Public Holiday Fun in Jakarta

Jakarta has so many public holidays that it’s difficult to keep up with them, especially when you don’t travel to work in an office so every day feels sort of like a holiday, even if you are working super long hours, because you have a sense of delicious freedom not having to leave the house.

I do LOVE public holidays though as it means I can spend a whole day with Samudra having adventures. I can’t remember exactly when this holiday was exactly due to my backlog, but kakek joined us on an early morning walk through Ragunan Zoo to the primate centre where we watched all the orangutan’s hanging around. I hadn’t walked through the indoor dark cave-like pathways before and it is pitch black in sections with strange rope vines hanging so it’s a little bit freaky but fun to end up at glass sections where you can see the orangutans hanging out. I do feel sorry for them though, outside their enclosures is a big space where the gorillas roam around surrounded by jungle. I guess if the other monkeys were allowed out they would all quickly escape, so instead they have a bare environment with no grass or leaves on trees which is upsetting.

Samudra enjoyed seeing the monkeys with his kakek though, as did loads of other children and families wandering around, and he especially loved to watch the monkeys from Kalimantan making loud musical noises outside in their enclosure as they swung around.

It was a lovely visit to Ragunan and it was time to leave as the sun started getting too hot once again, and the crowds had become huge as is usual for a public holiday.

After a nap at home, Putra and I decided to make the most of the day off and make it a day for Samudra and ended up taking him to Wowzania at Lippo Mall in Kemang. This play centre is overpriced for sure, but there is a section for little kids which Samudra loves to play in, with a ball pit, activity wall, merry go round and slide with water splashing around inside the plastic covering. When you are limited with outdoor activities with a lack of parklands and so much sunshine, sometimes the mall will just have to do.

I hope you all have a lovely day.