View of a Local in Jakarta, Indonesia

Urban and Regional Planner Budi Saraswati visits various places in Indonesia through her work. In this View of a Local interview she shares her tips with us about her hometown Jakarta and the island of Java.

Briefly, please could you tell us a bit about yourself?

I am a stay-@-home wife. But, every now and then, I am involved in projects related to urban and regional development studies, which give me the opportunities to visit some Indonesian cities/places. I hold a bachelor degree (undergraduate) in urban and regional planning from Institut Teknologi Bandung.

In my spare time, I maintain my blogs: Writing from My Desk, Yang Melintas (in Bahasa Indonesia) and Buku, Buku, Buku! (in Bahasa Indonesia).

How long have you lived in Jakarta?

I was born in Jakarta 44 years ago and spent most of my life here. However, I lived in Bandung (West Java Province) for eight years and in Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta Special Region Province) for a year. So, I have lived in Jakarta almost 35 years.

How is Jakarta coping in the aftermath of the recent flood?

Thank you for asking. People have finished cleaning their houses and pupils their schools. But they still have to repair their damaged belongings or buy new ones. News media and community organizations collected and distributed donations for floods casualties.

What do you like most about living in Jakarta?

Jakarta is the biggest city in Indonesia. You can find almost everything in Jakarta.

Is there anything you do not like about living in Jakarta?

Traffic congestion and ehm.. fear of criminality when riding untrusted public transport *sigh*

Why should travellers visit Jakarta or Java?

Jakarta, the most densely populated urban area in Indonesia, has been interacting with people from other countries for centuries. This can be traced in museums, old buildings and the old port in the “old town” area. However, Jakarta also offers modern life with internationally-chained restaurants, cafes, shops and malls.

Java, the most densely populated island in the country, has many interesting places to visit and subcultures to offer.

I highly recommend Bromo mountain in East Java Province to watch the sunrise there. You have to depart pre-dawn from nearby cities (among other is Probolinggo), walk across the sand and climb the many concrete steps to reach the crater-rim. It’s a breathtaking view you’ll never forget!

In West Java Province, near Bandung, you can find Tangkuban Perahu mountain to enjoy the volcanic panorama there or trek down into the crater.

Bandung and its surrounding areas also have some interesting tourism objects such as Dago Pakar forest park, Maribaya and Ciater hot springs. Enjoy “angklung” (a bamboo musical instrument) performance at Saung Angklung Ujo, or just enjoy the city lights from northern Bandung at night.

In the northward of Yogyakarta lies Borobudur Temple, a grand Buddhist temple, while in the eastward of Yogya lies the Prambanan Temple compounds. Both Borobudur and Prambanan Temples are UNESCO World Heritage sites. During the dry season, in particular at night, Ramayana Dance will be performed at Prambanan Temple.

In Yogya, and Solo as well, we can visit the Keratons - the Javanese kings’ palaces. In Solo, try to visit the Pasar Klewer, the biggest market for batik and lurik (handwoven fabric). Wow, so many things to tell.., and I have yet to mention arts, crafts, food and other things.

However, Indonesia consists not only of Java and Bali. We also have Sumatera, Lombok, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku islands and Papua. Besides some parts of Java and Bali, I have visited only Padang and Bukittinggi in West Sumatera Province, Lombok island and a little part of South and East Kalimantan. I wish, I can visit more parts of Indonesia.

What do you wish travellers would do when they visit Jakarta and Java?

I wish, they would take their time to visit interesting places of Jakarta and Java.

If a visitor had time to do or see only one thing in Jakarta, what should it be?

I would like to suggest the “Miniature Park of Beautiful Indonesia” (Taman Mini Indonesia Indah) where visitors can browse Indonesian culture in a one-stop-visit, since each province of Indonesia has its own pavillion there. Also, there is a miniature replica of Indonesian islands from Sumatera island in the west to Papua in the east.

If a visitor would look to see or buy Indonesian handicrafts, I would like to suggest a visit to the Pasaraya Department Store in Blok M (floor 3 and 4, if I am not mistaken). They sell good quality Indonesian handicrafts of all kinds.

If a visitor had time for only one meal in Jakarta, which dish would you recommend?

Each region of Indonesia has its own specialty dish and lucky us in Jakarta we can find almost any kind of food, we would like to eat.

Now, it depends on the visitor’s choice, if you like a hot and spicy dish there’s Padang food or Manado food, for a sweet tasty dish there’s nasi gudeg from Yogya, Sundanese food, East Javan food or gado-gado (cooked local vegetables mixed with peanut sauces) from Jakarta.

Do you have any other insider tips for visitors to Jakarta and Java?

- While in Jakarta, use only taxi from reputable companies such as the “Blue Bird” group (”Blue Bird”, “Pusaka … this” or “Pusaka … that”) or “Express Taxi”.

- Being in the tropical zone, most Indonesian places are hot, 24-32 °C or 75-89 °F. However, cities like Bandung or Bukittinggi are colder at 18-20 °C or 64-68 °F.

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