Night and day in Jakarta

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

A GEM of a place, Jakarta is the largest city in Indonesia, and also the nation’s capital. It is located in the northwest coast of Java and is the most populous city in the country. It is a sprawling metropolis and can overwhelm any first time traveler if one is not ready for it. But be ready for a different experience that only Jakarta can give.

Jakarta was at first a small harbor called Sunda Kelapa and the Portuguese were the first to arrive in the area in 1522. The Dutch arrived for the first time in 1596 and began their colonization of Indonesia for around three and a half centuries which lasted until 1942. In 1945, independence was proclaimed and Jakarta was declared as the capital of the Republic Indonesia.

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From Cebu, I found no direct flights and so, I had to use the Manila to Jakarta route. Depending on the season, there could be some deals in getting there, so check with your travel agent for such bargains.

When you plan a trip to Jakarta, you may want to read up on some facts, like where exactly you wish to stay in the city. Check out these websites for more information such as, http://jakarta-tourism.go.id or http://www.indonesia.travel.

Soekarno–Hatta International Airport is the main airport and has three terminals, with Terminal 1 servicing many domestic routes and Terminal 2 for international flights, plus Terminal 3 for some budget airlines. You can get more information here at http://www.jakartasoekarnohattaairport.com.

Upon arrival, I was pleased to note there were a couple of options for getting around, such as the Damri bus, the Blue Bird taxi or the private rent-a-car. And once in the center of Jakarta, it was easy to travel using the “Transjakarta” busway. The bajaj is the Indonesian version of Thailand’s tuktuk, and one must haggle over price before boarding for your destination.

Diverse

The city has a land area of 650.40 square kilometers and is divided into five kotamadya or jurisdictions namely, Central Jakarta, West Jakarta, North Jakarta, East Jakarta and South Jakarta. Personally, I would prefer to stay within Central Jakarta, for the convenience of it all. The area has easy access to transportation, hotels, restaurants and many places of interests, like museums.

Indonesia possesses a unique diversity of people or tribes, language, customs and even beliefs. So, a lot of these can be displayed in the many number of museums in the city. If you are in the old town known as Kota, check out the following places of interest, the Jakarta History Museum, the Wayang Museum (puppet museum), the Fine Art and Ceramic Museum, Maritime Museum, the Indonesia Museum and the Bank Mandiri Museum.

Don’t forget to drop by the famous, Café Batavia while you are in the area.

The museums found in central Jakarta are the National Museum of Indonesia, Istiqlal Islamic Museum in Istiqlal mosque, the Jakarta Cathedral Museum on the second floor of Jakarta Cathedral and the Textile Museum in the Tanah Abang area.

The seat of the government is found in Jakarta, thus, the many number of government establishments and structures. A must-see would be the Monas, Jakarta’s most famous landmark. It is 137 meters tall and is located in the center of Merdeka (Freedom) square. You can’t miss it!

R and R

For leisure and recreation, try the Ancol Dream Park (Taman Impian Jaya Ancol) which has many attractions such as the Dunia Fantasi (Fantasy world), Seaworld, and Gelanggang Samudra (Ocean Park). Known to locals as Ancol, the park has resorts, a beach area, a marina, and many restaurants. Here is the website, http://www.ancol.com.

Another famous destination is the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, which many Filipinos liken to the “Nayong Pilipino” in Manila. The park features the many provinces of Indonesia within the huge grounds. The Museum Indonesia and the Keong Emas Imax theater are just a few of the favorite places to see. See their website for more details, http://www.tamanmini.com.

Finally, I always advise anyone going on a trip, to always take note of some important facts that you need to know about your destination, such as telephone numbers and hotlines of the police, hospitals, banks, credit card companies, ports, airport, bus stations and the tourist office. As I always remind myself, being prepared makes one feel a whole lot better about the entire trip.

I had no idea what to expect before setting foot in Jakarta, but I did enjoy my stay.

The people, culture and new experiences made me want to book another return ticket to this amazing city.