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Published: October 23rd 2009
Jakarta
An unusually empty Jalan Thamrin during Idul Fitri..make the most of it as it's only like this for 7 days a year!24 September 2009 - 06 October 2009
Exchange rate as of 24 Sep 2009: 1GBP = Rp15,300
TRANSPORT:
Padang to Jakarta by plane (Mandala Airlines)--Rp 560,000 per person (1 1/2 hours)
HOTEL:
Margot Hotel, Jalan Jaksa
Double, A/C, hot water, cable TV--Rp220,000 inc. breakfast
Not worth the price but still a pretty decent choice in one of the better locations in Jakarta.
The flight from Padang was one of the best we have been on so far, and including any we have taken in Europe. Theres a lot of bad press regarding Indonesian aviation, but Mandala have certainly redeemed themselves and are currently one of 4 airlines now who have had their EU bans revoked. We had booked this flight quite a few months before our trip out to Asia as it was in the middle of Idul Fitri and prices would have been up to 5 times higher and seats less available. So we got a bargain on our flight. We departed bang on time, on a brand new, newly delivered plane, and arrived in Jakarta again bang on time! We had arrived at Jakartas brand spanking new terminal 3 which was efficient and clean and
Jakarta
The first McDonald's in Indonesia, opened in the mid-90's! we were outside in 15 minutes.
We grabbed a metered taxi to Jalan Jaksa in Central Jakarta which took only 30 minutes. Jakarta is famed for its gridlocks but as it was Idul Fitri the majority of Jakartans were out of town.
Jalan Jaksa is Jakartas version of Bangkoks Khao San Road, and we could imagine what Khao San would have looked like maybe 20 years ago or so. Jalan Jaksa is more subdued, smaller and less crazy. Its actually a great spot, an easy walk away from the National Monument and the busy thoroughfare of Jalan Thamrin. All of the budget places to stay were full when we arrived so we had to make do with a more mid-range option.
To Dan, coming to Jakarta is returning home. The last time he was here was 10 years ago and a lot has changed.
As it was 10pm by the time we checked into our hotel, we had a bite to eat and called it a night. However, Dan ended up being kept up by another case of "toilet fatigue", most likely caused by a cold rice package meal he had at Padang airport. This meant
Jakarta
The old Hard Rock Cafe has now moved to be replaced by this monstrosity (or is it atrocity?) that the next day was wasted as he recovered.
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 26
Dan was feeling better today so we decided to head to Plaza Senayan and Senayan City Mall. Jakarta is covered in huge malls and the choice is endless, but Plaza Senayan was one of Dans haunting grounds as a kid so he wanted to check it out. Both these malls are top notch and you can now find anything from Marks & Spencers and Next to Gucci and Louis Vuitton. We headed there on Jakartas new "busway" system, a bus system that uses specialized lanes with individual stops. The map looks like a Subway map and is fairly effective. The only problem is everyone is now using it, so even though the ride is quicker, you have to suffer in the process. Indonesians know how to cause a stampede and they know how to crush. We noticed that the ordinary local buses were all empty!! We spent the next couple of hours window shopping before heading back on the crush to the hotel. We treated ourselves to a Pizza Hut as Dan wasn in the mood for local food after his dodgy stomach. It went down nicely
Jakarta
The famous "pizzaman" monument and Dan was once again alive!
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 27
We headed back onto the TransJakarta (Busway) and headed south to Blok M. This area used to have a great outdoor market according to Dan but this has now been replaced by yet another mall with yet the same top market stuff. We ventured into another mall next door called Pasaraya. This is a popular expat and tourist shopping center with a great souvenir and handicrafts department, selling the best (and worse) of Indonesian handicrafts. Some items are just plain bizarre and youd think that the government sensory board would have something to say about it! We headed back to Jalan Jaksa after Dan managed to find a very cheap pair of fake Oakleys and a T-shirt.
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 28
Today we left Jalan Jaksa to stay at the Park Royale apartments near the Semanggi cloverleaf junction. We were really lucky as Dans parents own the flat and it was free for the time we were planning on staying in Jakarta. As this was the halfway point of our journey we thought it would be good to get a bit of pampering with aircon, hot water and satellite TV!
Jakarta
Heightened security measures in Jakarta meant that even McDonald's had metal detectors! TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 29
We made the short walk from the apartment to the TransJakarta stop nearby and headed north to Merdeka Square, which is home to Monas, the National Museum and the Presidential Palace. We paid a visit to the museum to dose up on Indonesian history. Its not a bad museum and is housed in a great old building. It is home to many Indonesian articfacts and information about each of the provinces and is definitely worth a visit. By the time we left we felt it was too late to go up Monas (National Monument) no thanks to the fantastic lie in we had! We walked to the northern part of Merdeka Square to catch a glimpse of the Presidential Palace, an impressive building not dissimilar to the White House.
We spent the next couple of days lazing around, swimming in the pool and generally soaking up the luxurious surroundings of the apartment. We did pay a visit to one of Dans favourite malls, Taman Anggrek, which is home to Jakartas (and possibly Indonesias) first and only ice skating rink. Its actually surprising how good the Indonesians are at ice-skating! We also disovered what was to
Jakarta
Waiting for the TransJakarta be our favourite mall, Shopping Village, which had a great arcades section and a fantastic array of restaurants. We took the opportunity to get some pampering at a salon with Dan finally getting a haircut and Amy getting some blond highlights. The highlights turned out to be a full head of near white hair with images of Billy Idol popping into Dans mind.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 01
We decided to head out south of Jakarta to Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Beautiful Indonesia in Miniture) an interesting, if not slightly run down, park with life-size houses from each province of the country. The park also has several decent museums and a huge IMAX theater, all worth a visit. Although the park is run down, it is a must-do if you aren visiting the whole country.
Again the next few days were spent watching copious amounts of TV and recharging our batteries and spending too much money on western food. It was a good break, and as we were planning to continue with our travels on the following Monday, Dans dad decided to visit so we spent an extra week of laziness.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 06
With Dans dad we decided
Jakarta
Jalan Jaksa, Jakarta's tourist center to head up to the National Monument (Monas), a monument from the Sukarno era in the 60s. The monument has a very communist feel to it and was erected after the fall of Indonesias first president. Underneath the monument is an interesting museum showing the rise of independence in Indonesia using dioramas of small thunderbird-type models. It was informative enough and the displays were actually quite good. The highlight of visiting the monument is riding the lift to the top and experiencing Jakarta from up above. OK, the views aren great due to the smog and pollution but thats part of the interest!
THURSDAY OCTOBER 08
We spent the day exploring Kota, Jakartas old town and what used to be known as Batavia back in the Dutch days. Although the majority of the old colonial buildings are either in ruin or have been knocked down altogether, it was still worth a visit. The old town is centered around Taman Fatahillah, with the famous Cafe Batavia and the Museum of History. Cafe Batavia was an interesting affair, housed in the oldest building in Jakarta, and once inside you feel like a colonist being pampered by the locals. The food was
slightly pompous and unsurprisingly expensive, but as we didn have the opportunity to visit the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, Cafe Batavia was the next best thing. Across the square is the Museum of History, housed in the old Stadhuis (Town Hall), which is an impressive and well kept building and the second oldest in Jakarta. Even though the museum itself is vastly uninteresting (how much fun is it to look at old furniture?) it is still worth a visit. A quick walk around the corner and down the stinking canal that runs through Kota we managed to see the old drawbridge. We didn venture to it however as Dan thought the area looked a little unsafe so we settled for viewing it from a bridge downriver. After heading back on the TransJakarta we stopped off at Gambir station to by our train tickets to Bandung for the upcoming Tuesday.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 09
Friday we headed up to the coast of Jakarta to the entertainment resort of Ancol, alongside the stinking Jakarta Bay. The journey there itself was a mission as we had to change TransJakarta routes three times to connect to other buses. It was absolutely packed on the
Jakarta
The luxury of our abode for the next week (2 weeks!) buses and we found the new skill of elbowing people out of the way who were trying to push past us onto the buses. the advantages of being a foreigner is that you are bigger and heavier....the disadvantages are that you are outnumbered 1 to about 50!! We finally arrived in Ancol about an hour later, battered, bruised and exhausted. We hopped onto the cable car that rides along the beach to Sea World. Watching the locals frolicking in the dirty waters of Jakarta was interesting and we were both wondering if we could ever pluck up the courage and do the same....we did not. Sea World was great and even though they are pretty much the same all over the world, this one was surprisingly one of the better ones, with a lot of interactive displays and a great touch pool where you can touch sharks and rays. Dan had a fish spa (similar to the one we had in KL) that made him feel fresher after the TransJakarta journey and since we had spent most of the day in there, we ended up running out of time. We didn get a chance to see the fabulous arts market
Jakarta
Dan settled in quickly! here as it was closed and sadly didn get the chance to go to Indonesias version (literally) of Disney Land! We decided to return to the apartment by taxi which took us through Jakartas rush hour which was gridlocked for the whole 5kms or so to the apartment...it took us almost 2 hours!
That night Dans dad took us to Jakartas oldest and most favorite expat haunt, The Jaya Pub in the center of town. This place is amazing, with great live bands and a fabulous party atmosphere. It is worth a visit to anyone visiting Jakarta and in our opinion one of the best original places to spend the night downing ice cold Bintangs and surrounded by good company (and a few bar girls if you
e a single male!)
MONDAY OCTOBER 12
Our final day in Jakarta was an unusual one for the typical backpacker, but a usual one if you
e a 60 something expat male. We headed with Dans dad to the Jakarta Hash House Harriers, a running club whos slogan is "drinkers with a running problem". This event is held once a week on a Monday evening and is usually for men only, but
Jakarta
Swimming pool #1 Dans dad persuaded that Amy came along. The "run" takes place in a different place in the outskirts of Jakarta every week and is made by the "hares". They lay a trail of shredded paper that sends runners out into the countryside in a 10km or so loop from the starting point. The run is then followed by the "circle", where everyone drinks, swears, sings and tell dirty jokes. Before we get to the hash, we decided to take a detour in a taxi to the two neighborhoods where Dan grew up. It took longer than expected to get there as Jakarta's infamous traffic came out to play. We managed to get a quick glimpse of Dan's old habitat and by that time we had to head out of town to get to the Hash. We arrived just in time at 5pm and set off on the run, walking through rice paddies and a couple of villages where tons of kids waited to ambush us with 'hello misters' and high fives. We crossed a few rickety bamboo bridges over rivers and got back to where we started just after 6pm. The circle lasted for 2 hours and after a bunch
Jakarta
Swimming pool #2 of dirty songs, jokes and a few too many glasses of Anker beer we headed for dinner at the nearby German Center. The hash was a great way for us to see the countryside and local life, which for a lot of tourists is only seen in the company of a tour guide.
We set off to Gambir Station early the next morning (with a hangover) to catch our train to Bandung. We had our half way break and are now ready to get back on the road. We still have so much more to see and with a spring in our step (OK maybe the hangover was stopping that) we set off back on our little adventure.
So, Jakarta was a nice little midway rest stop. With 4 months down we still have about another 4 to go! Bring it on!
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Daniel Nguyen
non-member comment
Jakarta!
It's nice that Blok M and Pasaraya are still around! And it's a really different city when you go there as a tourist to see the sights, rather than when you live there as an expat. All the same it's good to know the bus system is working! I heard that when it was first implemented a lot of people didn't take it because it was malu. Any view of the monorail, on that note? ;) And I remember that McDonalds! It was huge! Please tell me you popped by Pondok Indah for old time's sake!