This is a post on we did our 3 days and 2 nights in Jakarta-Bandung
Warning: This is a long post. Read only if you're bored, or you need travelling tips to Jakarta (which is at the end of this post)
DAY 1
Warning: This is a long post. Read only if you're bored, or you need travelling tips to Jakarta (which is at the end of this post)
DAY 1
Soekarno-Hatta Airport
When I first touched down in Jakarta, the first thoughts of their airport was
"It looks a bit like Malaysia's R&R (rest & relax)"
It wasn't terrible feeling, merely a thought. I've seen worse airports in my 20 years of living.
We were welcomed by our local driver there. He looked nothing like how I pictured in my mind. It shocked me somehow, I have no idea why. He was to bring us around Bandung and Jakarta for the whole of our stay.
On the Way to Bandung
We made our way to Bandung straight away. The first shock I got on the road was the vast amount of cars on that filled the highway ! On certain stretches, we barely moved an inch.
On some of those stretches where we took half and hour to move a kilometre, there were quite a few people selling things on the road.
This is an interesting place for those who love to search for cheap t-shirts, jeans etc. You might also be able to find a tailor that can finish your order within a day!
I'm not one to really recommend places to go here because I didn't stay here for long since there was a big downpour at the time.
Rumah Mode
Another shopping haven for those who love branded items at a much lower price! There are so many good bargains here but if you're the type that hates crowded places, this isn't exactly the best place for you. When in Rumah Mode, you have to expect extremely long queues at the fitting room and also the cashier. Nevertheless, it's the place to go in Bandung now so you wouldn't want to miss it even if you don't buy anything!
DAY 2
Bandung City
We pushed off at 7.30 am to avoid the jam. We managed to sight see Bandung city (without being stuck in traffic for most of the time). Our driver also managed to negotiate with the security of the parliament house to let us in for about 10 minutes to take photos.
Kawah Putih, Ciwedey
Supposedly 2 hours away from Bandung city, but with the endless traffic, we reached there in 3 hours. It was raining heavily at the time we reached there so we couldn't enjoy the supposedly beautiful sights of the old volcano crater. It was extremely disappointing especially since it took us a long time to get there. Moral of the story: Come here when the weather is beautiful because it's really worthwhile if the place wasn't foggy.
What it's supposed to look like
Source: Image googled
What we saw that day .
Taman Mini Malaysia Indah, Jakarta
This place is really a worthwhile place to go and you'd probably spend at least half the day here. There are cultural shows and lots of museums here to fill your time. There's also a mosque and church if in need to pray.
Some of the cultural buildings. The houses here are actual life size buildings
(not the miniature type we expected).
Padang Food - Restoran Sederhana
Padang food is famous in Jakarta and now I know why! The way they served the food was different from other restaurants and the food was delicious. Definitely a go-to when in Jakarta.
DAY 3
Jakarta City
Jakarta city is way ahead of Bandung in it's looks. It was more modern in comparison and was way bigger.
Things we saw in Jakarta City:
- Kota Tua
You can enter the compound free of charge. We didn't though, because it took us too long to park so we decided to just drive around it.
Supposedly the largest mosque in South East Asia. Didn't take too many photos here because we rushing to move to our next check point.
Shopping
- Mangga Dua & Majestik
Like Rumah Mode, these places were extremely crowded with so many people smoking even inside the building. If you don't know what to find and you're claustrophobic, again, these are not for you!
But if you're searching for souvenirs and imitations, these complexes are worth the visit.
- Pasar Baru
We had a better experience at Pasar Baru simply because it was in an open area. It probably also had to do with the fact that we went there at about 4pm (it closes at about 6-7 depending on the shop) when a lot of people has already left. It is a 1 km stretch of road with shops on either side. Here you can get good quality cloth (depending on which shop you enter) at a much lower price as compared to Malaysia.
There were some places which Jakarta and Bandung are known for that we didn't have time to visit such as Tanah Abang (another cloth shopping haven), Gunung Tangkuban Perahu (similar to Ciwidey) and other things. All in all, it was an eye opening trip (will be writing a seperate post about it later ).
Travelling Tips:
1. Get a local driver there.
Not only is it energy saving, is it time saving (and you definitely need to save time especially since Jakarta and Bandung are notorious for their traffic!) since they know the streets, temperament and places better than we do. It may be a bit more difficult to get around using public transport outside of Jakarta. Plus, with a local driver, they'll do the all the talking and negotiations when we need to enter the parks i.e Taman Mini Indonesia Indah and get the tickets at a lower price as compared to foreigners! So you get to save money too.
Like Rumah Mode, these places were extremely crowded with so many people smoking even inside the building. If you don't know what to find and you're claustrophobic, again, these are not for you!
But if you're searching for souvenirs and imitations, these complexes are worth the visit.
- Pasar Baru
We had a better experience at Pasar Baru simply because it was in an open area. It probably also had to do with the fact that we went there at about 4pm (it closes at about 6-7 depending on the shop) when a lot of people has already left. It is a 1 km stretch of road with shops on either side. Here you can get good quality cloth (depending on which shop you enter) at a much lower price as compared to Malaysia.
There were some places which Jakarta and Bandung are known for that we didn't have time to visit such as Tanah Abang (another cloth shopping haven), Gunung Tangkuban Perahu (similar to Ciwidey) and other things. All in all, it was an eye opening trip (will be writing a seperate post about it later ).
Travelling Tips:
1. Get a local driver there.
Not only is it energy saving, is it time saving (and you definitely need to save time especially since Jakarta and Bandung are notorious for their traffic!) since they know the streets, temperament and places better than we do. It may be a bit more difficult to get around using public transport outside of Jakarta. Plus, with a local driver, they'll do the all the talking and negotiations when we need to enter the parks i.e Taman Mini Indonesia Indah and get the tickets at a lower price as compared to foreigners! So you get to save money too.
2. Be prepared to tip random people
Here, you must almost always tip people when they help you out in any way, any where. Not even exaggerating. Have small change handy if you don't want them to chase you down because you didn't tip!
3. Be prepared to be shocked
Especially if you live in a glittery world.
4. Use a wide angled lens (for DSLR users).
It's quite obvious I suppose. This is actually for me because I traveled with a 35mm lens, so I didn't get as much in the frame as I would have wanted to. Gotta save money for that!
5. Go to Jakarta during weekends
We did, and the roads were almost traffic free because the locals travel outside of Jakarta i.e Bandung during the weekends !
6. And travel to bandung on weekdays!
This is all I can think of for now. I'll try add more if I remember later.
Thanks for reading!
*Fun facts:
There are over 15, 000, 000 people in Jakarta in the day (10, 000, 000 at night). That is half of Malaysia's overall population in Jakarta alone!
There, the term "jam" is known as "macet" .
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