Jakarta: A crash course

Disclaimer: These are loosely put together and are my own opinions. If there is any fault with the geography, please reach out and I will be open to change it! The post will be updated in the course of time.

How to get around: Transport in Jakarta

The main airport is CGK / Sukarno Hatta International Airport. International flights land in Terminal 3, AirAsia lands in Terminal 2 (with other airlines too), and domestic flights are in T1. Use the skytrain to get from one point to the next.

taxi / gojek / grab

This is a fast method of transport and easily accessible by these various apps - download Gojek and Grab to get around. GoBike is great to beat the jam in Jakarta.

BlueBird taxi is a reliable provider, they are everywhere, you can hop in and tell them your destination.

Tip: Take a picture of where you are and send it to the driver. It helps them locate you faster.

mrt / Train / Bus

1. To take the MRT —> Get the e-money card - available easily anywhere. We got ours from the MRT station, search for a machine that can give it to you. Remember to top it up - you can do this at any Indomaret or Alfamart convenience store. This card will get you on MRT rides as well as tolls (when you drive/take a car). The MRT line runs from Bundaran HI to Lepak Bulus.

2. Transjakarta Buses - they get you to places faster during peak hours because there is a dedicated lane for them.

3. Trains are also available however check where they start and end as they may not reach the location where you want to go.

intercity train - KAI

• As the name suggests, you can book tickets to go to different cities using the Kereta Api Indonesia or KAI trains..

food: What to eat in jakarta

Note: you can google most things, and the list will be updated as I return to Jakarta regularly.

Things to eat: (some of my favourites)

1. Bubur Ayam (Chicken congee)

2. Soto Ayam, Soto Betawi, honestly Soto EVERYTHING.

3. Nasi Uduk - so goood, this coconut rice is delicious.

4. Nasi Padang - step into any padang store and have the wide array of plates laid out before you.

5. Bebek goreng - fried duck. After you have tried this, no other fried duck is really as good. If you eat chilli, eat bebek goreng sambal ijo (fried duck with green chilli).

6. Kopi - there’s way too many to list, but try Kopi Kenangan, FORE Coffee, Tana Mera, amongst others

7. Eat croffles, it is life changing.

North/west jakarta + PIK

1. Pandan Bistro

2. Pesta Kabun

3. Sun City Dim Sum

4. Putien Sawah Besar

5. Bubur Ayam Mangga Besar

6. Wing Heng Hong Kong Dim Sum

Central Jakarta (Jakarta Pusat)

1. 21 Factory Gelato

2. Seribu Rasa Menteng

3. Ramboelan - many branches

south jakarta (Jakarta Selatan)

1. Wyl’s Kitchen / Veranda Hotel

2. Bopet Mini Benhil

3. 8fuku, World Trade Center

4. Dapoer Ciragil

WHere to stay: airbnb / HOTELS

I recommend these few hotels:

1. Novotel - good and very clean rooms, cleanest among all the 4 star hotels I have stayed in. Breakfast is average, but it is Jakarta, and there is food everywhere.

2. Hotel Santika Hayam Wuruk - this hotel is lovely and the breakfast is amazing, but the Wi-Fi connection is awful. Just take note if you’re planning to work from here.

3. Veranda Hotel - wonderful place all around. It’s attached to a lovely restaurant/cafe called Wyls’ kitchen which serves fantastic food.

4. Yello Hotel is a more budget friendly hotel, it’s on the Mangga Besar stretch too, but there’s quite a bit of ongoing construction around the area, just take note.

Airbnbs we have tried before:

1. Citylofts Sudirman - nearest MRT: Setiabudi Astra, very close to all amenities in the area. Not the best maintained building, but the location is good and the place is large enough to even host.

2. Sudirman Suites - nearest MRT: Bendungan Hilir. Fantastic location. Rooms are rather small should you book the studio apartment. Food around is amazing, check out the nasi padang at MINI BOPET BENHIL.

3. Anywhere in the Menteng zone. We stayed here. It was a good location, not incredibly near to the city, but about 15-20 minutes from the city center.

what are some Things to do / Places to go

GBK Stadium

1. Thamrin City - very recommended place for batik shopping

2. MONAS - National Monument. It’s a landmark and tourist attraction.

3. Car-free Sunday - literally the roads are blocked off to cars and you can walk a ~10km stretch down to the city zone

4. Kota Tua (old town)

5. National Museum

6. GBK - Gelora Bung Karno - check if there are any matches, Indonesia is a badminton and football crazy nation and if there are matches, do catch them, it is a wonderful experience.

7. Head to Bandung over the weekend, with the Whoosh now, it’s a short distance away.

8. Go shopping in any of the malls! Jakarta’s malls have much to offer.

9. Go for a massage - some higher end ones are at Gaya Spa and NEST Reflexology. Kokuo Menteng is less costly and very good too.

Tips:

1. Change money and carry some cash with you - otherwise you can also pay with Revolut or Wise. Not every store takes card / kartu kredit (credit card), therefore prepare cash.

2. Budget extra time to get to places - the traffic jam tends to add 15-30 minutes to your ride.

3. If your stomach is weaker, don’t eat street food and consider boiling tap water before drinking.