Selamat Datang to Jakarta!

Jakarta baby... my 3rd!

Love the people

Love the food

Love the currency

Love the cheap airfare

Love the cheap hotel

Love the short duration on air

Love the language - people there can manage simple English and they are ALWAYS helpful

In fact, I've not met an unfriendly Indonesian in Jakarta.

I've not visited Glodok and Taman Mini.

What better chance to do it now?

My 3rd time to Jakarta and it's the 2nd time that my flight got delayed on route SIN to Jakarta.
Luckily, it land just in time for me to catch a Damri bus to Gambir.
I decided to walk to Mercure Sabang Hotel from Gambir this time.
It took me about 10 - 15 mins and it's pretty safe, considering I did it at around 11 plus at night.
The journey is well lit and even this late in the night, there's traffic and people.

Reached the hotel and decided to do a mask before I sleep.
Come the next morning, I showered right after I woke up and headed to Glodok.
Took the Transjakarta bus from Bank Indonesia to Glodok.
Upon exiting Glodok station, turn right and walk straight down.
Turn at Pancoran Street and just explored.
I had a really enjoyable time at their Wet Market as it brought me to the 'olden' times.
The whole street is a mix of clothes sellers, fish sellers, crab sellers, sellers of food carts, chicken sellers (I can even hear the sounds of chicken like they are being slaughtered), frog sellers, bird sellers, flower sellers, Chinese temple, medicinal halls, provision shops, shops selling worship stuff, food shops, ice-cream seller etc. Mix in people, motorbikes and cars and you think there might be chaos but trust me. It all goes hand in hand. It works beautifully.

In Glodok, I had Bak Mee, Sio May and Dumplings for brunch.
I also had the sweetest sliced Guavas.
I enjoyed my stay more and more every time I visit Jakarta again.
Always something new to eat and explore.

From Glodok, I took a cab to Taman Mini.
The trip cost me 150K rupiah.
2 tolls set me back by another 12,500 rupiah.
I was tired by the time I reached Taman Mini.
I took their tram which wasn't a good experience.
The houses in different states of Indonesia are very interesting.
The next time I visit again, I'll make sure to come early in the morning and explore by walking.
I took a cab from Taman Mini back to Kota Tua as I was craving for Sop Buntut.
It cost me around the same amount.

I reached Cafe Batavia and was surprised to see a live band there.
Enjoyed my late lunch there even though somehow, the Sop Buntut didn't taste as delicious this time.
From Cafe Batavia, I took a Transjakarta bus back to Monas where I alighted and walked to Indomaret where I bought instant noodles, milk and Ko Ko Crunch as my breakfast the next day.
I also bought some snacks before returning back to the hotel.

Back in the hotel, I showered (weather was so hot), did a face mask and basically just chill.

I'm thinking of making another trip to Jakarta.
For my 4th time in Jakarta, I'm thinking of staying at Grand Mercure as it's very near to Sawah Besar Transjakarta stop. You'll be thankful for a near bus stop given the weather in Jakarta.
On that trip, there's a few food I would like to try. Nasi Tim, Nasi Uduk, Kerak Telor etc.

Never enough for Jakarta!

Have a great day Peeps!

Dreamy C

3D2N I Love Jakarta Trip

Whoo hoo...!!! Jakarta baby... I'm coming for ya!

This time round with J and I won't be spending my b'day in Singapore!

Double win!

Turned out I didn't venture to places I would like to as it was pouring on the 2nd day.
An experience in itself and I wouldn't trade it for anything even though I ended up with a slight cold.
Something positive out of it is the surroundings, people and food in Café Batavia.
I had really delicious Sop Buntut there.
Being a Car Free Sunday, the atmosphere is also great!
Spirits of Jakartans weren't dampened at all by the rain!
While all of us were seeking shelter, a small group of local young adults played and sang some music on their guitars. This is what I call - enjoyment while caught in the rain.
A lady fell from her bicycle when it was raining and a few men went to help her. Great attitude!
I applaud them! I'm not sure if Singaporeans would do the same...
Yes, such 'hope' I have for my local people. Years of residence here has gotten me a bit sceptical.

Want to look at photos? Check them out on my Instagram account!

Till next time... it has been fun in Jakarta and I'm definitely going to make lots more trips there!!!

Dreamy C

Day 3 in Jakarta, 23rd October 2016

3rd day... My flight was really late at 5 plus.

I was feeling really lazy and didn't like the idea of venturing out.

Hence, I went to the Gym and breakfast in the hotel.

Then, I lazed around in my room and checked out close to 11a.m.

I got bored of sticking around in my room...

Took the cab to Gambir Railway Station.

Had lunch there...

Mie Ayam with Bakso

Didn't enjoy it but heck! My last meal!

After lunch, I had so much time to kill, I went for foot reflexology which cost only 100K rupiah for 1 hour. It was raining when I left the hotel so I thought spending some time at Gambir might turn the rain to a drizzle when I'm ready to leave. I was so wrong... It didn't turn into a drizzle. Neither was it a heavy downpour. I then went to buy a Red Bean Taiyaki so I can get a plastic bag to cover my head with. It was yummy... Hot and oh-so-comforting on a rainy day. If only I was in a villa in Puncak while this took place... Anyway, I went to Damri ticket booth which is within a short walking distance when I exit the Railway entrance. Bought my ticket to Soekarno Hatta Airport.

It wasn't crowded so I managed to have an empty seat beside me which I promptly made use of by putting my bag there. Journey took an hour.

Checked in and guess what I do with all the spare time on hand? Eat lah!

This was Tom Yum Soup. Pathetic.

Ended up reading a book - Room.

To summarize, I couldn't cover all that I planned to. I didn't go to Glodok, Kota Tua and Taman Mini.

I plan to make another trip to Jakarta come Christmas this year and visit the places I missed this trip.

I am so looking forward...

Overall, I LOVE Jakarta!

The food are spicy which I like.

The people are so friendly despite the language barrier. I find that body language gets me by easily.

I really enjoyed my stay...

After the 2nd trip, I'm going to Indonesia again come June next year. I made a promise to visit S in her hometown during Hari Raya and climb a few small mountains.

Can't wait... I'm sure I'm going to love it just as much!

Why oh why wouldn't the government allow foreigners to buy land there?!?!?! Bummer...

Till next time...

Dreamy C

Day 2 in Jakarta, 22nd October 2016

Day 2. I was up bright and early! 6 plus local time...

I went for my breakfast at the hotel. The spread was basic. Not much variety but will do for me...

After breakfast, I went to Monas.

Saw the first statue.

There was some event going on, Anniversary for some schools.

I had a hard time walking around searching for the ticket booth.

Asking the locals gave me some issues. Language barrier becomes more obvious but they are really friendly people. Hence, it didn't really bother me.

Another statue.

It might look like it's going to rain but I assure you it ain't the case at all.

It was really bright and sunny.

Jakarta is hotter than back home.

Soon enough, I have beads of sweat dripping down the sides of my face.

I like Jakarta all the same.

Monas

I must say that the night view of it is much more magnificent.

Next time round, I'll make sure to stay in a room which has a clear view of the entire structure!

I finally managed to locate the ticket booth.

It was in B1.

Before reaching the ticket booth, there are security guards checking your bags.

As I didn't bring any bag, I cleared that very quickly.

Ticket cost me 30K rupiah but amount on my ticket states 20K rupiah.

Corruption? I don't know really...

This picture is what I saw after having purchased my ticket and walking for a bit.

I have no idea what it depicts.

I reached a place which is the base of Monas where it tells the history of Indonesia, back to the time before Japanese Occupation. It was good knowledge.

Here, photo shows a bunch of school kids. All wanting to buy cold drinks from a vending machine.

Finally reached the top of Monas.

That's Istiqal Mosque there.

It was really windy.

There were grills on the 3rd floor and none on the 2nd.

Obviously, in terms of view, 3rd floor is so much better than the 2nd.

That's Gambir Railway Station.

Another part which I saw when I exit

Another statue

I had wanted to proceed to Istiqal Mosque but my tummy began to rumble.

Time for lunch!

Ice Tea which is really good for the hot weather.

Sate again. Why?

I was walking around searching for food.

I went in to a shop only to find out that they only sell Ice Cream. That explains the crowd.

I then went to another shop and settled for this.

A guy was right outside the shop, cooking sate with charcoal so I thought why not?

Even though Sate is the last thing I want to eat since I've eaten it last night.

However, to comfort myself, last night was Sate Padang and this was Sate.

The sauce is different and I must say I very much preferred this.

Not satisfied and I thought of going to Glodok to get my food later during the day.

I ended up NOT going to Glodok as I found this under the railway track!

It's just a bunch of push cart stalls selling Ketoprak, Mie Ayam etc.

This is Ketoprak. I really enjoyed this one. Yummy...

There's lots of beansprouts, some bee hoon like noodles, lots of crackers, tofu etc. It's just a bit of a few things. I ordered it spicy and it was delicious! If I remember it right, this only cost 15K rupiah!

Istiqal Mosque

Long story here but in the end, I didn't get to walk around the entire building.

Did not have a good experience.

On another note, saw a really beautiful kitty in the mosque.

Could not stop stroking him/her.

Gereja Katedral Jakarta

My lucky day - a wedding being held.

There were real birds in this church.

A wedding going on with birds chirping, what a lovely sight.

Walked back to Istiqal Mosque to catch a bus back to the hotel.

I could have walked but it was really hot and the weather tire me.

Saw some cotton candy along the way. Did not buy it for fear of the sweetness of it.

This is how a Transjakarta bus stop looked like.

The system there looked like the system of the MRT back home.

This happen to be the stop named Bank Indonesia which is near the hotel I stayed in.

Later at night, after a Body Scrub (which was really good btw...), I went to Sarinah Thamrin where I got some peanuts for J. There were lots of street food there and I was really excited!

This here, my friend is Pecel Lele. It's fried catfish with some cucumbers, cabbage and tofu.

The chilli which comes along with it? Oh my... Best!

The catfish was really crispy and the meat really soft. If I can, I'll order another portion but I really need to keep my tummy space for other food.

Walked back to the hotel and on the way, I saw BBQ Banana.

No luck as it was closed. Bummer!

Settled for Bakso. The bakso in Jakarta is different from the one in Padang.

I very much preferred the one in Padang. The big ball you see there has mince meat in the middle.

Didn't fancy the big ball. The small ones are more enjoyable in my opinion.

Soup was salty. Didn't quite enjoy this one. At least I've tried.

That about sums up my 2nd day in Jakarta and I dreaded to leave the next day...

Dreamy C

Day 1 in Jakarta, 21st October 2016

J flew to Italy for business.

Only bring me for short business trips. Long ones don't have my share. Hmph!

Oh well... let me fly to Jakarta and experience my 1st solo trip then!

I've never travelled alone.

I've never been to Jakarta.

My flight (Airasia) got delayed which is a blessing in disguise.

Why? 'Cos I underestimated travelling time by MRT.

By the time I got to the airport, I barely have time for dinner!

Luckily, I was told by the counter staff that the flight got delayed by an hour!

I passed through immigration, collected my pocket wifi from Changi Recommend and had a distasteful Laksa at Owl Eating Place.

By the time I reach Soekarno Hatta airport, it was 10 plus at night, local time.

I then took the Airport Bus to Gambir Railway Station.

Just exit from Arrival, turn left and walk all the way down. There's signs though...

Damri ticket counter is very easy to locate. I bought my ticket at 40K rupiah which works out to be around SGD4.30. The rate I got was 1 SGD = 9,300 rupiah.

Just stick around. There'll be a person shouting Gambir. Only then do you go board the bus.

Damri also offers bus services to other locations other than Gambir. Else, there's an announcement every single time. You can't miss it. Don't understand Bahasa? Well, I don't too and I managed just fine...

The journey took around 45 minutes. I read on some blogs that it might take 1 - 1.5 hrs. I guess timing of arrival matters. It does not just travel straight to Gambir Railway Station.

There's a few times where the bus stopped for passengers on board to alight.

If in doubt, just ask the people sitting around you. Jakartans are very friendly people.

By the time I got to Gambir Railway Station, it was 11 plus. I tried looking for Indomart so I can buy the card where I can take Transjakarta buses but due to language barrier, I was unsuccessful. I wasted some time going to and fro. In the end, I gave up and took a taxi from Gambir to the hotel - Mercure Sabang Jakarta. It cost me 40K rupiah. I tried to bargain as the distance was real short but since it's so late at night, I guess I was the loser that day. I did take a taxi from the hotel to Gambir when I checked out and it only cost me 20K rupiah. Depending on the time you arrive, decide in your discretion. For me, I wasn't afraid to walk but I was really tired. I was carrying a backpack you see...

I checked in and it was midnight already. Since I didn't have lotsa time in Jakarta, I decided to venture out for food even though I wasn't hungry. You might be saying - What were you thinking?! So late on a Friday night and you being a female, wanna venture out for food?!

Yes and venture I did! I exit the hotel and turned left. Within a few minutes of walking, I reached the traffic light. There's no green man or red man. I later learned that if you don't know how to cross the road, just look at the side. If the cards stopped, just walk.

Walk I did and before long, I saw a bunch of Black. There's easily 10 of them. They talked really loud, sounding like they are having a disagreement. I must admit that I was concerned and started walking faster. My heart wasn't thumping hard like I'm afraid but it's a situation I would like to get out of FAST! Soon enough, I saw a whole stretch of 'stalls'. They looked like push carts.
I also spotted Indomart shortly and went to buy a card where I can use on Transjakarta buses.

I had my first meal - Sate Padang. It was just outside Indomart.

I had this years back when I visited Padang. Didn't like it then but thought I wanna give it another try to recap exactly why I didn't like it. It's all down to the sauce. Just not used to the texture of it.

After my meal, I went back to the hotel as it was getting a bit too late and I've got to get up early the next day. The next time I visit Jakarta again, I'll definitely be staying at Mercure Sabang again!

Such convenience! 5 mins walk to Monas and 5 mins walk to Street Food.

Day 2 coming right up...!

Dreamy C