Indonesian Christmas

---

After having my bloodstream almost frozen in frigid Japan, it was time to embark on my long-awaited journey to Indonesia to meet, who else, but Miranda. Leaving on Dec. 21st I hit the bullet trains down to Osaka to hop on a plane headed to Hong Kong. Using my masterful flight booking skills, I somehow set it up so I got a night in Hong Kong to visit Ankit, and then take a flight the next day with Miranda so we arrived in Indonesia together, instead of scrambling to find each other in the streets of Jakarta.

Hong Kong was a great time of course Ankit (Gadi family = nicest family ever) as we hit up the famous streets of Lan Kwai (probably the wrong name). You gotta love Asia where swanky bars are crowded with rich youngsters, while right beside it is the 7/11 where Ankit and I bought and drank Tsingtao's on the street. Tonight was a big night, as there were people everywhere getting into the festive mood, knowing Christmas vacation was only a day away. We hit up several clubs and I just had a blast. Thanks Ankit.

Anyways, so Indonesia! An exciting and new country which I was eager to attack. But first things first, finally seeing me love after 6 months was the highlight of the trip...awwhhh...lol. We met in the HK airport (I waited and waited...of course Miranda was looking at the Coach purses...tsk tsk) and then flew to Jakarta.

Landing and getting through customs was a fun chore as hundreds of people chose the same time to arrive as us. How rude. Luckily we were on the right side as they opened up a new gate, and Pamplona it was as people rushed to the front.

Taking our illegal taxi (probably not the best idea for first thing in Jakarta, but cheaper!) we headed to Jalan Jaksa the Khoa San Road of Jakarta. Or so I thought it may be, while not expecting a similar atmosphere was pleasantly surprised to see the lack of tourists in Jakarta. In the two days we spent there, we saw maybe 5 other foreigners.

First Impression? Indonesia is much less touristy then expected, a definite positive.

All other travelers I met disliked/bordering on hated Jakarta. I for one enjoyed it. I thrive on big, dirty cities and Jakarta fits that description. With over 8 million people, I saw a few slums (luckily not as bad as India) and homeless people, but I was expecting more poverty to be honest. Jakarta is cleaner than what I pictured and had a few interesting sights.

The most impressive was Istiqlal Mosque, a monolith of a mosque in the centre of the city. Unsure of whether we could go in (I was wearing shorts, and Miranda a tanktop) they quickly smiled and led us in for a tour giving us cloaks to cover ourselves. This mosque is fantastic, and absolutely huge being able to accomodate a whopping 120,000 at once. The photo of the floor shows many rectangular tiles, each one represents a praying spot for an individual. The boy (couldn't have been more than 15) that showed us around was so friendly. Indonesia (despite the recent bombs) is an example of religious tolerance with Muslims and Christians interacting. Interestingly, directly across the street from the mosque is a large Catholic church. We were told the two congregrations interact if they are having large gatherings and they actually use each other's facilities!

Overall, Jakarta was a great surprise, upon researching it there didn't seem to be too much to do or see (there isn't heaps) but a couple days in Jakarta was not too much. My other highlight was the National Monument, set in this huge square, it is much larger than it appears in the photos. It has been nicknamed "Soekarno's Last Erection" a former president who constructed this in his last months of power.

Next it was on to Jogja, Yogya, Yogyakarta, Jogjakarta, whichever you want to call it in Central Java. Unfortunately the train was sold out, so a bus was decided as the next best option. Good idea?! Maybe not...

---

Photos

Last Erection?!
In Central Jakarta, while not overly impressive, I particularly liked the monument for some reason

Almost...
Who's that crazy person in my photo?

Jalan Jaksa
Main backpacker street in Jakarta. Note the lack of tourists or people for that matter. It's no Khao San Road, but that's not a bad thing...

Less Than Elegant
A set of homes on a sludgy river, right near the main bus station. I've seen worse, but not by much...

Istiqlal Mosque
Taken from the square (the tower is behind me) is a striking mosque especially with the dark clouds rolling in. I liked the soccer match being played...

The Main Prayer Room
The gigantic main room, with several Muslims lingering...On the wall, the left is "Muhammad" in Arabic, and the right is "Allah"

Clean Tiled Floor
The floor of the main room, each tile is a spot for an individual to pray. Have seen photos when this room was full, looked incredible.

The Minaret and Who?
Great photo...didn't have the flash on, and the background was obviously too bright (and didn't want to ask for another photo). People can pray on those tiles as well behind us.

Interesting...
In every country I've been to, there is always a larger military presence than Canada. These soldiers were training in 34oC heat, on a main street in Jakarta.

Slums
Taken from a bus, obviously not the best photo, but I found it interesting seeing the green palm tree'd park right beside a mini-village under a bridge.

Comments

[Luke Baltrusch]

Word
Liked reading your story and seeing the photos. Indonesia looks awesome. Let's get drunk soon and tell stories. -Luke

[Ank The Tank]

oyee
shoot man..we shd have had a travel blog for India..would have been sweet...o well....aigh we are definitely gona have one for our next adventure... I like this one though but maybe u shd also mention that I am the one who taught u the survival skills for asian cities..u know I did...