"Long Weekend", a fun picnic moment to refresh your mind
Picnics in the city forest and enjoying the sunset on the beach are the choices for some Jakarta residents to enjoy vacation together.
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Jakarta residents use various ways to enjoy a long holiday or long weekend The Ascension of Jesus Christ on Thursday (9/5/2024) which is continued shared leave and weekend holidays. No need for expensive tours, relaxing in the city forest or enjoying the sunset on the beach is the choice for some residents to enjoy holidays.
Since 3:00 PM, Tissa (24) arrived at the Gelora Bung Karno Urban Forest (GBK) in Central Jakarta. Along with a friend, she spent her day off relaxing and having a picnic while enjoying Jakarta's air.
According to Tissa, the GBK City Forest is very suitable and mandatory to visit, both for young people and adults. There, one can feel the coolness of the tall trees. Skyscrapers can also be seen behind the city forest.
Also read: Fun Vacation Without Draining Your Savings
"Furthermore, the GBK City Forest is very well-maintained. There is almost no scattered garbage. The facilities of this city forest are also complete. There are garbage cans in every corner," said this Central Jakarta resident on Thursday (9/5/2024).
For Tissa, GBK City Forest provides an ideal green open space for recreation and sports on holidays. Walking under trees, jogging around the lake, or cycling there can help reduce stress and improve physical and mental health.
"Visitors can admire the skyscrapers visible from inside the GBK City Forest while sitting under trees or in the provided seating areas. I brought a mat and some snacks as complements to better immerse myself in nature here," said Tissa.
Previously, this 4 hectare area was a driving range golf course which was then inaugurated as a city forest in November 2018. This land has now been transformed into a green open field decorated with thin green grass and shady trees. The urban forest was built to represent the lungs of the capital city.
Besides the beauty of the GBK City Forest, there are various facilities, including, a jogging track, park benches, toilets, changing rooms and a coffee shop. This area is also often used for various open-air events and festivals, including music concerts, art exhibitions and other social activities.
See also: Afternoon of Drizzling Friends in GBK City Forest
After enjoying the city forest, Tissa plans to continue her activities by running around the GBK stadium for exercise at night. Then, she will buy food in the area to fill her stomach.
The GBK City Forest also became the choice of Nova Ariani (30) to invite her son to get to know and love the environment. Instead of spending their holidays in a mall, Nova prefers to go on a nature trip.
"In the urban forest, children have more freedom to run and play. "Green open spaces are also suitable for refreshing the minds of us who are office workers and housewives," said Nova.
Visitors are not charged an entrance fee to enter the GBK City Forest. To get there, visitors can use public transportation or private vehicles. For those using the MRT, visitors can get off at the Istora Mandiri Station, then walk for approximately 5 minutes through Gate 7 GBK to get to the GBK City Forest.
Visitors who take the Transjakarta bus can get off at the Gelora Bung Karno Bus Stop. After that, it's just a 15-minute walk to Gate 5 of GBK across from FX Sudirman to get to the GBK City Forest.
Visitors can gaze at the skyscrapers visible from within GBK City Forest while sitting relaxed under the trees or on the provided seats.
For visitors who bring their own vehicles, they can park their cars in the parking areas located at GBK South Parking, Aquatic Stadium, Yellow Gate, and Helipad. Motorcycle parking is available at the Aquatic Stadium and Helipad areas.
However, the GBK Urban Forest has limited opening hours and operating hours. This place operates from Tuesday to Sunday. Visit times are divided into two shifts per day. The first shift is open for visitors from 06.00-10.00 am and the second shift starts at 3.00-6.00 pm.
Watching the sunset
In the northern part of Jakarta, hundreds of visitors still throng the Taman Impian Jaya Ancol area on Thursday (5/9/2024) evening. Most of the visitors sit on mats they brought from home or rented to enjoy the blend of sunset and sea as well as the food served.
The beauty of the twilight made Risma Nanda (25) immortalize it through a snapshot on her cell phone camera. The North Jakarta resident admitted that he came alone to spend his holiday.
"This morning until afternoon it was very crowded here. Now (at night) it's still busy, but there are still some pretty quiet spots. At least it's good for aesthetic photos," said Risma.
Apart from being easily accessible, for Risma, a vacation to Ancol Beach does not significantly drain her wallet. She only needs to pay for the entrance ticket and is free to enjoy the beach without additional charges.
The majority of visitors to Ancol Beach are dominated by family groups. Many children play on the beach and swim in the sea.
Officials also remind visitors through loudspeakers not to swim beyond the depth limit that has been marked with ropes and floats by the management. Parents are also asked to supervise their children to prevent them from swimming too deep or crossing the boundary line.
In addition to enjoying the beach, this coastal area also offers a playground with various types of games within. Starting from swings, slides, to the opportunity to ride a mini train around the beach.
See also: Tourism and Sports at the Rawamangun Velodrome
A South Jakarta resident, Handika (41), left for Ancol with his wife and child early in the morning. Although he has lived in Jakarta for almost a year, this was his first time entering the Ancol area. He decided to spend his holiday picnicking at Ancol Beach.
According to Handika, even though the Ancol area is densely populated, the traffic conditions towards Ancol are smooth. He plans to spend time at Ancol Beach until night.
"I just took a car here. Not too congested even though national holidays. After enjoying Ancol, according to the plan tomorrow we will go to Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII). It's a good idea to have four days off to enjoy Jakarta with your family. "Because last Eid holiday I returned to my hometown to Solo," he said.
During this long holiday, Taman Impian Jaya Ancol is open every day from 06:00 until 00:00, with the entrance gate closing at 23:00. Visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets online through www.ancol.com. To enter the Ancol area, visitors only need to pay Rp 30,000.
Understand the meaning of holidays
According to psychologist Tika Bisono, vacation is an obligation because it serves to maintain mental and physical health. Individuals who had quality vacation moments during their youth have the potential to become happier and healthier individuals in their later years.
“Humans need leave, holidays, or me time. This is an obligation. Humans should not be constantly bombarded with work and problems. "We need time to rest," said Tika.
However, people need to understand the purpose of vacation. Many still misunderstand the purpose of vacation. Nowadays, the community is more focused on what they will upload on social media during vacation than the actual value of the vacation itself.
"Holidays should be a moment to reflect, reorganize one's life, a moment to get closer with partners or other members of the family, as well as to get to know oneself," said Tika.
Tika said, holidays don't have to be expensive. Because, the main goal of going on holiday is to build new enthusiasm and live a better quality life afterwards. Holidays are not just about looking cool in cyberspace or social media.
There are a total of 17 national holidays, consisting of religious and national days, throughout the year 2024. These red-letter days are certainly greeted with joy by the community.
Have you decided on a tourist destination for this long weekend?