Last week of February, Hahn and I were in Jakarta. It was my first trip to Indonesia and needless to say, an eye opener. Jakarta is densely populated with more than 10 million inhabitants and a major city in Asia. When I looked to the skies, I do not miss the lines of skyscrapers. Now, if I’m to divert my eyes to the roads, oh no, I’m caught in a massive traffic jam. And so, is a daily norm in Jakarta.
If I have to comment, though, I’m very intrigued with the road systems. There were a lot of honking going on. Not as a show of anger (like Malaysia) but more of a warning that a fast ongoing vehicle is coming by. With that, vehicles move in a fast pace and with minimal accidents. Another trait I realised was that it’s dangerous for pedestrians to cross roads. They don’t give way and this was quite a challenge for foreigners!
We stayed in a boutique hotel in Kuningan which is located in a district amongst luxurious hotels and shopping malls. I was there from Tuesday till Friday morning before we left to Pulau Tidung, a beautiful island with clear turquoise waters which we could jump into right from our cabin. But that is another story for later.
Back to Jakarta. I commuted with taxi or Uber while I was there. And it is a lot cheaper as compared to Malaysia (that’s where I’m from, if you missed that out). On the first day, we visited three mall, Pacific Place, Grand Indonesia and Lotte - all architecturally different from one another. I particularly liked the last one best because it was within walking distance from where we were staying. And it’s a Korean mall, so they have aplenty of Korean brands. How cool is that? We also got a 3 day pass to the gym in the mall, which was a plus point.
Next day, after breakfast, I left to Central Jakarta for sightseeing. Took a taxi to MONAS (Monument Nasional) where I waited in line before I got a trip up 132m above. In honestly, the sight was pretty meh due to polluted skies. However, the trip was made worth it when I met a herd of school students on excursion. I was treated like a celebrity and had many pictures taken with them. The national history museum is located below so I did not miss that out as well.
In the afternoon, I walked out further and visited Istiqlal Mosque and St Mary of the Assumption Cathedral. They were located across the road from each other. I strongly recommend a visit, both have amazing builds and are free of charge. Someone from the mosque even gave me a short tour and I replied with a small token of donation.
At night, Hahn and I met with a colleague of his for a fancy dinner on the 46th floor of Altitude The Plaza. That’s where I got to see Jakarta’s skyline at night and it’s a sight to behold. Endless lights littered the dark skies and it was definitely a great way to end the night.
Thursday morning, I took an Uber motorcycle to the Cat Cabin in South Jakarta. What an experience! Indonesia is probably the only country offering this service at the moment and I had to try it. Upon arrival, I was greeted with a handful of beautiful and friendly cats. I wasted no time clicking shots away with these kitties. It was so therapeutic. I wished I had spent more time with them. When my hour was up, I took another Uber motorcycle again to Jalan Surabaya to see some antiques. I did not visit anywhere significant after this but I managed to catch a glimpse of Jakarta as a whole.
I saw the rich and poor of Jakarta. And it was very apparent. What do I mean by that? Amidst the tall skyscrapers were poor squatters with under-maintained commodities. Houses were under maintained. Roads were under maintained. Many of them make a living selling food at small warungs at a very cheap price. When I was on the motorcycle, I saw homeless people living beneath the flyovers. Some were just laying there, some were selling products on mats. And there were trash everywhere! I really hope Jakarta would do something to change this.
When morning arise, we took a ferry to Pulau Tidung. Thus, ending my Jakarta journey without calculating the last bit on Sunday before I took a flight back to Malaysia.
In conclusion, Jakarta was very insightful. It’s a huge city and I enjoyed my holiday but Malaysia still place first in my heart.
