Stay, Stray, Play and Feast: Kidzania Pacific Place: Jakarta, Indonesia Series 8

Kidzania and Wendy’s

Pacific Plaza, Jakarta

(Jakarta Indonesia Series 8)

Stray

Just as the kids thought that the fun is over in Ancol,

they were wrong- as we surprised them with a visit

to Kidzania, Jakarta at the Ritz, Carlton, Pacific Place.

Kidzania is a very popular indoor kiddie theme park

with several facilities all over the world, and Kidzania Jakarta

is one of their very few branches in Asia,

…making it a must visit theme park for families with

young kids traveling in this major Indonesian city.

The kids had a late brunch at the breakfast buffet

and I picked them up at the Manhattan Hotel after

attending a half day session of a medical convention

at the nearby Ritz Carlton Mega Kuningan.

We took a Silver Bird Taxi from the hotel that took

us to the fabulous and very upscale Pacific Place Mall.

This very beautiful mall is located just as the base of

the Ritz, Carlton, Pacific Place, and I was amazed

that this upscale facility opened two hotels in Jakarta.

Play

The entrance to Kidzania was decorated with

a real Air Asia Jet and was made to appear

like an airport immigration section ,

…and guests are welcomed by people dressed like

immigration officers making you feel that you

are entering and visiting a totally new country.

The entrance leads to the main town square,

that had a Town Hall, a theatre, a huge tree,

and lots of park chairs and tables.

It serves as a waiting area for parents, as adults

are not allowed inside the various kiddie attractions.

The town square also serves as a place

for kids to rest and eat while taking a break

from the all day playing at the theme park .

Kidzania is real working miniature world where kids

can pretend and play the roles that they want to be.

They can learn to become fashion models

in a miniature fashion school where they are

taught how to dress up and walk in the catwalk,

got to acting academy or learn to perform magic

tricks in a real miniature magicians work shop,

...and later, they all get to perform in the

Town Theater in front of real the audience.

They also get to play to become drivers,

race car drivers and even gasoline attendants.

Name what you want to be, Kidzania

will provide the kids a working world,

for the chosen pretend profession.

My son initially wanted to be a fireman

as they get to ride a real fire truck,

…and get to extinguish a hotel on fire

using real working fire hose,

..but there was a very long line of kids

waiting for their turn to become one,

…and since there were a lot of pretend professions

to choose from, the kids decided to choose to

play on the less crowded make-believe jobs.

That’s a real word lesson number one for them-

go to a less crowded profession as it is easier

to get a job. They easily got themselves to play

pretend as soap makers in a Soap Making Factory.

The two kids got so immersed in their

soap making job an got to enjoy more as

they were the only kids playing in that area.

After the soap making session was over

they were paid Kidzania money, the official

currency on the theme park, which they could

initially keep and save then use later that day.

That’s how it goes in Kidzania- work on a

certain profession, and get paid for doing so.

Kids could pretend working on real functioning

supermarkets either as grocery clerks, managers

and cashiers, and get paid for it,

…or be a shopper, for those who had saved enough

and spend what you have earned in the theme park.

One can also become a dentist and get to work

with realistic dummy patients meant for training

dental students and get paid for doing so,

We returned to the Fire Station as my son

wanted to play a firefighter as he came as

a firefighter in their school’s Halloween party

and was awarded best costume then,

…but there were a lot of kids on queue

wanting to become one,

We skipped the firefighting thing so they later queued

to the Pocari Hospital nearby as the line was tolerable,

Where they get to become doctors

and patients at the emergency room,

My son who played doctor got paid for his job,

while his sister who posed as his patient did not.

They later went to try some blue collar jobs

and enjoyed becoming house painters,

…and construction workers.

They also became digital animators.

One could become a banker, a bank despositor,
a chocolate factory worker, a florist, a beautician,
a window cleaner, a tea or towel factory worker,
a journalist, a taxi reservation officer, a baker-
you name it- they have it.

There were just too many professions to play

but there were too many kids and too little

time as Kidzania closes early at 6 PM.

I also suggested that they become tourists and hop
to a tourist bus, or take the taxi around the park,

…but they didn’t want to as they have to

pay up the services with some of the money

that they have earned earlier.

They said they wanted to save and earn more

money so they could buy souvenirs on the

Kidzania Department Store before we leave.

They also get to become guests in somebody’s

living room and were taught how to play a

musical instrument appreciate music by the host.

They reserved the best for last

by becoming airline pilots,

…and got to fly and land an Airbus

in a real flight simulator.

One could also become a passenger
or a stewardess on this real Air Asia jet.

All the make believe professions that the kids chose

paid them well with Kidzania money,

which they later spent for food and souvenirs at the

theme park Supermarket and Department Store,

…all manned by kids pretending to be sales clerks

cashiers and supermarket employees.

It’s a real world out there. The theme park is a real working
Kiddie World, with their own township, hospital,
dental clinic. theater factories, shops, supermarkets,
chocolate factory, department stores and even a towel factory.

You name a profession- they have it,

and the park even have its’ own currency.