Getting Over Apprehensions: First Trip to Jakarta
When my husband goes on out-of-town trips, I tend to tag along. (I pay for my own expenses, of course.) So in February, when he said, "Hey, I have another conference and I'm thinking of extending my stay. Wanna join?" I said, "Sure. Where to?" He replied, "Jakarta."
I exclaimed, "You want to extend your stay THERE?! WHY???"
In all honesty and with no disrespect, I've never heard good things about Jakarta. When people think of Indonesia, they think of Bali beaches. Or Yogyakarta's ancient structures. But when the capital is mentioned in the news, it's accompanied by reports of unrest, rallying, fighting, things getting bombed, and traffic. LOTS AND LOTS OF TRAFFIC.
I really didn't want to go to Jakarta.
But that month, I found myself inside the Soekarno-Hatta airport musing for the thousandth time about how pathetic any of the NAIA terminals compare to those of other countries.
Ok. So it's not so bad. It helps, though, if you've researched or read about the place beforehand. (But this is just typical sound travel advice.) What we found out?
Jakarta is a lot like Manila, except it has a significant Muslim population. Where we have churches dotting every town and city, they have mosques. Their department stores have entire floors dedicated to fashionable Islamic garments. And every public area has worship rooms reserved for prayer.
But, like Manila, Jakarta suffers from lack of urban planning. Their EDSA-like roads are lined with a mishmash of office buildings, opulent houses, and malls. You go through one street and it feels like you've been transported through Dasmarinas Village, only to turn in the next and find out you're actually in Binondo. They have a lot of damaged roads that put our sidestreets to shame, and, well, I guess I don't need to mention their traffic, which, apparently doesn't have a time limit--It's traffic all day, everyday! (It's so bad that it made me grateful EDSA traffic runs on a rush hour schedule. And people who know me know that I am _never_ grateful for EDSA-anything.)
To be fair, despite all this, our trip wasn't unenjoyable, and the fact that this was one country we've never been before made it exciting. Like any new place, we just had to keep an open mind, adjust, settle down, and do some exploring! Hubby and I did the touristy thing for a couple of days before he left me to my own devices the rest of the trip.
Money
First, the issue of cash. I'm assuming right now that it's due to inflation but the currency in Jakarta (the Rupiah) is quite high. In fact, if you use the currency converter on the left, you'll see that 1PHP is equivalent to about 200+Rp. It could be quite confusing seeing all the zeros on tags and signs. A nice tip I read on the Pinoyexchange forums though suggests to remove two zeros from the end of the number and dividing what's left by 2. For example, if something costs 100,000Rp, remove two zeros you have 1,000 which, divided by 2 gives you 500PHP. You can do this so you have a rough estimate of how much you're spending.
Second on the issue of cash, don't have your money exchanged at the airport. Or at least get just enough for the taxi ride into the city. You can buy local currency in forex counters in the big malls and tourist areas where the rates are better.
Transportation
There are a few ways to get around Jakarta but the most common one is the use of cabs. They're reasonably priced, although the flagdown rate escapes me at the moment. (I just remember that they're cheaper than our 40PHP flagdown and 3.50PHP/km cab fares.) This is good, because, like I mentioned, traffic is _horrible_ so I'm sure there would've been a riot if the taxis cost so much.
There are a fair number of cab companies but the most recommended, and trusted, would be the Blue Bird fleet of cabs, noticeable by their logo and signature blue color. (The Pusaka cabs are also associated with Blue Bird.) Also under this group are the more expensive Silver Bird and Golden Bird (limousine & car rental) brands. The cars are clean and the drivers are sure to take you where you want to go, at no additional cost. In short, walang kontratahan.
Money
First, the issue of cash. I'm assuming right now that it's due to inflation but the currency in Jakarta (the Rupiah) is quite high. In fact, if you use the currency converter on the left, you'll see that 1PHP is equivalent to about 200+Rp. It could be quite confusing seeing all the zeros on tags and signs. A nice tip I read on the Pinoyexchange forums though suggests to remove two zeros from the end of the number and dividing what's left by 2. For example, if something costs 100,000Rp, remove two zeros you have 1,000 which, divided by 2 gives you 500PHP. You can do this so you have a rough estimate of how much you're spending.
Second on the issue of cash, don't have your money exchanged at the airport. Or at least get just enough for the taxi ride into the city. You can buy local currency in forex counters in the big malls and tourist areas where the rates are better.
Transportation
There are a few ways to get around Jakarta but the most common one is the use of cabs. They're reasonably priced, although the flagdown rate escapes me at the moment. (I just remember that they're cheaper than our 40PHP flagdown and 3.50PHP/km cab fares.) This is good, because, like I mentioned, traffic is _horrible_ so I'm sure there would've been a riot if the taxis cost so much.
There are a fair number of cab companies but the most recommended, and trusted, would be the Blue Bird fleet of cabs, noticeable by their logo and signature blue color. (The Pusaka cabs are also associated with Blue Bird.) Also under this group are the more expensive Silver Bird and Golden Bird (limousine & car rental) brands. The cars are clean and the drivers are sure to take you where you want to go, at no additional cost. In short, walang kontratahan.
On the first two/three days when hubby and I took these cabs, I also took stock of other transpo options. When left to wander by myself at the end of our trip, I decided that I would use the other main mode of transit the city had to offer: the Busway.
The Busway is actually quite unique. It's not a bus. It's not a train. It's like a combination of both where these bus-like cars are attached to each other much like train cars, except it runs on wheels and there are no tracks, but they stop on stations much like trains. There's a dedicated lane just for them, too. When I think about how congested Jakarta is, I wonder why people don't use the Busway more often?
Coincidentally, this question was answered by their local paper one morning. Apparently, the Busway was devised by their government as one solution to their traffic problem by enticing car owners to take public transport more often. Unfortunately, it runs on the same roads taken by cars; they're only separated from the other lanes by small concrete bumps which would deter smaller vehicles but not those with huge wheels. Basically, during rush hour, desperate drivers stuck in traffic--even those with regular-sized cars who don't care about their suspension--would drive over those bumps and use the exclusive Busway lanes. This caused the Busway carriages to be stuck in traffic, making their passengers perennially late, and consequently, disillusioned about the whole idea that they went back to taking their own vehicles to work.
Fortunately, I was a tourist who was open for a little adventure. To me, the idea was very novel, and our hotel was a short five-minute walk from a terminal, so I decided to try it out. The stations look like metal raised platforms located in the middle islands so you have to go through an overpass to get to them, where you pay for a ticket. Back then, the fare was 3500Rp (about 17PHP). Then you wait for the buses to arrive. Depending on the time, there could be buses arriving every ten to fifteen minutes or buses arriving one after another. The front passenger areas, like in our MRT, are reserved for the ladies.
The other nifty thing about the Busway is its accessibility to the tourist areas in the city! I was able to go north to Fatahillah Square and south to the big Pasaraya Department Store. They also have stops at Monas (their National Monument), the huge malls Plaza & Grand Indonesia, and the shopping hotspot Mangga Dua. It's a convenient alternative to getting caught in this:
... especially if you left Manila hoping to escape it. But, as with all things, always keep your wits about you, don't be too flashy, and if you don't want to get stuck in traffic, try channeling Cinderella like I did--I made sure I was on my way back to the hotel or near it by 4pm at the latest. (Unless you don't mind waiting out the rush hour in wherever place you find yourself in. That works, too!)
Wow, this was a long introductory post! Photos and tales from the tourist spots in my next one!
Coincidentally, this question was answered by their local paper one morning. Apparently, the Busway was devised by their government as one solution to their traffic problem by enticing car owners to take public transport more often. Unfortunately, it runs on the same roads taken by cars; they're only separated from the other lanes by small concrete bumps which would deter smaller vehicles but not those with huge wheels. Basically, during rush hour, desperate drivers stuck in traffic--even those with regular-sized cars who don't care about their suspension--would drive over those bumps and use the exclusive Busway lanes. This caused the Busway carriages to be stuck in traffic, making their passengers perennially late, and consequently, disillusioned about the whole idea that they went back to taking their own vehicles to work.
 |
| Inside and outside the Busway. |
Fortunately, I was a tourist who was open for a little adventure. To me, the idea was very novel, and our hotel was a short five-minute walk from a terminal, so I decided to try it out. The stations look like metal raised platforms located in the middle islands so you have to go through an overpass to get to them, where you pay for a ticket. Back then, the fare was 3500Rp (about 17PHP). Then you wait for the buses to arrive. Depending on the time, there could be buses arriving every ten to fifteen minutes or buses arriving one after another. The front passenger areas, like in our MRT, are reserved for the ladies.
 |
| The extensive Transjakarta Route Map |
The other nifty thing about the Busway is its accessibility to the tourist areas in the city! I was able to go north to Fatahillah Square and south to the big Pasaraya Department Store. They also have stops at Monas (their National Monument), the huge malls Plaza & Grand Indonesia, and the shopping hotspot Mangga Dua. It's a convenient alternative to getting caught in this:
 |
| This was in the middle of a weekday. |
... especially if you left Manila hoping to escape it. But, as with all things, always keep your wits about you, don't be too flashy, and if you don't want to get stuck in traffic, try channeling Cinderella like I did--I made sure I was on my way back to the hotel or near it by 4pm at the latest. (Unless you don't mind waiting out the rush hour in wherever place you find yourself in. That works, too!)
Wow, this was a long introductory post! Photos and tales from the tourist spots in my next one!
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