Sunda Kelapa, better known as Pasar Ikan (meaning fish market) is located at the mouth of the Ciliwung river. It was formely the harbour town of Sunda Kelapa where the Portuguese tradedwith the Hindu Kingdom of Pajajaran in the early 1 6th century.The fish catch of the day was auctioned in the early morning at the old fish market.
The street leading to it was lined with shops selling all sort of shells, dehydrated turtles, lobsters and mostly everything the seafarer might need. Dutch domination of Jakarta and the rest of Indonesia began from this area, whereas the remnants of Kasteel Batavia, an old fort and trading post of the Dutch East Indies Company can still be seen now. Sunda Kelapa is at present a fisherman’s wharf and an inter-island port.
Tall massed Bugis schooners from South Sulawesi anchoring there offer a picturesque scene. They belong to one of the last fleets of sail boats in the world and still ply the seas between the islands, as they did centuries ago, carrying merchandise.(from http://www.kbri-bangkok.com/tourism/travel_jakarta.html)
