Jalan Jaksa
Encyclopedia
Jalan Jaksa is a short street approximately 400 meters long in Central Jakarta
, Indonesia
. It is located about 1 km south of the national museum, Monas and due west of the Gondangdia main line train station.
The origin of the street name dates back to the Dutch era, when students of the Rechts Hogeschool Batavia (Jakarta Law Academy) stayed in the area while studying. Because of this the street officially became known as Jaksa, the Indonesian
word for Prosecutor.
In 1968, Nathanael Lawalata the secretary general of the Association of Indonesian Youth Hostels, converted his house into a hotel to establish the Wisma Delima. This was not only first hotel in Jl Jaksa but also the only hotel in Jakarta that was internationally listed by the IYHF.
The street subsequently developed more hostels and became mentioned in many popular travel guide books and publications including the Lonely Planet
. Jl Jaksa had become a transit point to explore the rest of Indonesia and was officially determined as a tourism area by the Jakarta city council
.
In 1993, the Jakarta Tourism Office stated 57,201 foreign tourists had visited hotels and hostels in the street and the surrounding area, including 29,676 Europeans, 9,309 Australians, 4,215 Americans and 649 Africans. The average length of stay of foreign tourists at Jalan Jaksa was three days.
On August 5–August 7, 1994, the first annual Jaksa street festival was held.
The street festival aimed to increase the popularity of street and simultaneously celebrate the culture of indigenous Jakarta residents, known as the Betawi people.
The 1998 monetary crisis, the 2002 Bali bombings, the 2004 Jakarta embassy bombing
and the decision in 2005 to reduce the standard tourist visa from 60 to 30 days have reduced the number of budget tourist numbers at Jalan Jaksa. Many backpackers decided to stay directly in the other parts of Indonesia instead of spending 10% of their 30 day visa in Jakarta.
As of 2007 Jl Jaksa is still the main budget accommodation and low budget entertainment street in Jakarta
.It still remains popular among locals, expat English teachers and backpackers. While it is nowhere near as touristy, modern or developed as its counterparts in Kuta
, Bali
or the Khaosan Road
in Bangkok
, the street still manages to offer a selection of services helpful to the average budget tourist including travel agencies, a bookstore, money changers, laundries, pubs, etc.
Central Jakarta
Central Jakarta is one of the five cities which form Jakarta, Indonesia. It had 898,883 inhabitants at the 2010 Census.Central Jakarta is the smallest in area and population of the five cities of Jakarta. It is the administrative and political center of Jakarta and Indonesia...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It is located about 1 km south of the national museum, Monas and due west of the Gondangdia main line train station.
The origin of the street name dates back to the Dutch era, when students of the Rechts Hogeschool Batavia (Jakarta Law Academy) stayed in the area while studying. Because of this the street officially became known as Jaksa, the Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
word for Prosecutor.
History
In the late 1960s Jl. Jaksa started to become internationally known among backpackers though the International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF).In 1968, Nathanael Lawalata the secretary general of the Association of Indonesian Youth Hostels, converted his house into a hotel to establish the Wisma Delima. This was not only first hotel in Jl Jaksa but also the only hotel in Jakarta that was internationally listed by the IYHF.
The street subsequently developed more hostels and became mentioned in many popular travel guide books and publications including the Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet
Lonely Planet is the largest travel guide book and digital media publisher in the world. The company is owned by BBC Worldwide, which bought a 75% share from the founders Maureen and Tony Wheeler in 2007 and the final 25% in February 2011...
. Jl Jaksa had become a transit point to explore the rest of Indonesia and was officially determined as a tourism area by the Jakarta city council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
.
In 1993, the Jakarta Tourism Office stated 57,201 foreign tourists had visited hotels and hostels in the street and the surrounding area, including 29,676 Europeans, 9,309 Australians, 4,215 Americans and 649 Africans. The average length of stay of foreign tourists at Jalan Jaksa was three days.
On August 5–August 7, 1994, the first annual Jaksa street festival was held.
The street festival aimed to increase the popularity of street and simultaneously celebrate the culture of indigenous Jakarta residents, known as the Betawi people.
The 1998 monetary crisis, the 2002 Bali bombings, the 2004 Jakarta embassy bombing
2004 Jakarta embassy bombing
The 2004 Australian embassy bombing took place on 9 September 2004 in Jakarta, Indonesia.A one-tonne car bomb, which was packed into a small Daihatsu delivery van, exploded outside the Australian embassy at Kuningan District, South Jakarta, at about 10:30 local time , killing 9 people including...
and the decision in 2005 to reduce the standard tourist visa from 60 to 30 days have reduced the number of budget tourist numbers at Jalan Jaksa. Many backpackers decided to stay directly in the other parts of Indonesia instead of spending 10% of their 30 day visa in Jakarta.
As of 2007 Jl Jaksa is still the main budget accommodation and low budget entertainment street in Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
.It still remains popular among locals, expat English teachers and backpackers. While it is nowhere near as touristy, modern or developed as its counterparts in Kuta
Kuta
Kuta is administratively a district and subdistrict/village in southern Bali, Indonesia. A former fishing village, it was one of the first towns on Bali to see substantial tourist development, and as a beach resort remains one of Indonesia's major tourist destinations...
, Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
or the Khaosan Road
Khaosan Road
Khaosan Road or Khao Sarn Road is a short street in central Bangkok, Thailand. It is located in the Banglamphu area of about 1 km north of the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew....
in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, the street still manages to offer a selection of services helpful to the average budget tourist including travel agencies, a bookstore, money changers, laundries, pubs, etc.