Sightseeing in Jakarta, Indonesia

Hello again~!

It's been a while since my last post of Ramadhan Month in Indonesia. And now, I'd like to help some traveler who decided or still choosing places to go to in Jakarta. It's true that Jakarta is the Capital City of Indonesia, but I bet you all must have known Bali first , then Indonesia. Am I right? Some people even think that Indonesia IS in Bali. Nope. Bali IS in Indonesia!

So, where you can go in the one of the most crowded and awful traffic country in the world?
I do personally think that Jakarta is the most awful traffic of all countries. But I do know that It depends on timing. If you go out on Indonesian Rush Hour (6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m and 4:30 p.m to 8:00 or 9:00 p.m), you'll doomed. Heavy traffic everywhere. Well, the morning traffic will super hectic from Bekasi, Depok, Bogor, Tangerang to Jakarta routes! But if you are from Jakarta going to Bekasi/Depok/Bogor/Bandung, you can a bit relax. It's all about the right timing and place you want to go.

I'll tell you places you can enjoy in Jakarta and tips to go there.

• Taman Mini Indonesia Indah 

(Or we called it TMII [ It pronounce like Tame without the "me" + M + ee + ee ] or maybe just Taman Mini)

[From Wikipedia]
Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) or "Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Park" (literally translated) is a culture-based recreational area located in East Jakarta, Indonesia. It has an area of about 250 acres (1.0 km²). The park is a synopsis of Indonesian culture, with virtually all aspects of daily life in Indonesia's 26 (in 1975) provinces encapsulated in separate pavilions with the collections of Indonesian architecture, clothing, dances and traditions are all depicted impeccably. Apart from that, there is a lake with a miniature of the archipelago in the middle of it, cable cars, museums, Keong Emas Imax cinema, a theater called the Theatre of My Homeland (Theater Tanah Airku) and other recreational facilities which make TMII one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city.

So, what can I do in here? Taman Mini is full of Indonesian cultural things. From Traditional houses, clothes, souvenirs, to many various museums. I think It almost like Smithsonian but of course not that large and complex and It is just about Indonesia. You can visit mini replicate islands of Indonesia, Traditional Houses, Istana Anak (Children Castle) and many more. But the locals used to come here to just picnic or just to go 1-3 recreational spots.

Well, how can I go there? I strongly suggest you to rent a car or have Indonesian friend who have car to take you. Because Taman Mini is so wide. Yes you can walk/cycling in there if you want to. But, I do think, you need a car. There are some cars for rent too near Taman Mini, but I don't know much about it. And for those Pokemon GO player, you'll love this place because Taman Mini have sooooo many PokeStop.

Traditional House of West Sumatera

Istana Anak-anak (Children Castle)

Taman Mini from google maps

Address : Jl. Raya Taman Mini | East Jakarta, DKI Jakarta, INDONESIA

Information : (+62 21) 8779 2078 (Bahasa Indonesia)

Gate Open : Everyday, from 7:00 a.m to 10:00 p.m

Cost : Depends on how many houses/museums you go

Approximately from Rp 25,000 to Rp 300,000 or more (2 US$ to 23 US$)

Even if the gate open until night, but the operational hours of each houses/museum/etc are different. I Maybe around 6:00 p.m max. So make sure you come around 7:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m. To reach Taman Mini, it is a bit crowded to go there but you are not following the traffic flow, so, yes you can go from early morning but seriously, get out of there before 5 p.m or prepare for the heavy traffic. Can you go to Taman Mini with Public Transportation? Sure. Just hope on TransJakarta, Pinang Ranti route, and drop at Taman Mini Garuda shelter, find Angkot to Taman Mini in front of Tamini Square. If you want to ask the local, try ask " How to get to Taman Mini? " "Bagaimana cara menuju Taman Mini?"

• Monumen Nasional (We shorten it to "MONAS")

[From Wikipedia]

The National Monument (Indonesian: Monumen Nasional, abbreviated Monas) is a 132 m (433 ft) tower in the centre of Merdeka Square, Central Jakarta, symbolizing the fight for Indonesia. It is the national monument of the Republic of Indonesia, built to commemorate the struggle for Indonesian independence.

Construction began in 1961 under the direction of President Soekarno. Monas was opened to the public in 1975. It is topped by a flame covered withgold foil. The monument and the museum are open daily from 08.00 until 15.00 Western Indonesia Time (UTC+7) throughout the week except for the last Monday of each month when the monument is closed.

Well, this is the Iconic symbol of Jakarta. Your journey in Jakarta is not complete if you didn't go to Monas. For more information about Monas, google up yourself please . :P . Don't worry about transportation. There are a lot of transportation you can choose. TransJakarta, Free TransJakarta, The City Tour, Gojek, Grab, Uber, etc.

• Kota Tua Jakarta

[From Wikipedia]

Kota Tua Jakarta ("Jakarta Old Town"), officially known as Kota Tua,^[1] is a neighborhood comprising the original downtown area of Jakarta,Indonesia. It is also known as Oud Batavia (Dutch "Old Batavia"), Benedenstad (Dutch "Lower City", contrasting it with Weltevreden, de Bovenstad("Upper City")), or Kota Lama (Indonesian "Old Town"). It spans 1.3 square kilometres within North Jakarta and West Jakarta (Kelurahan Pinangsia,Taman Sari and Kelurahan Roa Malaka, Tambora). The largely Chinese downtown area of Glodok is a part of Kota Tua.

If you want to avoid too crowded or too many people, definitely don't go on Weekends. Please don't forget to bring your UV sunglasses, a hat, lotion and a mini fan. Why? It's super hot there in the afternoon.  Almost the same as Monas, you can reach Kota Tua with various transportation.

Hutan Bakau, Pantai Indah Kapuk

(No Wikipedia reference)

This, personally, I have not go there yet. It just too far from my home. Jakarta do have this place! Hutan Bakau (Mangrove Forest), Pantai Indah Kapuk is you must go to if you are looking for refreshing, relax sightseeing. With 99,82 acres, 40% of this area are Mangrove forest. There are some huts you can rent too. I don't how much cost to visit there. But for renting the hut, I'm guessing it starts from Rp 300,000 (Around 23 US$). I've read it in some random blog, that, there are several restriction to photography or else. I'm sorry I can't provide much information about this gorgeous place. >,< Trully sorry

• MALLS!

Jakarta have so many malls you can shops to! But My recommended malls are :

Grand Indonesia

Plaza Indonesia

Lippo Kemang

Lippo Puri

Pondok Indah Mall 1 and 2

Mall Kelapa Gading

(For shopping import brand and locals)

For shopping like crazy (most locals go to these places), try :

Thamrin City

Tanah Abang

ITC Mangga Dua

ITC Cempaka Mas

Pusat Grosir Cililitan

Asemka

Okay, wherever you go, please avoid 4:30 p.m to 8:00 p.m. Remember the rush hour. If you want to travel until midnight, and do so (around 10:00 p.m or more). But of course, travel in midnight is not recommended. There are bad people show up in the midnight.

Well, see you on my next post~

xoxo