Re: Is Jakarta safe?
- From: grusl <george.w.russell@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2007 08:08:49 -0000
On Oct 28, 1:41 pm, Alfred Molon <alfred_mo...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
In article <ffvmcb$84...@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, grusl says...
I go there 2-3 times a year. I have no problems with personal safety, apart
from the occasional unstable sidewalk/footpath. It's not a hugely
late-opening town but I've been around Blok M at 1am or so without feeling
uncomfortable. Jakarta taxi drivers - especially from the Blue Bird Group -
are among the most reliable in Asia.
Thanks George. Is there anything to see in Jakarta? I heard that years
ago they tore down lots of colonial era architecture to make place to
modern buildings.
--
Alfred Molonhttp://www.molon.de- Photos of Asia, Africa and Europe
Posting via Google, as Motzarella is not working.
It's true that the inner-city kampongs are disappearing under the
wieght of
development (Jakarta is in a development mini-boom, but from a low
base of
course, with huge towers under construction along Jl. Thamrin and Jl.
Jend.
Sudirman, the Hotel Indonesia being rebuilt and rebadged as a
Kempinski and
the Mandarin closing for overdue renovations). But a few survive and
they're
worth a walk through - no safety problems except a gaggle of kids in
tow and
lots of selamat [whatever time of day] greetings. There's still a bit
of
colonial Batavia near the old port (Sunda Kelapa) with the sailing
vessels
lined up. There's also a fish market there and a picturesque old
bridge. The
maritime museum, I recall from a few years ago, is nothing exciting.
But all
Jakarta museums are pretty bad, except for the suburban gallery
showcasing
New Guinea tribal art, such as that of the Asmat. (Suharto and his
cronies
looted the public museums; the Papua gallery is private, recent and
reasonably well-funded).
The Taman Fatahillah public square is interesting, if only to see
women rub
themselves on the fertility symbol! Taman Mini - which has miniature
versions of each of Indonesia's provinces is kitschy and uber-
patriotic, but
actually quite well done from an amateur historical and
anthropological
perspective. Do eat at Cafe Batavia there - it would be a tourist trap
only
if Jakarta had any tourists. Instead, it's just a damn good
restaurant. I
think Indonesian food is fantastic and I'll happily supply some
recently
visited restaurants if you're into that sort of thing. My most recent
visits
have been for business, and I rarely get off the main avenues now, but
my
wife is a Indonesiaphile and lived there for a decade before I met
her, so
I've absorbed some information either on joint visits or through
spousal
osmosis.
There are still a few old villas in Jakarta, mostly embassies and
government
buildings. Menteng is the rich, leafy suburb. If you take the main
drag
Sudirman south past the Mandarin and head west on Jl. Bendungan Hilir,
then
turn off on to a series of streets named after lakes you are in
Pejompongan,
a middle-class suburb with a lot of architecturally interesting
bungalows
that is undergoing a revival. Great photo opportunities. It's also the
home
of the worthy Lontar Foundation, which translates and sells books and
monographs related to Indonesian history and culture.
The Thousand Islands is also worth a visit. I'll try to think of more
but by
all means prompt me with ideas about what you're interested in.
Cheers,
George W Russell
Bangalore
.
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