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Indonesia is a shoppers
paradise whether you are one for market bargaining or
expensive name brands Indonesia can offer it to you. All
major cities in Indonesia have local markets at which you
can bargain for items, the products for sale vary depending
on the market type and the region. Craft markets often sell
batik, beautifully carved wooden ornaments and furniture,
and paintings (especially in Bali).
The capital city Jakarta is a good place to shop because it
has a wide variety of goods that have originate from various
islands in the archipelago, that are good quality. Blok M
Kebayoran Baru Jakarta has a variety of shops all under one
roof you can find just about anything here you want and
more. Jalan Surabaya in Menteng, Jakarta has a wonderfully
colourful antique market, that is worth a visit even if you
are not planning to buy anything, because it is a feast for
the eyes and mind to see all the hand crafted goods. Jakarta
also has a good selection of markets Pasar Kembang is a
flower market, if that does not suit your needs or tastes
there is Pasar Pagi Mangga Dua selling clothes, shoes, bags
and many other goods, Pasar Benhil a traditional market, and
Pasar Cikini a food market, to name only a few of the
markets in Jakarta.
With its giddy variety of insular environments, Indonesia
has many beautiful traditional crafts which have been made
for thousands of years. Superb craftsmanship and longest
traditions are best seen in the simplest crafts: the palm
weaving of Bali, the flute making of the Torajans, the
basketry of the Rotinese, the Lizard motifs on Batak magic
wands and houses, and infinite other examples of traditional
domestic and cultural art.
Indonesian arts and crafts lend themselves especially to
attractive decorative items and furnishings for contemporary
Western homes. Batik, king of Indonesian art forms, can be
fashioned into upholstery, and the superb ikat textiles make
unique wall-hangings. Shopping in Indonesia is a real hit or
miss treasure hunt; you must doggedly search every corner of
a shop to find what you are looking for.
Many villages or city kampung specialize in their own
crafts. If you want to know what crafts an area or city
specializes in, just ask the locals what gifts they take to
out-of-town relatives when they visit. This way, you find
out what is cheap, unique or rare about that place. If the
plastic arts interest you, head for ASRI (School of Fine
Arts) art centres in the largers cities where painting,
drawing, graphics, sculpture and the decorative arts are
taught.
Information
provided by
Department of Tourism. Government of
Indonesia |
