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Jakarta Travel Guide - based on personal experience
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Decided to travel to Indonesia last December 2023 (Jakarta and Bali). Since most people usually go to Bali, let me share some tips and personal experiences during our stay in Jakarta. Medyo mahirap maghanap ng travel guides dito kasi nga it's not much of a famous travel destination compared to other cities in SEA.
- Airport: CGK has 3 terminals. T1 usually caters for domestic flights, then T2 and T3 are for international. If you're flying via CebPac (which we did) then you'll land in T2. On the other hand, T3 is the newer terminal and caters to more traditional (non-budget) airlines. Moving from one terminal to the other is quite easy dahil may Skytrain sila. I never got to ride it kasi we landed in Jakarta at around 12mn and closed na sya - I think hanggang 10pm lang yung Skytrain afaik? But anyway, if you need to transfer terminals then there's free shuttle bus every 30 mins and this is available 24/7. Do note though na medyo mahirap lang hanapin yung pick up points nito kasi the directional signs aren't that much clear. But for T3 makikita sya sa departure area which is upstairs. And, by the way once you land in the airport madaming mag ooffer ng taxi sayo - we'll get to this further in a bit.
- Local SIM: you can purchase one via Klook and I think most pick up kiosks are at T3. So if from T2 ka you need to transfer. If you can though, mas sulit bumili ng SIM sa local mall kasi you get better data package for a cheaper rate. The airport's WIFI is good enough naman even sa may pick up points so you can easily book a ride. We got a local SIM from Telkomsel for about 500php - has 33GB data na and good for 30 days.
- Money Exchange and Payment Options: Hindi na kami nagpapalit ng PHP to IDR actually. Kasi so far okay naman ang exchange rates ng BPI at UnionBank when you withdraw directly from the local ATM's. Cashless payment systems are pretty good in Jakarta (even sa convenience stores), and some establishments even don't accept cash payments anymore.
- Accommodation: Madaming affordable but decent options to stay in Jakarta. Of course, the more central the location is, the more expensive it becomes. We stayed in the Northern part so medyo challenge lang to visit other places. Imagine staying in SM North area then you want to go to Luneta ganon haha! But we got the hotel for around 2k/night so okay na din - and it's in one of the quieter areas. Also, mura ang transpo sa kanila anyway.
- Traffic and Ride Options: Let me preface this by telling you that Jakarta is also pretty congested like Manila. So you may find yourself sitting in traffic for hours if you don't plan ahead. However, you do have several options in Jakarta. For public transport, they have a pretty extensive BRT system (e.g., TransJakarta) which is pretty cheap. Meron din silang newly built MRT but for now it only caters some areas in Central and South Jakarta. They also have other rail systems like our PNR. We never got to try all of them kasi lagi kaming naka taxi or Grab haha! To be fair, mura ang gas sa Indonesia so the fare is also quite cheaper compared sa Pinas. So for ridesharing apps, you can choose from either Grab or GoJek. For taxi, the most trusted company is Bluebird - we rode with them a lot more than the other two kasi medyo mas mura sya and madaming promo codes. As mentioned above, sa airport pa lang madami na mag ooffer ng taxi rides. But be careful kasi madami ding manlalamang sa yo pag minalas ka - just like how it is sa mga taxi drivers natin dito sa Manila. Although as mentioned, we had a great experience using Bluebird taxi. They have an app, then dun sa app you have an option to either pay by the meter or fixed rate (just like Grab). Tantsahin nyo na lang which one has a better deal. Kasi minsan, mas okay mag fixed rate lalo if traffic. Another thing to note is usually may entry fare sa mga malls and other establishments if you're coming in via car or motorcycle. I think around 20-40 pesos per entry?
- Places to Visit: You can easily split your daily itinerary and work around Jakarta traffic by focusing on one area per day. Basically, you have North, South, East, West, and Central Jakarta - and all of them have different places to offer. In terms of malls, madami din sa Jakarta - I think as much as what we have in Manila, if not more! But Grand Indonesia Mall is a good one to visit. Anyway, some of the places we've visited are Batavia/Jakarta Old Town (North), Cafe Batavia (North), Museum Bank Indonesia (North), Galeri Nasional (Central), and National Monument (Central). Also, wala kang masyadong makikitang foreign tourists sa Jakarta - mostly locals. As Pinoys, we can easily blend in kasi kahawig natin sila.
- People: Per my experience, mababait naman most Indonesians. Very much like here din sa atin. They will try to help you when you can if you ask questions. Yun nga lang, syempre ingat ingat din sa i approach mo na tao. Like, for example sa airport we asked someone whom we thought was an airport security for directions. Yun pala taxi driver - so ending binentahan kami into getting a ride with him haha! Oh, by the way medyo challenge lang din ang language barrier - most locals there have very limited English language skills, if not none. So a translator app may become handy if needed. Since kahawig nga natin sila, they would assume you are a local so they will start talking to you in Bahasa Indonesia. Usually naman nagegets nila when I speak to them in English.
- Pasalubong / souvenir: Medyo mahirap maghanap nito sa Jakarta. For one, most of the products we have in PH are made in Indonesia. Secondly, dahil nga walang masyadong foreign tourists mahirap maghanap ng mabibilhan ng souvenir like ref magnet. Speaking of, sa may Thamrin mall ako nakahanap nito pero it took me an hour kasi hindi sya masyadong kita. If you like to bring home batik clothing (especially polo), then madami kang mabibilhan. Souvenir shirts can be bought just outside National Monument. Food items, madami naman sa grocery pero syempre pili lang kayo ng sa tingin nyo wala sa Pinas - like Indomie flavours na hindi available dito sa atin, and also Beng Beng with almonds! And meron pala silang iba ibang klase ng Tolak Angin if that's your thing haha!
- Food Options: madami din na street food sa kanila, kaso missed opportunity for me kasi nahihiya ako umorder because of language barrier. Although if you like beef rendang then the one in Cafe Batavia is a must try! Also, durian balls in A&W is good.
That's all I can think about. Hopefully this helps other people in this sub who may be considering travelling there as well! :)
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