August 2019 [by Bill]
I left Kuala Lumpur (KL,) Malaysia this morning on a 2-hour flight to Jakarta (1-hour earlier time zone wise), in Indonesia, where I’ll be staying for the coming week.
Looking out the window during the flight, I could see many different islands, some very small, while others were vast.
During the flight, the head flight attendant held a 10-15 minute infomercial, giving an impassioned sales pitch for different perfume lines, upscale pens, baseball caps, and a few other items. He was really into it and showed a lot of enthusiasm, even cracking some jokes. Many people were buying multiple items from the souvenir cart. It helped to pass the time.
The temperature this afternoon in Jakarta is in the low 90’s, but the humidity isn’t nearly as bad as Kuala Lumpur (fingers crossed the humidity stays down a bit).
Indonesia is the 128th country I’ve visited….so far.
Day 2:
Yesterday was my first full day in Jakarta, Indonesia, and boy was it an eye opener. I really had no idea as to what to expect.
While I had thought the traffic and overall road congestion in Kuala Lumpur was intense, in Jakarta it’s at a whole different level.
Walking from my apartment was a real adventure. The apartment complex is very modern with lots of amenities (gym, pool) and a top end mall 1/4 mile away. Between the apartment and the mall is a circle of 350 or so older homes and shanty buildings, with sellers stalls, and lots and lots of people zipping by on motorcycles and scooters. The tall buildings surround these older ones.
Walking around Jakarta is a sensory overload of motorcycle and car honking, almost non stop. Quick taps on the horn let fellow drivers know where you are, while longer bursts seem to indicate you’re upset for some reason. Buses have several different horns, all very loud.
The sidewalks are uneven with lots of open holes and, at times, the sidewalk just stops and you find yourself walking along a 3-4 lane road with mass chaos taking place right next to you (It’s pretty uncomfortable walking with vehicles zipping by at high speeds less than a foot away from you.) It’s hard to get a sense of where to walk, what areas are safe, and what you might want to stay away from. Everywhere there are tons of street vendors hawking food, trinkets, and all kinds of goods.
I usually do some walking around on my first day in a new city or place, so that’s what I did yesterday – 19,000+ steps. The weather is in the low 90’s, but the humidity isn’t nearly as intense as KL was, plus there was a mild breeze blowing most of the day, which felt very refreshing. The Java Sea is about 10-miles away from where I’m staying and I suspect the breeze is coming off of this large body of water.
I’m going to be taking taxis vs walking as I normally do, as the area right around the apartment doesn’t appear to have a lot of the must do/see sightseeing things. With taxis so affordable, it just makes sense, plus I get to avoid the crazy street congestion. There are lots of 3-wheel tuk tuk’s, mainly serving a specific local area
Day 3:
Today Is Sunday, so I decided to take a local Blue Bird Taxi, which are common, very affordable, and easy to find. A 25-minute taxi ride cost about USD $4.50.
My first stop was at the National Monument, a massive open public space, with hundreds and hundreds of stalls selling all kinds of items.
The National Monument, which is in the middle of Merdeka Square, is a 132 Meter tall monument with a gold-leaf flame on top, symbolizing the nation’s independence. The basement of the monument houses an exhibit of 48 dioramas depicting the history of Indonesia from prehistoric times to the present.
The crowds are very large, but the space appears to be able to handle it, with lots of tree covered areas on the outer perimeter, and statues, monuments, and fountains to walk around and check out.
A visit to the tower includes an elevator ride to the viewing tower on top. The cost is around USD $1, plus USD $2.50 for an overall tour card, which is good for other museums and attractions. The line to enter was long. They said it would take 3-hours to get to the top, but when I got up to the line, I was told that, since I was a tourist, I could go up in 45-minutes (yeah me, I thought). When I got in the 11:00 AM line for the elevator, I was actually scheduled for 2:00 PM, 3 more hours, so I decided to revisit this tower on a less crowded day.
Around the outside of the tower are 4 corners, each with grey monuments depicting famous events and people (no clue as to what/who.)
The Masjid Istiqlal Mosque is a short distance away. I was allowed entrance just prior to the worship service. The outer dome is all white, while the inner dome is pure gold, and is done in a mesh style. Really majestic!
Just across the street is the very large Jakarta Cathedral, which had just concluded their 11:00 AM service, so I was able to walk inside.
I ate some street food for lunch, a chicken dish (I think). About an hour later, I had an upset stomach, hopefully this will pass quickly.
Indonesia factoids:
English isn’t spoken or understood nearly as much as in Malaysia or Singapore, so, at times, commutations can be challenging.
Consists of over 17,000 islands,
The overall population of Indonesia is 248 million, while Jakarta has a total of 10.5 million people. Indonesia is the 4th most populous country in the world, with only China, India, and America, with more people.
The currency exchange rate for 1 USD $1 is 14,100 Indonesia Rupiah.
Similar to Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta has a surprising number of high rise buildings, with many new ones under construction
Jakarta final thoughts:
Prices are extremely reasonable/low, so the US dollar spends well here.
A true melting pot of many of the different Asian cultures and people.
I’m glad I visited Jakarta, but wouldn’t rank it high in terms of tourist friendly, as there really aren’t a lot of key sites or attractions to see with a very long drive. Many of the key buildings I did see are in need of attention, and in most cases, need to have either refurbished or move into newer facilities.
It seems to me that the infrastructure (roads, buses, trains, sidewalks), have been overwhelmed by the 10.5 million people who live and work in the city. Air quality (pollution) is poor, with no improvement in site.
I’m told that they are going to move the capital of Indonesia to East Kalimantan, part of the Borneo islands in about 10-years time. It’s a controversial topic here, but starting over seems like a good decision because trying to re-engineer Jakarta is an almost impossible task. Plus, Jakarta is actually sinking, albeit at a very slow rate.
Small Wide World 