Empty Jakarta during Idul Fitri serves as Instagrammable photo opportunity

Some used the opportunity to freely ride their bikes and jog along the empty streets without having to worry about passing traffic.

Others, meanwhile, took their excitement for the near-complete absence of traffic to a whole new level, as the empty city stimulated creativity and a sense of humor.

An Instagram user, @fredneust, used the opportunity to take photos of himself doing everyday routines in the middle of the now-empty business districts of Jl. Satrio and Jl. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta, as well as on Jl. Agus Salim in Central Jakarta. 

His comical poses included grilling satay on a barbecue and sleeping in pajamas in the middle of the usually congested streets. 

Fred, who arrived in Jakarta three years ago, said he took the photos spontaneously, out of his affinity for "Indonesian humor".

"My main mission here is to always see the positive side of Indonesia," he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday. "We have problems here, but we have improved a lot thanks to the government and the people of Jakarta." 

He was not alone in his enjoyment of the empty Jakarta streets.

Danang Dwi, a university student in Jakarta, snapped a photo of him and his friends lounging lazily on folding chairs against the backdrop of an empty bridge that links Kuningan with Menteng, South Jakarta. 

"We did it just for fun," he told the Post. "We got quite bored spending our holiday at home. We could not afford to go out of town, so we decided to have fun on the empty streets of Jakarta." 

He added that his fondness for travelling and hiking drove him to use a tent, a travel bag and folding chairs as props in his photo.

The photos taken by Fred and Danang have since gone viral and received thousands of likes on Instagram. (rfa)