The train bound for Jakarta Kota that I took arrived at 9.30 am at Cikini station. It was a holiday and I intended to take a short walk in the Cikini area, which was said to have been revitalized. I haven't been to the Cikini area in a long time. I still remember the crowded intersection near the station, the messy power lines along the road, and the sidewalks that were still under construction at the time. Understandably, during the Covid-19 pandemic, I spent more time at home like most other people to avoid the spread of Covid-19. So, when more and more people were vaccinated—including myself, the number of cases was decreasing, and the social restriction like PPKM had relaxed to level 2, I ventured to greet Cikini again. The news about the sidewalks being expanded and repaired in the Cikini area makes me wonder, will it have a big impact on me, a public transport user and pedestrian who are already familiar with Jakarta before this tour, or will it be just being an “instagrammable” spot? 

Back to Old Jakarta 

Stepping off the escalator of Cikini Station and exiting the station door, the blue sky of Cikini welcomes me and exposes its beauty. Under that blue sky, I could see the famous Menteng Plaza and Cikini Gold Center buildings. The road looks empty. Apart from private vehicles, I saw bajaj and Mikrotrans rolling around Jalan Raya Cikini without the rush to look for passengers. I can also see right away that the sidewalk on the other side is already laid out. After leaving the station area, I crossed to the sidewalk which I had seen earlier. 

Microtrans Public Transportation crosses Jalan Cikini Raya

Arriving at the opposite sidewalk, I found the first gate to old Jakarta through Tan Ek Tjoan's bread cart. The logo of the bakery and cake company, which was established in 1921, still has an old-school feel and pulls anyone back to the past. Since 1955, there has actually been a bakery at Jalan Cikini Raya, but now the shop has closed and moved. Thankfully, Tan Ek Tjoan's bread cart was still here and started my journey to the past that day.

Walking along Cikini Raya street through its wide sidewalks certainly provides comfort for me, especially since now it is equipped with wayfinding, seats, and other facilities. As a pedestrian, I feel pampered and prioritized. If I find a seat in the shade, I occasionally sit and take pictures.

As I continued, I encountered various typical Dutch colonial-style buildings along the way. Among the old buildings that I saw is the house of Achmad Soebarjo, Indonesia's first foreign minister. Apart from being a residence, the house was once the office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from August to October 1945. Not far from the house, you can also see the Cikini College Foundation which was established on August 1, 1942.

Ahmad Soebardjo's residence

The sun was rising, I then passed SMPN 1 Jakarta whose building was the former Dutch East Indies government's first school for the natives or ‘Pribumi’ in Batavia at that time, then known as Eerste School D.

Just when I was getting exhausted under the heat, I found the Ice Cream Tjanang d/h Tjan Njan sign that had been around since 1951. But bizarrely, there was no ice cream shop near the sign. What I could see was the Cikini Hotel, so I went into the hotel and asked the receptionist for Tjanang's ice cream. The receptionist on duty at that time took me to a fridge box and asked which ice cream I wanted to buy. Because I wanted to try many flavors, I chose a combination of chocolate, vanilla, kopyor (mixed coconut), and avocado ice cream flavors. I enjoyed the ice cream while looking at photos of the old Tjanang ice cream shop. It's a shame that the shop no longer exists, but the unique taste and texture of the ice cream still managed to bring me to Cikini in the past.

The last stop of my trip was Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) which was still under renovation so I couldn't get into it. Even though I haven't been able to enter, I can see the large and well-organized front plaza of ​​TIM. I can't wait for TIM to finish completely. Various historical landmarks on Jalan Raya Cikini and the presence of renovated TIM make the Cikini area a historical and cultural spot suitable for urban tourism. Actually, there are still many historical spots in Cikini. So if you want to know how it feels to travel along Jalan Raya Cikini from the direction of the Cut Mutia intersection, you can read about it here. 

From the story of my journey and then ending up in TIM, I was actually able to continue my journey to Gedung Joang '45 or down the street of Raden Saleh which has no less historical stories. However, for this historical trip, I truly recommend you to stop by at Cikini and see and feel these various historical landmarks by yourself. But remember, while you're travelling outside, make sure that you maintain proper health protocols! 

Preserving Cikini, Preserving Memories

So, back to the question that hung in my head about whether the revitalized and widened sidewalk had a big impact on me? Now I can confidently answer: Yes, of course!

With comfortable and wide sidewalks, I feel like a special character in the journey of history. The beautiful sidewalks and electric cables that are now embedded underground are not only meant to make Cikini an “instagrammable” spot, but also give a new life to the historical buildings along the way and make me feel as if I was going through a passageway to the past. Preserving Cikini to be more beautiful turned out to also preserve my memory of the history and journey of an increasingly mature nation.