Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Indonesia (Jakarta, Bandung & Bogor) July 2017

Aku Cinta (I Love) Indonesia ! 
Selamat Datang Monument, Jakarta
Jakarta Coffee Cafes offering
Great Ideas, Go For It

" Some journeys can only be travelled alone "

" Not I, not anyone else, can travel that road for you. You must travel it for yourself " 

" No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow " 

" My 8 days in Indonesia, my first solo visit to Jakarta, Bandung & Bogor from 18-25/7/2017 - Jakarta being the second last capital of Asean (Association of South East Asian Nations currently has 11 member countries) I have now visited - what a delightful trip experiencing the jam jam Jakarta, cool cool Bandung & green green Bogor in Indonesia ! "

Travel Itinerary: Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) > Jakarta > Bandung > Jakarta > Bogor > Jakarta > Kuala Lumpur

Having visited almost all the Asean capitals except Jakarta & Manila (visited in June 2017) in recent years, naturally Jakarta being the capital of Indonesia has been in my bucket list of visit for sometime ! Both Indonesia & Malaysia had a "hazy" relationship for the last two decades, so choosing the right timing to visit Jakarta is crucial especially in the 2nd half of the year. Surely nobody would like to visit Jakarta and be greeted by a thick haze which could land you in hospital as a result of lung infection or severe respiratory problems etc. The haze is an annual problem in Indonesia caused by opening burning of forests to clear lands for oil palm & pulpwood plantations. At the time of writing, a thick haze has started in Acheh province - so watch the weather closely if you are preparing to visit Indonesia in July & August ! 

Another major challenge in Jakarta is the horrendous traffic & notorious behaviors of local motorists & motor bikers (speeding & zooming), making pedestrian crossings extremely difficult on major roads in downtown Jakarta. So for free & easy travelers, you just have to be extra careful when you are roaming or walking around the busy roads where the touristy places are located !

Jakarta has a well connected & cheap public transport system eg Bajaj (tuktuk), Ojek (motorbike taxi), car taxi, Transjakarta busway, commuter city & inter-city trains, both air-conditioned to take you to various places. If you enjoy taking a motorbike taxi, you can easily flag one on the roads . The locals prefer to use the services of Grab bikers to move around the city areas or for short distance travel.

If you enjoy deep fried food, Indonesia is the right place for you to savior these food. Throughout the 7 days, I had taken mostly deep fried food for lunches & dinners which I normally avoid taking at home.

Both Jakarta & Bandung have good hostel accommodations which are conveniently located in downtown areas near to touristy places. Most hostels offer free breakfast & drinking water and the dorm beds are comfy & clean. 

Jakarta was under Dutch rule from 1619 to 1949 (330 years) so the old Batavia or Jakarta have a number of historical places for you to visit & admire.

For first timers, you could consider doing a 3 in 1 visit to Indonesia focusing on Jakarta, Bandung & Bogor. Ideally you could spend 4-5 days in Jakarta, 2-3 days in Bandung & a day trip to Bogor. Both theses cities are well connected by commuter & inter-city trains. If you are adventurous, you could extend your stay to Yogyakarta which is just 8 hrs by train from Jakarta ! 

Given the close proximity between Jakarta & Kuala Lumpur ie flight time approx. 2 hrs, visiting Jakarta is an easy meat so start your planning now, a Jam Jam Jakarta, Cool Cool Bandung & Green Green Bogor awaiting you !

Total costs incurred (8 days) : IDP1,817,00 + Rm308 = Rm903 (US$205)

Air Asia ticket (promo) : Rm280.90 (US$64)
Sky bus (KL): Rm6 x 2 = Rm12 (Senior)
Food (KL): Rm15
Hostels (7 nights) : IDR1,020,000 (Rm334=US$76)
Food (8 days) : IDR284,000
Trains : IDR315,000
Motorbike: IDR25,000
Entrance fees: IDR90,000
Airport bus : IDR80,000
Exchange rates: Rm$1=IDR3.05 (Indonesia Rupiah); US$1=IDR13.50

Jam Jam Jakarta 

1) Monas (Monument National)


2) Istiqlal Mosque


3) Cathedral Church


4) National Museum


5) Fatahillah Square, Old Jakarta


6) Jakarta History Museum (1620)



7) Batavia Café (1828)


8) Fine Art & Ceramics Museum (1870)



9) Puppet Museum (1640)



10) Jakarta Kota (Beos) Train Station (1870)


11) Red Shop - Toko Merah (1730)


12) Menara Syahbandar - Watch Tower (1839)


13) Museum Bahari - Maritime Museum (1652)


14) Sunda Kelapa Harbor (1527)


15) Museum Bank Indonesia


16) Post Indonesia (1928)


17) Grand Indonesia


18) Plaza Indonesia


19) Selamat Datang Monument 


20) Tugu Tani Monument


21) Gambir Train Station


22) Pasar Antiques & Copper, Jalan Surabaya


23) Chinatown (Glodok)


24) Ancol Dreamland


Cool Cool Bandung

1) Museum of The Asian-African Conference (1945)


2) Mandala Siliwangi Museum


3) Governor's Residence



4) Alun Alun


5) Bandung Train Station

 
6) Inscription on the Bandung Zero (0) Kilometer Milestone


7) Bandung Town Centre


8) Masjid Al-Imtizaj


9) Jalan Braga, Bandung


10) Jalan Asia Afrika


10) Pasar Baru Trade Center


11) Grand Mosque of Bandung


12) Rice Terraces


Green Green Bogor

1) Bogor Royal Botanical Garden

 
2) Bogor Town


3) Bogor Train Station


4) Bogor Presidential Palace

Indonesia (Jakarta) July 2017 D-1

Image result for jakarta map

Day-1 Tuesday 18/7/2017 - Kuala Lumpur > Jakarta

1) LRT train ride from SS15 Subang Jaya > KL Sentral (Rm$1 senior)


2) Skybus ride (airport shuttle bus) from KL Sentral > KLIA2 (Rm$6 Senior)


3) KLIA2 low cost airport terminal



4) Lunch at Little Wok, Food Court, KLIA2 (Rm9.50 for a little wok of chicken fillets + bitter gourd + rice)




5) Air Asia Flight No AK0384 departing KLIA2 at 13.05 arriving Soekarno Hatta International Airport (T2), Jakarta at 14.15 (approx. 2hrs, time difference is 1 hr)


6) Arrival at Soekarno Hatta International Airport (T2) to take a Damri airport bus to Gambir Train Station - exit from the airport and then turn left for a short walk to Damri Bus Shelter


7) Arrival at Gambir Station, Jakarta City Center



8) My first Ojek ride (motorbike taxi) IDR25,000 to Capsule Hotel in Cikini area; alternately you can opt for a Bajaj (tuktuk) ride about the same price. For a greater comfort, suggest take a Blue Bird taxi from the Gambir taxi stand, around 25,000 per cab ride using the meter (but you need to bear with the congested traffic), not ideal to take a motorbike ride if carrying a cabin size luggage bag & a small backpack. I had a slight back pain after a 15 minutes ride upon arrival at my hostel ! 



Hostel accommodation (18-19/7/2017) in Capsule Hotel Jakarta - Old Batavia, Komplek Ruko Central Cikini No 60 Z, Jalan Cikini Raya, Jakarta - near Taman Ismail Marzuki, at the back of Texas Fried Chicken, 6 mins walk to Cikini Train Station, 30 mins walk to Gambir Train Station - bed comfy, room clean & neat with locker, shared bathroom, free breakfast - Rm51 (IDR150,000) for a dorm bed


Dinner at a food stall nearby the Capsule Hostel, Cikini - IDR22,000 for a plate of rice with chicken, vege & hot tea