The Travel Experiences You Should Get In Jakarta

Travelling around Jakarta is a great experience and the reasons are many.

I’m sitting at Jakarta’s airport waiting to board a flight back to Kuala Lumpur and as I sit here reflecting my journey here, I’m finding that my overall experience in the bustling city has been so great, mainly because the people here are the nicest people. I would put Indonesia second to Thailand for the friendliest country. The people here are very humbling, full of tradition, and smiles.

Like their southeast Asian neighbour, there is poverty and the ultra rich here and it can be seen with all the slums in the northern part of the city and the richer well manicured neighbourhood in the south. Jakarta is geographically large and the population out numbers many other cities in the world, making it also one of the top traffic congested city. It seems like this city is always smoggy with pollution, but as long as you’re wearing a mask, it’s OK and doesn’t bother you too much.

One of the experiences I suggest you doing when you visit is walking through a small part of the slums in the northern area of Jakarta, it’s a real eye opener. The people are very poor, the kids play next to garbage, and most of the homes made out of discarded tin panels or wood planks appear they won’t last in a sudden strong wind gust. But one thing that the people all seem to have are large smile and laughter, despite their living situation. It was refreshing to see that.

Next on the must experience list is the mosque. For people who are uncomfortable with this, there are tour guides available at the mosques that will show you around and teach you things about the Islam. Be sure to dress appropriately by having long sleeve shirts and long pants to cover yourself. Women must not wear low cut or revealing clothing.

Going to the mosque for prayers is what Indonesians do in their daily lives. For those who aren’t able to make it to a mosque can pray in one of the many prayers room set up in stores, gas stations, malls, offices, etc. Prayer rooms are so widely available that there is almost no excuse for a Muslim to miss prayer time. If you run across a prayer session happening somewhere in the middle of the city at an obscure gathering, make sure to stand and watch for a while. It’s a memorable sight to see how men and women pray in synchronization.

An authentic way to travel around the city is through their Angkot mini buses that drive around the city. It operates as a hop on, hop off and they run in a routes around the city. It would be a lot easier to do this with a local who knows how to navigate this or ask the driver which way he is driving. Personally this was too difficult to experience, so I opted to ride around the city on a GrabBike, which is always a blast. Be careful of pickpockets when you’re riding, keep your belongings secure on you.

My last point that made my experience in Jakarta memorable was being able to ride the trains that goes to many parts of the city. They also have very affordable trains going all the way out to East, Central, or West Java. You can book tickets easily in advance with the Traveloka App or their native app “KAI Access”, but a little warning with the latter: You can’t pay with your credit card but instead have to go to collection points in convenience stores or post offices to make cash payments. Out of convenience I use the Traveloka app instead.

When you ride the train out, you get a whole new view of the country as you pass by rice patties, farms, green valleys, and other smaller towns. Be sure to have your camera ready at hand because amazing views come quickly and often.

What the experience is like travelling in Jakarta, Indonesia, the true Indonesian city life

I have spent the last month in Jakarta travelling around the city like a mad person. To be honest, I didn’t think there was going to be to much here. But the longer I stayed, the more I realize that this city has it’s own uniqueness that has the ability to grow on you.

The Experience

When you come to Jakarta, expect to experience what true Indonesian city life is like. This is a city where you experience the complete opposite of the tourist packed island of Bali. It will be the more authentic experience that many long-term travellers crave and those who like to avoid the planned itinerary.

Cost of services and goods in Jakarta are generally cheaper than any other part of Indonesia, due to the sheer size of the population here, the competition is intense. For example, ordering a Grab or Grab food is cheaper and is usually half the price. Delivery prices is usually 3000 Rupiahs for food and zipping on Grab Bike can be as low as 10000 Rupiahs. You’ll even notice there are hundreds of grab drivers donned in their green helmet and jacket crowding many hot spots waiting for the next job to show up on their phone.

The People

When you travel a city, the first thing you’ll come to notice are the people. How they dress, speak, look, and even sometimes smell. The disparity of wealth here is quite large, so you’ll see a lot of poor people or upper middle class to upper class here. Regardless of classes, you’ll notice that they all seem to smile.

Points of Interests:

This city isn’t a place where you rush from one place to the next to get your next instagram shot. No, it’s more of a “let’s walk in this direction today to see what there is” type of place. Other than the National Monument, a modern mall called the Grand Indonesia, and the Fatillah Square on the north side of the city, you’ve pretty much have no where else to go.

However, don’t let that discourage you because there are many undiscovered areas of the city that can give you the lifestyle shots you’ve been yearning to take. If you haven’t been through a slum area before, try it. Your eyes will widen and your mind will open with the things you’ll see. Slum areas are generally in the north.

Experience a Mosque:

Visits to a mosque are open to everyone and you can generally get a guided tour. It’s as easy as a quick google search and you’ll find a lot of reviews describing their experiences and appropriate time to make a visit. There are a few prayers time throughout the day and you’ll hear prayer callings blare on loud speakers all around the city during these times. When the sun is setting and these prayer callings happen, it’s like a magical Eat, Pray, Love moment that you won’t ever forget.

Just remember that when you are visiting a mosque, appropriate attire is required. Men must cover from their hips down, so wear pants. Women must cover their entire body, so wear long sleeve shirts and long dress/pants.

Culture:

I found Indonesia’s culture similar to that of Malaysia, I mean after all, they are both majority Islamic Countries. But Indonesian food culture is different. Some things have the same name like “Nasi” for rice, “Mie” for noodles. But that’s where it ends. One taste of Indonesian street food and you’ll know the differences. They love their spiciness and Bakso (hard boiled egg meat ball) here, and it’s something you must try before you leave.

Travel Insurance

Before you go on your travels, I suggest you buy travel insurance to protect yourself in case something happens. Most companies won’t insure you for long term, but WORLD NOMADS insurance does.

WORLD NOMADS was created by travellers to fit the needs of travellers, and the best part is you can continually increase the coverage on the road if you decide you need more. Most traditional companies do not allow this.

I’ve spent the last 6 months travelling in Southeast Asia, backpacking Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore,  Indonesia so far. In fact, I’m still on the road currently sitting at a Starbucks in the Grand Indonesia Mall, right smack dab in the centre of Jakarta. Let me tell you ahead of time: Traffic is absolutely nuts in these countries. You need travel insurance, don’t go without it.

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