A blue Bajaj was parked on the side of a crowded road near Fatahillah Square

Bajaj parked on the side of a busy road — Bajaj parked near Fatahillah Square

Even though I didn't see many tourists in Jakarta's Fatahillah Square, the roads stretching around the area were crowded. Unlike the idyllic atmosphere of Cirebon, the roads here in Jakarta are noisy and, at best, lively. There were a lot of cars on the road, and I could even see motorcycle cabs from a car-dispatch app. However, among the many vehicles flowing in front of me, there was no sign of a slow-moving Becak. It is difficult for a human-powered Becak to mix with these gasoline-powered vehicles. It would cause a traffic jam. The becak, which had played a leading role in Cirebon, was completely overshadowed here in the big city of Jakarta.

I looked to the side of the road and saw a blue Bajaj parked there. The three-wheeled cab called Bajaj is a stark contrast to the Becak. In Jakarta, you can see Bajaj here and there, but you rarely see a Becak. On the other hand, in Cirebon, I saw a lot of Becak running around, but I never saw Bajaj. Both the becak and the bajay are Indonesian vehicles, but they are used in different ways.

Even though they are both located on the same island of Java, the transportation systems they use are different even though they are only a few hundred kilometers apart. Perhaps that's why Jakarta is so huge in the country of Indonesia.

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