Jakarta

[HaifongWangchuck]

Heading to Indonesia at the beginning of June and will be in Jakarta for 4 days for my first non-layover trip there, and just wondering a few things for anyone who has recently been:

*I know Jakarta is notoriously amorphous and difficult to navigate, so which neighbourhood should I situate myself in? Me and my (Khmer) fianceé are both relatively young (she just turned 19 and I'm turning 28 someday) and so we want to meet other young people to hang out with. I heard Jakarta has some legendary reggae bars, can anyone elaborate on this? People have told me Blok M is nice, as are most places in Jakarta Selatan...

*How well does public transport work in Jakarta, and is it worth using?

*What is there to see, if anything? What are some good places to eat?

We leave Jakarta sometime around the 6th or 7th, take the train to Yogyakarta, then the train from Yogyakarta to Banyuwangi, finally taking a ferry to Bali and a bus into Denpasar. Is there anything I should see along the way there?

Any tips are appreciated.

[Colkurtz]

I’ve spent a little time there though it’s been a while. Definitely plan to not arrive on a Friday evening. Traffic is insane. I kinda liked Jakarta but it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Taxis are cheap and plentiful. I can’t imagine that public transport is worth it.

The train service was nice. If you end up hating Jakarta then maybe head over to Bandung. Lots of universities there and would be much easier to get around than Jakarta. The problem I found with Jakarta was that if you didn’t really like the area you ended up in then it was Avery long ride to go somewhere else. I didn’t care much for Blok M personally.

Bromo would be my other suggestion of a place to go.

[xtreme]

I can’t imagine that public transport is worth it.

Especially with girl.

[ressl]

I am going back and forth to Jakarta on a regular basis because of my job. Horrible place to be, sometimes I even fly out on weekends to avoid it. Try to take the non-stop flight from AirAsia and have 500k IDR on hand for the VOA or get it online/embassy in advance. On the airport take a blue bird, those run the meter and only occasionally ask for the 10k extra Airport fee. All others are rip offs. Traffic in Jakarta is more or less ok, especially on the toll roads, but avoid to be on the road from 07:00 to 09:00 and 17:00 to 19:00 by any means. And I am very serious about that

[Jkcliche]

Best thing about Jakarta is leaving it...

Agree with @ressl bluebird is your friend, and the VOD cash will stop you from having to re-queue.

Apart from bluebird for getting around, GrabBike (you just hop on the back of a moto) is fun and fast. If you see tuk tuk there, avoid it, the driver will say he'll take you to where you want to go, but they aren't allowed on a bunch of the roads, so they will only be able to take you part of the way. The metro is excellent (cheap and clean), but it doesn't go to many places.

For 'fun', the whole of Jakarta is built on the premise that there's nothing better to do than go to the mall - Grand Indonesia is a pretty big one. Pik Avenue has some trendy cafes and stuff. Malls can be crowded in the afternoons.

You could head to the zoo, and get around it on a tandem bike with your lady. I liked going to Kota Tua/Bhatabia (old town) and wandering round taking photos of the colonial buildings. If you’re around for a bit longer, you could get a boat out to the Thousand Islands, but go for the ones furthest out, the ones near Jakarta are mostly fucked.

I've had a couple of nice evenings in Hause Rooftop, Setiabudi https://www.hausemade.com

I always escaped Jakarta and went to Lombok as quickly as I could. If you're in Bali for a while, maybe get a fast boat to the Gilli Isles (2 to 3 hours), good diving (drift dive with turtles and sharks), magic mushrooms and no cars.