip, around few hundred meters further, you will find a colonial house with Chinese traditional architecture inside a tall modern hotel building. The antique house is called Candra Naya, once owned by the last ‘Major’ of the Chinese community, Khouw Kim An.
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Major's House/Rumah Candra Naya. Jl. Gajah Mada no. 188, Jakarta
Khouw Kim An was born in 1879 in Batavia, educated in Hokkien school but also speak Dutch fluently. In 1905 given a rank of a Lieutenant by the Dutch government, three years later got promoted became a Kapitein and by 1910 became a Major. Because of his last title, people called the house, Major’s House. He died in 1945, after being jailed by the Japanese for almost 3 years. Major Khouw inherit the house from his father, Khouw Tjeng Toan. From stories, Khouw Kim An came to live in this house not until 1934, where he lived in Bogor earlier.  

There is no definite reference that explain when was this house being built. But there were two possibilities, either it was built by Khouw Tjeng Toan in 1867, or by Khouw Tian Sek (father of Khouw Tjeng Toan) in 1807.
Looking at this beautiful preserved Chinese architecture (what is left), I'm enjoying all the details from the design. The ornament on the upper side of the wall all over the house must have some meanings. A chess board, a lute, a book, and a painting in scroll are symbols describing the owner of the house is intellectual, rich, knowledgeable, and understands art. (http://pluitcommunitymagazine.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/candranaya-peninggalan-sejarah-berarsitektur-tiong-hwa-abad-ke-19/)    
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In Adolf Heuken’s “Historical Sites of Jakarta”, Major’s house is the first Chinese residence in Batavia and the largest one at that time. It consist of three houses (Old Tripartite Chinese Residence) arranged one after another and separated by inner courtyards and surrounded on two sides by long annex buildings. Narrow courts separate the main houses from these annexes. (Below)

Back in the middle of 19th century, the house was located outside the bustling city and it was in residencies area or luxury villa. The front courtyard was bounded by Kali Ciliwung, and every villa has its own boat dock. Batavia’s rivers were the main transportation facilities back then. (http://alwishahab.wordpress.com)  

After the Major died, the house was used for a social gathering of Chinese community called Sin Ming Hui (‘Sinar Baru’) in 1946. And the house’s name changed into Candra Naya in 1960 when at that time the spirit of nationalism was heightened by replacing every colonial names.     

Although Candra Naya is protected by the government as cultural heritage, in 1992 the house was bought by a developer and partly demolished to build a 24-storey hotel and apartment building. Only the first and second house have been left to stand inside the lobby. The residence changed ownership few times, and currently (2014) a chain hotel occupied the high rise building. -SK- 
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http://hurahura.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/candranaya.jpg
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5/29/2014 0 Comments

Weekend in Bandung-West Java

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Bandung is one of the perfect places for Jakarta citizen to enjoy a short getaway. I haven’t got any plan for my weekend, on last Saturday. It was a spontaneous decision that we went to Bandung on Saturday afternoon. The distance from Jakarta to Bandung takes around 2,5 hours car drive and we straight went to our hotel in Bumi Sangkuriang. It has an art deco architecture, called Concordia Hotel. It was a guest house built in 1863. It is a typical old colonial guest house has big swimmingpool and big luscious green garden and tall trees. Very relaxing and you can feel the fresh air.

After settling down in the hotel, we went out and to found this small eatery with little shops inside. It is a colonial house with big garden. The shops are inside the house and the eateries were on its beautiful garden on the front terras and on the back garden.
The next day, we went for a swim in the hotel. They have big swimming pool with a maximum depth of 5 meters so diving is aloud. I think dive into a swimming pool is the high light of swimming. Lovely.
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After breakfast we went to Lembang to see this Leisure Park called Dusun Bambu (Bamboo Village). The entrance ticket is IDR 10,000/pax plus IDR 10,000 for the car. It was Sunday and it’s very crowded.
Dusun Bambu is where you meet nature and culture.

[Picture above] One of the facilities is tree houses. You can order food and booked a tree house. One of the tree houses is a toilet, so you don't have to bother going down the stairs and walk to the toilet near the restaurant. The interior is very artistic. -SK-
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