Jakarta...part 3

Starting the day with a fresh outlook, I decided today would be the day that I would be a little bit artsy-fartsy and visit some of the museums of Jakarta. My first stop was the Museum Sejarah Jakarta (Museum of the History of Jakarta) which is actually one of the 3 museums in the Batavia Square. When I arrived at the square, there were an ongoing concert. Being the nosy tourist that I was, I went closer to the stage and investigated...so i found out the concert was actually for cyclists. I didn't really know if they are just about to start their 'tour de jakarta' and the concert was a kick-off or the concert was actually a finale (it was close to 11 a.m. so I'm making a wild guess that it was actually a post cycling concert). There was a considerable amount of people on the square, add to this that it was a Sunday...saw a lot of students in uniforms milling around the museums so it might be a requirement for them from school to visit the museums.

I didn't understand a thing about the songs the artists were singing but the music had me swaying..almost! They did sing some English ditties but by that time I was already inside the museum.

So on to the museum...this was how it looked from the outside

The front and the back facade was kinda grand and it reminded me of European mansions or something. Entrance to the museum was extremely cheap (2,000 rupiah). So i was so looking forward to seeing the inside of the museum and to see how the people lived back in the 15th or 16th century when the Dutch occupied Indonesia. Imagine my horror when this was what i saw inside.....

The inside was decidedly neglected! The walls were in need of a fresh coat of paint. The lovely furnitures needed to be buffed and refurbished and restored to their old glorious state. The mirrors had to be shined and cracks repaired. There were no proper signs inside the museum to direct the patron. Lighting was of the dim-est kind (it was noon time and even I had a difficult time taking pictures inside the museum because it was too dark). You just want to cry out of frustration because we are talking about history here. It isn't everyday that we get to see grand houses with grand furnitures! And if they are in a sorry state, it does add to the gloominess of the place. I later learned from a friend that tourist attractions are really not the priority of the government but I do believe Indonesia has so much to offer aside from Bali and Borobudur. They just have to look around...and start restoring.

Enough ranting...I moved on the the next museum which is just a few steps away from the history museum...

The museum wayang houses numerous puppets which is extremely popular in Indonesia and is probably one of the best things that symbolizes Indonesia. Entrance was also at a ridiculously low price of 2,000 rupiah

Initially, I found them a little bit creepy to look at but as you look at them more closely, you will get to appreciate the beauty and the craftsmanship put into each puppet or figure

above made from buffalo skin

traditional Indonesian musical instruments

Pictures are supposedly not allowed to be taken inside the museum but since I saw a lot of people taking pictures while walking around the museum...when in Rome....

My next stop was the last museum in the block

but since it was way past twelve noon and I was getting hungry, plus, I wasn't really into ceramics and fine art unless the ceramics that we are talking about is the plate im going to use to put the food in, I decided to forego this museum as I felt I am not going to miss much.

Some sights that I saw inside the square which reminded me so much of the Philippines

Before going to lunch though, I decided to take a little walk around the area outside the square and saw these sights

Beverly Hills Hotel & Spa in the middle of downtown Jakarta! How snazzy!

15th President of the Republic of the Philippines

new president of the Philippines...new promises...please keep them! (for a change... a real change)

I am, by nature, a cynical person but with him, im keeping my hopes up.

A ride at the LRT was free of charge again this afternoon...yahoo!

Blissful or Sinful stuff in Hong Kong

Ok, Im going to segue temporarily away from my Jakarta trip blog as I just got back from Hong Kong...here are 2 things I loved in Hong Kong and i even got to bring home one of them. Some might consider them sinful but I just can't live without them.

Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk with fresh strawberries....yummy to the max!

Acupuncture shoes studded with crystals...couldn't get it off my mind when i first saw it

Independence Day!

Today, we are celebrating our nation's Independence Day although its technically not a holiday "holiday' in the sense since the non-working day has been moved to Monday. So I was able to experience the free ride earlier this afternoon at the mass transit called LRT (annually they offer free rides on all public trains on certain hours) so I guess it was worth celebrating it hehehe

Jakarta...part 2

Day 02 in Jakarta, im supposed to meet up with my former colleague and good friend Elaine, who happens to be the divine missus of the hotel's general manager, for some sightseeing and (window) shopping. At 10 a.m., we are driving around Jakarta in her chauffered limousine. The first thing she points out to me the National Monument

The golden thing up there actually is 35kg of gold! Completed in 1975, I advice you not to take the lift up to the peak as it occasionally conks out due to its old age.

Next stop was to look for the Polo/Ralph Lauren outlet store along the Kemang area. Luckily we had a driver to drive us around coz it almost took us two hours just looking for the outlet store. And find it we did not! hehehe Elaine tried her best to locate it calling numerous people on her blackberry but people just keep telling her you'll spot it with no problem. Well, we were getting impatient already so Elaine decided we should take our lunch first and look for the outlet store after lunch. She took me to this lovely local restaurant called Payon. Satay, krupuk and moderately spicy food are the specialty of the restaurant.

The menu which is impressively bound in a wooden door-style book...impressive!

The inside was as impressive though...looked cheap if you ask me.

Satay, kropek, chicken buried under chicken floss and spicy spinach....yummy!

last minute duck(?) that Elaine ordered

extensive line-up of krupuks...fish, chicken or beef flavored, they have it....(except for pork of course since Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country)

cozy and welcoming interior

front entrance and garden

So after lunch, we went to look for the Polo outlet shop again and guess what? Elaine suddenly realizes the shop may have already closed down! so that's why we couldn't locate the shop...it is simply not there. We ended up visiting a small Polo store with 30% off but I didn't purchase anything...ha! all for Polo!

Next stop was Pacific Place mall which is beside the Ritz Carlton. We decided to try the famous Kopi Luwak

This US$ 8 cup of coffee is actually a by-product of a civet eating some coffee berries then eventually defacating the berries which comes out as coffee beans and voila!, you have one of the most expensive cup of coffee in the world. I'm no coffee drinker/connoisseur so I'm not really the best judge but I have to admit taking a sip from kopi luwak, you realize it is a different experience...much like comparing jose cuervo gold and jose cuervo 1800...1800 is definitely much smoother. In the end, I still feel its overprized but as i said, im not coffee expert. Elaine finished her kopi luwak while i settled for the cheaper version which is a combination of kopi luwak and arabica

Jakarta...part 1

Jakarta...my first time to this lovely city of Indonesia and it kinda reminds me of a place i've been to before...let me think....oh my, its exactly like Manila! If you don't hear the Indonesians talk, you would think you're in Manila. They have their own version of the:

1. tricycle which they call bajaj (a three wheeled contraption that ferries 2-5 persons to a nearby destination)

Jakarta version

Philippine version (photo by James Deakin)

2. jeep or fx

Indonesian version

Philippine version (c/o wikipedia although this is a private FX and not one for public transport but generally its usually airconditioned)

Aside from that, the streets look the same. They have beggars (in crutches or the child variety), vendors (cigarette and newspaper). The houses look the same....even the local restaurants look the same. We have our Mall of Asia...they have their Mall of Indonesia! Its just like being back at home after paying a fee to fly 4 hours from Manila to Jakarta.

So why did I go to Jakarta? Last year, I promised myself I would visit at least one (per year) country/city I haven't been to. So last year, I flew to Saigon, Vietnam where I met up my good friend Kim (who is based in Singapore). I truly enjoyed Saigon's food and I only spent around US$250 on my 4 day Saigon vacation (of course, not including airticket and my hotel). This year, I decided to go to Jakarta since I have a former colleague there whom I can visit. Nobody wanted to go with me so to Jakarta but this is ok since I'm so used to travelling on my own. I was originally flying via Philippine Airlines but luck would have it, Cebu Pacific came out with a promo fare that costs around US$ 130 (compared to PAL's US$ 250 fare). I immediately purchased my ticket (bought this around Feb or March). Next thing to arrange was my hotel. Fortunately, my friend living in Jakarta is married to the General Manager of Millennium Hotel Jakarta. One thing led to another and I eventually got my room for free! (isn't life good).

So on the day of the trip, nothing exciting happened. Flying via Cebu Pacific was uneventful (the plane was slightly late on its departure but this was nothing new of course). Landed in Jakarta (Soekarno Hatta is the name of their airport) and the airport of course, looked like the old NAIA 1 in the Philippines. There was a long queue to clear Immigration (very similar again to Manila's) and this was already like 12 midnight (I later learned there were like 5 flights that arrived at almost the same time as we did). I was quickly whisked away by the airport representative of Millennium to their limousine (of course, this was pre-arranged and I advice you do the same when visiting Jakarta...costs only around US$ 22 for an airport pick up). It was too dark and I was a bit disoriented on my way from the airport to the hotel so I couldn't really describe what I saw on the road. Got to the hotel around 1a.m. and check in was definitely a breeze. The Front Desk manager and bellboy escorted me to my Suite (gasp!) and was pleasantly surprised at the size of the room

my bedroom which is really a bedroom since there's a door that separates it from the living room and the toilet

skyline of Jakarta (this was taken the following day of course after i've rested from my flight from MNL)

the living room (my photo doesn't do it justice, would a SLR been a better option to shoot this?)

toilet with separate bath and shower

welcome pralines and fruits (not shown) with a personal handwritten note from the General Manager

The late night flight was all forgotten after I've showered and laid in bed. Their bathrobe is the thickest I've ever seen in a hotel. Can't wait to show you the rest of Jakarta....

Millennium Hotel Sirih Jakarta

Jalan Fachrudin 3
Jakarta 10250
Indonesia

T: (62-21) 230 3636
F: (62-21) 230 0880