JAKARTA – RABBLE, MASSAGE AND HANDICAP

Part of book Indonesia in eyes of Bulgarians

 

 

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reathless from unimaginable traffic streets, markets for antics and exotic fruits, skyscrapers and ancient temples, colonial buildings and entertainment parks, museums and super modern Malls – this is the 13-million Jakarta. But the capital of Indonesia does not depress, although it is huge. The mega polis spreads on 650 sq.km. sunk in  fluffy greenery. And when you become exhausted from the city noise, you can rest with the total pleasure of massage or with the concentrated aristocratism of golf. The Indonesians are crazy about this sport. Their only sorrow is that they do not have a world champion. In exchange their golf playgrounds are abounding. Only around the capital of Jakarta they are more than 30, although some count them as 43. Most of them are according to the world standards and can host without a problem whatever international championship. They are constructed by architects of the caliber of Jack Niklaus (First and Second), Thomson, Rodney Right and Robin Nelson, Robert Trent Jones, Greg Norman, Greham March, the favorite to the Bulgarian golfers Gary Player. The natural relief is used maximally, as is turned into part of the architecture. And the impressiveness is obligatory. Therefore a golf playground, the façade of which strongly reminds the fronton with carriage of Bolshoy Theatre does not shock anybody. The “Indonesian Open” is a tournament with prize fund of $1 million. It is sponsored by the state, and it does not spare means, when the word is for popularizing Indonesia as a tourist destination.

Pantai Indah Kapuk (the so called golf playground PIK) is at the seaside of the island of Java, not far away from Jakarta. The road towards it passes through a luxurious “ghetto for millionaires” – all the rich men from the capital have built themselves palaces along the seaside. Thus they stay in cool and nearer to their favorite sport. The author of PIK Robert Trent Jones has called it “The spirit of the sea”. “My playground not only resembles sea, but it is a sea”, says the architect and underlines with arguments: “Because sometimes the sea is generous and beautiful, other time – with terrible character and creates difficulties. My playground is a test for the capable players, but defies them to show the best of themselves”. The place includes relaxing pools, strategically situated bunkers, built up with local stones. 6048 m., 72 par with cleverly included seaside tropical trees in a park of 80 hectares. Pantai Indah Kapuk is an idyllic place at the sea coast, where the beginners forget about their meager abilities and enjoy the natural water ways and sand bunkers. The design of the golf playground is so innovative that since 1992, when it received the prize Golf Nugget, it is constantly winning prizes. Several times it was declared to be the best in Asia and it is included in The Rolex World’s Top 1000 Golf Courses. Here people can play during the whole year. Well, if the rain season is excluded (from December to March), but even then the downpour is so warm and if it does not prevent seeing the ball, the gracious young kiddies will follow you everywhere with a huge umbrella in hand. By the way, they all are beautiful girls in bright uniforms in green and candy’s pink with perfect English. 

Except playing to one’s heart content, the members and their guests can eat in the club, which offers fantastic view towards the sea and the playground, to swim in the pool with Olympic size, to play tennis or to improve their golf skills on the training field with gravel, bunkers and 7 kinds of greenery. After “Indonesian Open” in July, the golf playground is given to the youth. And as everything else here it is made with a dash. More than 2500 golfers from five selected schools in Jakarta are trained and compete there, until the time of the World youth golf championship, which is hosted by the playground.

You can feel the magic of the Indonesian massage in the small cabins, where the local people drop in after work, in order to bestir their muscles or at the elegant SPA centers for the high class. Taman sari royal heritage SPA is founded by the hereditary aristocrat MuriatiSadibayo. Raised in the Java royal court, she has adopted the ancient technics of beautifying with traditional herbs and applies them in all the 30 and more branches all over the world. But wherever they are, they obligatory are furnished in the extravagant, but airy style with a lot of woodcarving, which are characteristic for Indonesia. The therapies are many but the most distinguished is called “Royal lulur”. If it is fulfilled with all details the procedure takes 3 hours. Treating the body with local herbs and yogurt is described for the first time during the 17^th century in North Java, but probably comes from the antiquity. If translated the words mean “wrapped skin” and in the past it was an obligatory ritual for the bride before the wedding. It was done every day for a week before the ceremony, in order the bride to be with a silky skin possibly the cleanest and ready for conception in the very first nuptial night. The therapy prolongs the beauty and youth, making the skin soft and shining. The surrounding atmosphere is also royal. An amiable small Balinese woman makes massage of the feet for welcome. Presses some points by finger with a whole bunch of small sticks and only from this she discovers all your aches. The essence of the cleaning of dead cells is the exfoliating lulur – scrub from rice dust, local herbs (yellow color) and ethereal body oil. You start shivering   in spite of the 30 degrees outside. It turns out to be the obligatory effect of the cooling seaweed Marine Algae. You feel as if the skin becomes smaller for you. The lulur hardens scorches and slightly cracks. When it dries completely, they are brushing you off. And you see how the dead skin is leaving you. Two deft Balinese girls start pouring you with a mixture of yogurt and fresh mint. This has to convert your body into a clean radiance, while you are waiting the same procedure (in a softer form) for the face. It ends with a massage on the “reflex zones”, which means acupressure on special points on the chin, eyebrows and around the nose. Thus the stress is gone, if not forever, at least for long. The Jacuzzi is “boiling” already, filled with fresh rose petals. You are splashing into it in order to wash off the yogurt, and totally relax before the 1 hour Indonesian massage. It is mostly with a whole palm. In the first part it is on dry skin, and in the second –with ethereal oils and herbs. The pressure is on the direction of the blood streams, and the aim – to unlock a knot on the body. At the end you simply do not want to stand up.

And when you have had enough of spoiling, on your way back to Jakarta you could drop in for a drink on the 56^th floor of SKYE bar. The lift will raise you for less than 2 minutes to the terrace under the stars, and from there the night view toward the Indonesian capital will leave you breathless.

JAKARTA – MULTICOLOURED FAIRYTALE

~Magdalena Gigova ~

Chapter of book Indonesia in eyes of Bulgarians

“If you want to see everything in Indonesia – one lifetime is not enough! With a population of 240 million, dispersed on 17 504 islands, it is clear why. You have to choose between the mega polis Jakarta, to enjoy the piece of paradise – called Bali, or to plunge among the unique coral plantations on the Maluku islands. Maybe you will be attracted by the exotic: the wild tribes and former cannibals on Papua, the birthplace of the biggest lizard in the world – the merciless poisonous Komodo dragon on the Komodo islands, or to have a glimpse on the orangutans on Borneo”

Indonesia is the biggest archipelago in the world with its 30 groups of islands. The capital Jakarta is a 13-million mega polis, breathless from its traffic. Some people travel two-three hours to their working place and vice versa. But the Indonesians manage with the traffic jams in two ways: the first is “3 in 1” and means that on a working day it is forbidden for cars with less than three persons inside. Neighbors, friends, occasional companions make groups. Otherwise it is sure that at some traffic light they will make a photo of you and will charge you with a fierce fine. The other salvation is “Trans-Jakarta” – the road cleaned especially for the speedy buses. And it does not come to anybody’s mind to avail himself of this part of the road, higher with about 20 m. The stops are on a meter and a half height, as well as the doors of the buses. In difference with the other cities with 13 million citizens, Jakarta breaths with much greenery on all the 650 km2 on which it is spreading.

Jakarta under the wings of Garuda

 Above them is towering the national monument. This is 132-meter tower, from the roof of which are opened wonderful sights. In its base is opened a golden gate under the sounds of the Indonesian anthem, in order the visitors to see the document of creating the contemporary state with the signature of President Sukarno. A modest piece of paper, with a text typed on an archive typewriter, with a signature and stamp. Garuda is the golden eagle-like bird, symbol of the country and its beaky profile is watching from all the wall-panels. And from the terrace the glance seizes sky scrapers and parks kilometers around. The whole tower is surrounded by stone bas reliefs, which are telling with their super realistic figures scenes from the history and way of life of Indonesia. From them we learn not only about heroes and commanders, but also that in order to become a man the Indonesian had to jump over a rather high pole. In the monument “Monas”, as the tower is called, there is a special room for meditation, in which nobody can enter but only the children of Sukarno, in order to pray with the spirit of their father.
In spite of the 350 years presence of the Dutch, the shorter colonization of the British and French and the cruel raid of the Japanese, the Indonesians celebrate quite peacefully the anniversaries of their “national awakening”, without baring malice.

 From the Netherlands quarter to the fan of life

Therefore the old Netherlands quarter is maintained excellently.  In the museum “Fatahilah” is especially respected the ancient furniture of the former governors, and the nostalgic canal is not anymore navigable, but is being duly cleaned every day. In the courtyard of the museum the infertile women are competing to touch a huge gun, crowned with what the Russians call “kukish” and in Indonesia is considered to be talisman for fertility. For this aim the ladies have to spend the night under the gun. At the other side of Jakarta there is a “male” big rifle, which influences the potentiality better than Viagra. From the expositions in the Indonesian capital the most attractive are the museum with puppets for the theatre of shadows and “Taman Mini” – entertaining park in which each of the provinces of the country is represented with its characteristic house. 

From the first museum you learn that in the performances with the so called wayang (Javanese puppet) or Javanese dolls one actor performs 15 different roles and sometimes is acting 9 hours without stopping. But he has an assistant who helps him to arrange the personages, which are more than 300. 

But he plays systematically “only” with around 120. The helper sticks the puppet / wayang dolls as high as 2-3 m., sometimes higher. The filigree processing of the leather for the 200-year old exhibits has placed “Wayang”, as the museum is called, among the list for the world heritages of UNESCO. The leather is thin and finely cut, as a lace, in order the light to pass through it and the theatre of shadows to be even more effective. I was shocked by the fan of life, created from unbelievably thin, almost transparent wood. For sure at its one side was the paradise and from the other – hell. And each sign has a secret (or evident) symbolic meaning. And almost comic is the figure of GatotKacha, a fairy tale hero, the local version of Superman. When his face is blue he is in good mood, the red façade says that he is furious. The museum is situated in an Anglican church of XVI century, from which are preserved also about ten grave stones of knights, passed away long time ago.

In front of the sanctuary of the dolls there is an endless row of bicycles with plantation helmets on the luggage carriers. Everybody can rent them and circle around the city center, without being disturbed from the ghosts of the Dutch colonizers. By the way the local people joke that for three hundred years the stingy Dutch have built less roads, public building and schools, than the English during their four years (1811-1815) in Indonesia.

The wife of the longest serving Indonesian President – Suharto suggested to create the park “Taman Mini.  The place does not have anything in common with “Europe on palm”, which can be seen in Brussels or “Switzerland in miniature” at Melide. In short – In “Taman Mini” nothing is mini. 

Quite the opposite. Everything is huge, even bigger than the real dimensions. An over-head cable car allows the visitors to see the park, spreading on 1 2km and above. Savages are rowing in pirogues in the middle of a lake, as in Sulawesi. They are even not real, although looking strikingly realistic. A museum, similar to Hindu temple shows the different ethnic groups and is at the same time wonderful   décor for weddings.

A real feast for lovers of antics and authentic souvenirs is Surabaya – a quarter with small shops, in which one could stumble to a treasure and more often – to a real imitation, but he will bring it to his country as a precious souvenir from Jakarta.

THE CHILD’S FIRST STEPS - INDONESIAN WAY. “TEDAK SITEN” – THE SEVEN COLOURS OF WISDOM

~ Magdalena Gigova ~

Part of book Indonesia in eyes of Bulgarians

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he rituals of the more than 300 ethnic groups in Indonesia entangle the multiform and colorful culture of the exotic country. At the residence of Ambassador Bunyan Saptomo two girls made their first steps with the help of a Javanese ritual.

In difference with the Bulgarian first steps here more important from whether the child will take the coin or the earphones, is the message for successful life with the advices of the parents and respect to the earth, feeding us. The ceremony passed through several symbolic phases and in each one was coded a deep sense. The parents, dressed in Javanese national costumes have  found it rather difficult to supply the necessary for the ritual cage made out of bamboo sticks, and the whole female staff of the Embassy participated in the decoration.

According to the laws of the ritual “tedaksiten” before the child makes her/his choice, the parents accompany him/her to step on seven bowls, filled with rice in different color. Each one of them is a symbol of a human characteristic, which the little one has to learn to control or develop during his/her future life.

The dish of white rice shows that the conscience of the baby is still a blanc piece of paper and he/she is sinless. The red dish is a symbol of rage, which can be subdued. The yellow bowl presents the wisdom, which is being piled during the years. The green one is the generosity, which must be shown by the person in the future. The blue one is the patience which has to be learned. The last, purple tray symbolizes perfection.

After touching with their bare feet each different color, the little girls waited for the fathers to raise a small ladder, and they, accompanied by their mothers had to climb it. This symbolizes the parents’ support, which will accompany the children during their whole life. The last trial is a tray with sand, in which the children have to make a few steps. The imitation of a dance has also a hidden meaning – the future diligent work, which will ensure their living.

In the adorned with flowers and ribbons bamboo cage the relatives have already arranged CAREFULLY SELECTED OBJECTS - money, jewels, electronics, earphones, books, rice, cotton. The same as in the Bulgarian custom, of great importance for the future of the child is what he or she will choose. If the child grabs a book, its whole life will be dedicated to accumulating knowledge and if takes a jewel or a banknote it will become rich and very successful person. The bamboo construction, which is a copy of an Indonesian cage for cocks, symbolizes entering into life.

One of the girls did not want to choose anything of the scattered lustrous objects and started crying in the arms of her mother. After waiting awhile the guests decided that this is a sign the she will become a singer. But the other one showed character and liked a banknote and later a calculator. The ritual “tedaksiten” requires the fathers to sprinkle over the guests rose petals and small coins, in order their child to make a career and to become a generous person, ready to help the others. Each one of the guests bent and took a coin for luck.

And the girls in unison with the tradition were clad in completely new dresses and shoes. The hidden sense of changing the clothes is to make their parents be proud with them and their successes in life. In order the ceremony to be effective is necessary the good energy of those present, their blessing and benevolence of Gods.

The culmination of the ritual is cutting of something like a rice cake with intricate architecture. It turned out that “tumpeng” as is the name of the dish, is saturated with symbolism. It is an invariable part of every occasion, notwithstanding the case. It is in a form of a cone, and the dishes with which it is served also have coded message. The cone expresses the hopes for prosperity and capturing peaks, therefore exactly this form is obligatory. During the ages “tumpeng” has been made with white rice, but in the recent years the yellow rice is preferred as more attractive, because the color is considered to be more impressive and grandeur. It is boiled with cocoa milk and contains a lot of spices – carnation, cardamom, lemon grass. It is obligatory to be served on beautifully arranged green leaves.

The cone is the Indonesian synonym of “the horn of plenty”. And the philosophy of the rice is that in a certain moment of life, everything goes to God. The base of the dish is round – meaning the circle of life, but from the point of view of continuity. At more solemn occasion the dish has several stories – as the phases in life and stairs of success. The rice is accompanied with several kinds of food, also saturated with lot of symbolism. The chicken meat is a sign of zealous work, but if a whole cock is cooked, the message is changed towards annihilation of the human arrogance. Eggs are an obligatory addition to the “tumpeng” as an endless circle of life. Each one of the vegetables also has a hidden meaning. The spinach is peace, bean sprites – growth, green beans – long life. The bright colorful vegetables symbolize happiness, but the most positive is the combination of all of them. It is called “urab” and symbolizes the unity in diversity, of which Indonesia is proud.

Ambassador Bunyan Saptomo together with his wife Aprilia cut “tumpeng” and the first bites were given to the little participants in the ceremony. And the guests enjoyed the traditional Indonesian specialties, including the strange fruit “snake skin”, the cover of which reminds reptile.

“NYABUTAN”

The first touch with the mother Earth

On the island of Bali for the first step of the baby on the Mother Earth is invited the family priest (the religion there is a more special it is a more liberal kind of Hinduism) and present gifts to the God Sun and to the Five elements. “Nyabutan” is something like baptism, because according to the local religion until its sixth month the child is god. In the family temple the altar is filled with gifts – traditional roasted small pigs, corn, fruits, wheat, water, flowers, banknotes, and boiled duck. The priest is adorned with so many necklaces as he manages to bear on his skinny neck, and on his head is a golden crown – hybrid between turban, cylinder and tiara.The atmosphere at the ceremony has nothing to do with the tense restriction at the churches. The priest mumbles his blessings the guests are sitting with their newest clothes, exchanging gossips, laughing.

The only one, who is taking the ritual seriously, is a sweet little girl of nearly six months. She DOES NOT STOP SMILING IN THE HANDS OF HER MOTHER and father, who hand her over to each other as a priceless bundle. The ceremony, of course, is not a baptism, but a blessing of a baby, who has become half a year old and already, can touch the earth with feet. The Balinese consider the children below 6 months old for gods, messengers of the heaven, who must not touch the floor. Therefore the babies are cradled and are object of a tender respect. If, while in this blessed condition, the baby, God forbid, dies, a solemn cremation is organized, because it has never been a human being, but something more superior. But when the baby becomes over six months, it comes down from the pedestal and enters the bosom of the human kind. 

The priest blesses with holy water first the nut and then the girl. The “wooden baby” is rolled on the floor exactly on the spot, where the real one must touch the ground for the first time. This is done in order to distract the evil demons. Thus they will attack the doll and avoid the real child. The parents of the baby rotate her THREE TIMES OVER AN UTENSIL WITH WATE repeating the circle – birth, life, death.

The priest is saying blessings as if in trans, he brings a huge golden bell, sprinkles with water the forehead of the little girl and she is smiling to him. Her brothers and sisters crowd around her. The main body of the family places the gifts in front of the altar. Meanwhile the courtyard of the temple starts resembling a picnic - distributing snacks, water, commenting their new clothes, talking.

After this all the relatives leave for the sea side. They gather around fires, say prayers for long and happy life and later drop on the wave’s boats made from leaves and flowers to swim towards eternity.

Жарката Джакарта!

Жарката Джакарта!

Вестник "Преса"

Магдалена ГИГОВА

Special thanks to Enjoy Jakarta

Джакарта е пъстра като мечта. И голяма колкото нея. Столицата на Индонезия се е ширнала върху 650 кв. км и в нея по официални данни живеят около 13 милиона. Да прекосиш Джакарта от единия до другия край отнема часове, дори и с бързите автобусни линии, които се движат по специално трасе, отделено с 40-сантиметров банкет. Спирките са къщички с тераски на 1,5 метра над земята, от които се влиза направо в рейса.

Напук на представите за задъхан мегаполис градът плува в зеленина. Нормално! Тук температурата през цялата година надвишава 30 градуса, а валежите карат всяко боднато в земята клонче да върже. И все пак Джакарта не е само лепкав трафик, небостъргачи, колониални къщи и музеи. Какво още има в столицата на Индонезия - четете по-долу.

Обама с къси панталонки

Малцина са запомнили от биографията на Барак Обама, че две години е учил в ислямско училище. Той е живял в Джакарта с втория си баща, индонезиеца Лоло Саторо, а майка му е преподавала в протестантското школо, където по-късно се мести и бъдещият американския президент.

За да почетат индонезийското детство на Обама, местните власти му издигат... паметник - момченце по къси гащи, на чиято ръка пърха пеперуда, и го поставят в централен градски парк. Във Фейсбук обаче започва протестна вълна. Аргументът е, че Барак не е направил нищо съществено за Индонезия. Кметството капитулира и поставя статуята (в естествен за 10-годишно момче ръст) в бившето му училище в скъпия джакартски квартал Ментенг.

Като обстановка мястото не крещи с въпиещ лукс, но предизвиква спонтанния въпрос: „Защо и у нас няма такива училища?” Атмосферата е ласкава и по-скоро домашна. Бълбукат поточета, по стените се стелят увивни растения и дори джамията прилича повече на балконче от приказка. В двора децата упражняват традиционен танц с чинии по чорапи, а вторият чин вляво, на който е седял Обама, и до днес си е същият.

Да нахраниш рибите

В „Сий уърлд“-Джакарта изразът „Да нахраниш рибите” придобива съвсем буквално значение. Огромният аквариум, разположен върху 4200 кв. м, е първият в Индонезия и е част от Джай Анкол дреймланд парк - комплекс от атракциони, съчетаващи лунапарк, Дисниленд, мол, хотел и пристанище за увеселителни кораби.

В „Сий уърлд” всеки ден се изсипват 5 млн. литра солена вода, която се филтрира предварително, за да не се заразят с нещо повече от 3500-те обитатели. Дългият 80 м тунел с прозрачни стени и таван, в който, докато вървиш, гледаш как над теб се стрелкат скатове и акули, съседства с детски басейни, където малчуганите могат да пипнат морски звезди и са си поиграят с шарени рибета. Най-завладяващата атракция обаче е храненето на рибите на дълбочина 6 м пред очите на останалите посетители.

За целта ви трябват 20 долара, повечко смелост и късмет да сте първи на касата в часа, когато започва атракцията. След мъчително напъхване в неопренов костюм и кратък инструктаж за работа с кислородна бутилка т.нар. бъди (придружител и спасител) ви повежда към аквариума. Провирате се между останки от корабокрушения и сандъци със злато. Рибите се втурват като кокошки към зърно при вида на кошницата със сепии и водата заприличва на супа с мърдащо фиде. Вие ги галите, храните и ако ви е останала свободна ръка махате на зяпачите зад стъклото. Еуфорията е пълна!

Чаят е първият бонзай

Че чаеното дърво по природа е високо 6 метра, но е нарочно селекционирано до храст, става ясно в плантацията Ганунг Мас в местността Пунчак на 90 км от Джакарта. Един от холандските губернатори установил, че в планината е красиво и прохладно, построил си лятна резиденция и постепенно районът се превърнал в нещо като джакартския Бевърли хилс.

Контраст на луксозните хотели и екстравагантните дворци са къщичките на чайоберачите - спретнати дървени колибки с веранди, на които играят деца и кокошки. Чаеното дърво е първият бонзай, защото се берат само листенцата от най-горната му част и е много по-удобно то да е на височината на дребничките берачки. Те работят от 2 до 6,30 сутринта, но всеки ден изминават по 12 км нагоре по хълма, за да стигнат до работното си място с големи кошници на гръб. Жениците кротко позират за снимка и с радост показват на „бледоликите” как от всеки храст се късат само по няколко листенца на ден. Следва задължителната дегустация на бял, зелен, червен и черен чай с „мезе” от панирани банани и снейк скин фрут (нещо като голям кестен с черупка като змийска кожа).

На един лъв разстояние

Ако искате да видите всички животни и да се забавлявате с атракциите в „Таман сафари Чизаруа“ ще са ви необходими поне два дни, защото там можете да храните от ръка любопитни лами и нахалнички зебри, антилопи и хипопотами-джуджета, да гушкате бебета орангутани и леопарди, да плувате с делфини, да пипнете пингвин, да участвате в разиграване на война със слонове... 170 хектара облагородена джунгла, населена с повече от 2500 животни, главно от Индонезия и Азия. Единственото, което е необходимо да сте със закрита кола и да се въоръжите с моркови и банани.

Пътят се вие покрай бухнала зеленина. До колата се приближава антилопа гну и навира нахално муцуна в прозореца – проси си морков. Зебра се опитва да я измести. В „Таман сафари“ животните са пуснати наволя, но през 200 м има патрулни коли, които пазят туристите от тях и обратното. Един завой по-нагоре са слоновете. Между хората и добродушните гиганти има само плитък ров. 200-килограмовите бебета срамежливо надничат иззад майките си. Подавате банан. Хоботът се удължава като маркуч на прахосмукачка, за да го докопа. Хипопотамът отваря паст, колкото да се уверите във факта, че от нападения на разлютени хипопотами загиват много повече хора, отколкото от лъвове. Зъбите им са като на акула – огромни, криви и застрашителни. Носорозите изглеждат съвсем безобидни, докато похрупват палмови клонки. След тях са индонезийските тапири, палмовите цибетки, през чието ако преминава най-скъпото кафе в света – копи луак и „по-конвенционалните“ камили, жирафи, мечки....

Огромна порта като на средновековна крепост се захлопва зад колата ви. След нея втора, трета.... Това е царството на лъвовете! От джунглата надничат руини на древни храмове като в кадър от Индиана Джоунс. Предупреждават да не отваряте прозорците. Тъкмо да опонирате, и се появяват лъвовете – десет огромни мъжки екземпляра, които ви гледат изпод гривите като потенциална вечеря. Странно червеникави на цвят, като див кестен, те налитат на бой. Засега само помежду си. Патрулката подканва туристите да тръгват. След още три отворени врати се повтаря същото в клетката на тигрите, после на пумите, на леопардите...

По въжетата се люлеят безгрижните ни роднини – шимпанзетата. Едно от тях вижда приближаването на олата и го възприема като потенциална шведскат маса. Застава на задните си крака и започва да се бие в гърдите с победни звуци. Така си заслужава банана отвсякъде. Обрасъл като китеник орангутан го гледа презрително и чака пая си отдалеч.

Обиколката свършва, но атракциите – не. Следват клетките на най-отровните гущери в света – гигантския комодски варан, който се въди само в Индонезия и срещу ухапването му няма антидот. Малчуганите могат да се снимат с бебета леопарди или орангутани, да поседнат на обяд с пингвин като му подават риба, да яздят слончета или да гледат тюленско, каубойско или тигърско шоу...

Цяла Индонезия на 165 хектара

Индонезия се е проснала на 17 504 острова, но може да я избродите цялата за няколко часа в парка „Таман мини“. Той е създаден в Джакарта по идея на Сити Хартина – съпругата на президента Сухарто, управлявал в продължение на 32 г. от 1967 до 1998-а. Целта й била да подсили патриотизма и чувството за национална гордост и през 1970 г. набързо национализирали 165 хектара ниви и ливади.

За разлика от повечето паркове, които показват миниатюрни модели на най-прочутите сгради в съответната страна, в „Таман мини“ нищо не е малко. Всяка една от 26-те провинции е представена с характерните за нея къщи в естествен размер. Типичните за Ява, Сулавеси, Суматра, Калимантан (Борнео), Молукските острови и Папуа домове демонстрират къщната подредба и местните занаяти.

Копия на по-големите острови на Индонезия пък са пръснати из огромно езеро, погледът към който от височината на кабинките на въжената линия е завладяващ. От птичи поглед стоте хектара на "Таман мини" внушават етническа и религиозна търпимост. Кабинките минават над будистки пагоди, джамии, хиндуистки храмове, католически и протестантски църкви.

Истински папуаси дялкат дървени статуи, красиви като статуетки балийки танцуват за гостите. А ако нямате сили да трамбовате от павилион на павилион, от птичия парк до градините с орхидеи, подправки и билки и жасмин или до 4D театъра, освен въжената линия има миниатюрна влакова линия, моторикши, вело-таксита...

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