Time in a Bottle: Kota Toea aka Oud Batavia

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Kota Toea aka Oud Batavia

In my years of (business) traveling, I was never able to be a tourist.

Most of the time it is work, and work and never-ending work. Early in the morning, we would travel to the client's office, and coupled with dinner appointments, most of the time, by the time I reach the hotel, it is bed time, so I would hit the sack, and the day would end there and then.

It begins all over again early the next morning.

And by Friday night (or late Friday afternoon), I would be queueing at the check-in counter, getting ready to go home.

It does not matter if the meeting is in Bangkok, or Jakarta, Hanoi or Saigon - and just to make it appear a bit more glamourous, I would add Rayong (Thailand), Bataan (the Philippines), Medan, Palembang, Lhokseumawe (Aceh), Balikpapan, Balongan/Cirebon or Dumai for that matter to the list of places I would frequent too.

They are all the same to me.

Or at least they would appear that way since I would not have seen their cities or town as tourist, or inhabitant. Neither as I would only be passing through, and I would certainly not able to get to know them. To be honest, I was not really interested too to get to know the towns too well. I was only doing my job. We tried to maximise our working hours while we are on duty, and not use it for personal gratifications.

This is what you do when you love your job and the company you were working for. There was no question that we would do anything for the company, or at least in hindsight, that is what I would like to think.

So in 2011, I was able to get half day off due cancelled meeting, and I decided to reward myself and visited Kota Toea Betawi. I had only seen this part of Jakarta over the years from the cab's windows, but never had the opportunity to visit them.

And these are what I saw that day in September 2011.

Jakarta as reflected in the heavily polluted stream.
Love the picture nonetheless

kota Toea and surrounding from the window of Jakarta History Museum.
If I am not mistaken,this is Fatahillah Square

Decaying Kota Toea. It is in need of restoration for sure

Still intact, complete with blooming Kemboja.

One of the alleyway at Kota Toea

Must be an old ""

This used to the the Batavia City Hall,
now Jakarta History Museum

And no, this was not the job of the WWII Atomic Bomb,
this is part of Kota Toea. It adds character. I am pretty sure
if this was Malaysia, it would have been torn many times over,
and a non-descript building would come up in its place!