Puppet Museum visit in Kota Tua

Despite a busy schedule, we made the effort to get out and see more of Jakarta. Thanks to the US Embassy, specifically Toto who made a phone call ahead of time to let the museum head know we were coming, we had a field trip. They took us to Kota Tua, Old Town. This is where the original center of town was located when the Dutch colonized Indonesia.  Arend and Toto, who work for the Embassy, took us to a restaurant called Batavia Cafe. When the Dutch were here, Jakarta was known as Batavia. Lunch was amazing. Next was the visit to the puppet museum. Once we arrived, we were taken on a personal tour through the museum which Toto had arranged. We learned about the detailed handmade labor that goes into each puppet. Small, sharp knives are used to punch each hole and create beautiful designs. We were mesmerized and many of the dancers left with souveniers.