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Hemmed in by new housing,
construction sites, new shophouses and the toll road lies a rapidly
diminishing piece of mangrove swampland that allows you to glimpse what
Jakarta may once have looked like before concrete and car became king.
Narrow, creaky elevated wooden
walkways take you nowhere really but the mosquitoes remind you you are
in primordial swamp where you can imagine T Rex and Stegosaurus battling
over some poor simian. The dinosaurs have gone but not the simians. One
swung down from a tree on to a boat and looked at me intently scratching
his genitals which I took as a compliment.
Snakes crawl around in some of the
more inaccessible areas as do lizards. To catch the bird life it's best
to get here early morning. There is a watchtower which they won't let
you climb, it's as solid as a Mike Baldwin alibi. There is an
information booth with some posters and a small model of the area
showing walkways that no longer exist but keep your money in your
pocket. There's nothing available!
It is also possible to hire a boat
and head up the Kali Angke to a couple of nearby islands. On my visit
the captain was at home watching TV and enjoying his day off. Don't
visit on Sundays!
Like so much of Indonesia, a place of
great potential suffers from lack of infrastructure, lack of promotion
and lack of information. What a shame...
Getting there and
away
First thing you need to do is get a
permit from the Jakarta Conservation Centre. The address is as follows:
BKSDA, Jalan Salemba Raya, Persada
University Indonesia
021-315-8142
We just turned up and walked in but were advised next time to get the
permit first! It's doable by public transport. Angkots from Kota to Kapuk are the best bet but ideally get hold of a taxi, Bluebird are the
best, and get them to take you to Pantai Indah Kapuk which is a large
housing area. Look out for a small gateway on your left which says Muara
Angke or, holding your permit, ask the driver to ask around. And keep
asking, we were told by at least one local there was no such place!
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