I’ve only stayed here for 4 days, and I won’t fool myself (or you, my fellow traveler) into believing that I know the city, even just a little bit. But from my extensive research and 30+ GoJek rides, I’ve managed to stumble upon some pretty cool places.
If you’re looking for your basic “Top 10 Sites to See in Jakarta” guide, I suggest you look elsewhere–my driver from the airport told me that JKT is known for shopping–so that’s exactly what I did.
Interspersed with good eats, of course.
Jet-lagged, I slept until 6 AM Jakarta time. Rolled around for an hour, trying to sleep longer, but to no avail. I had breakfast at 0700, and while consuming more or less than 2 chocolate croissants, nasi goreng, and fresh kiwi juice, I researched where to go. So let’s just pretend you woke up at 0900.
0900 Breakfast at ArtOtel. Cool boutique hotel that I’m staying at. I’d give it a 4.5/5 for budget travel, and it was about $40/night. It has an interesting theme of different art on every floor, but the art in my room was honestly a little bit unsettling (won’t name any names/floor numbers here). There was also a mosquito in my room that bit me 4 times, and when I decided to sleep with the covers all the way up to my chin, it bit me on my forehead in the night. Anyway, breakfast was delicious - had a nice spread of Indonesian breakfast food and made-to-order eggs, as well as some delicious chocolate croissants and fresh cappuccinos.
If you’re not staying at ArtOtel, I recommend Convivium Bakery & Cafe in Panglima Polim for breakfast. They have a cute sign as well as menu on their door, so you can decide whether you want to eat there before you even step in! [image @conviviumdeli]. I actually happened to step in around lunchtime, so I had a pizza, but their breakfast menu looked amazing.
If you're just looking for coffee and a croissant, Jakarta has a THRIVING cafe culture, so most coffee places in Kemang would do just as well.
1000 Most shops open around 10 or 11 AM, so don’t bother starting off on your day before 10. Maybe you could stop by some tourist attractions like Jakarta History Museum in Fatahillah Square (looked beautiful).
Now here’s where I did some excellent planning for you. Jakarta is not a pedestrian city. People tell you that and you ignore it because you see sidewalks and because Google Maps says walking distance is 10 min. But you’ll be the only one walking on the street amidst a 9 scooter-wide traffic jam in 95ºF weather. However, if you’re a tourist who’s looking to uncover interesting places and diverse shops, it’s oftentimes more practical to walk. So I split the difference. I tried to group shops into areas where the walking time was <10 minutes, and the rest of the time I would take a GoJek or GrabBike. Feel free to take more scooter rides if you are prone to sweat, laziness, or self-consciousness. A short 1 mile ride should only be about 10.000 IDR ($0.75).
Two more tips before I begin, I highly recommend:
Getting a SIM card with data to call the scooter rides (and downloading the GrabCar or GoJek app)
Downloading Jakarta as an offline map on Google Maps just in case you don’t have data. Then you can save the places you want to visit on Google Maps, so you can easily see where they are. As you can see, I saved a lot in South Jakarta. Since I was staying in Central Jakarta, I decided to take a car for the 30 minute ride to Kemang.
1030 Ak.sa.ra: carefully curated books, music, gifts, homewares shop. I swear, every other book they had was on my must-read list! If you walk into the back courtyard, there’s some other cool unexpected things like a microcinema called Kinosaurus, a cafe, and a skatepark where JKT’s coolest kids can show off their moves.
1100 If you don’t decide to watch a movie, you can walk to ARA, a well-known multi-label concept store that showcases up and coming Indonesian labels. The store is beautiful, and well-priced. Bought some nice airy pants here. Explore some of the other shops within Colony like Tulisan, and when you’re back on the ground floor, Libertine is a nice place to have coffee.
1145 Take a moto ride further south to dia.lo.gue, an amazing art space, cafe, and gift shop. If you haven’t noticed already, most of these cool shops tend to be combined with other cool things like coffee. Take a pic on the stairs, and definitely take the time to peruse the gift shop. The clothes and books are quite unique. If you’re craving the most exquisite desserts and chocolate you could ever have in your life, stop off at The Papilion for an expensive snack. Or just take a look at the modern glass facade that somehow fits right in with its location.
1215 Walk to Footurama, located in the COMO park building. It’s hard to find, and I’m very tempted to let you work out how to find it yourself. I think I will let you actually. It’s a small store, with vintage t-shirts so special, they’re covered by individual plastic garment bags.
By now, you must be worn out, and in need of a nap or a pick me up. Opt for the latter and stop by the coffee shop or pizza place on the ground floor (where you probably asked for directions earlier).
1300 Make your way back to air conditioning and take a Go-Jek to the Grand Indonesia mall. Word of warning - this place is HUGE. It’s incredibly easy to get lost within this shopping mall within shopping mall set up. The map directories within are interactive and beautiful, and don’t help you find your way any easier. I walked around the empty, lit-up halls, filled with Dior, Louis Vuitton, Valentino and got a little spooked. Past the designer shops are cuter boutiques, with local designs, and one of my favorites was Art & Science.
1430 Stay and eat or somehow make your way outside into daylight. Find a local warung or Padang restaurant. I ate at a place called Garuda Padang near ArtOtel. I just asked the concierge where I could find some good Indonesian food and she directed me here. I sat down by myself and observed all the local families and couples eating lunch. Feeling a little lonesome I thought to myself I’d just get some noodles and leave. The waiter then asked if I wanted a drink, I said orange juice, no ice. Then he brought me 4 plates - vegetables, fried wonton looking things, beef, and curry. Actually he did not bring me 4 plates, he placed 4 plates at the edge of the opposite side of the table from me. I observed them. Next, he brought me my orange juice with lots of ice cubes. I said “sorry, no ice” again and proceeded to observe the chef shake his head and take the ice cubes out with a spoon before returning with the ice-free(?) drink. The waiter then came back with some pink jello-looking substance in a chalice. I sat gingerly sipping on my orange juice, fully regretting my decision to sit down. Then came 6 more plates. And then 6 more after that. I called another waiter over. Please, I said, I cannot eat all of this! Finally, they explained the concept of a ‘Padang Restaurant’: the waiters pile up 20+ platters and you take whichever plates you want, and only pay for them. Sort of like a buffet where you don’t have to stand up. Probably better for the non-solo traveler though.
1530 At this point, I have to be honest. Overwhelmed by this new food experience, I headed back to ArtOtel for a long nap until dinner.
1900 Woke up for a nice room service pasta and then headed to the roof of the hotel for a drink set to live music, kind bartenders, and city lights.
Jakarta is a busy, overwhelming, and crowded city. But aren't they all?! If you take the time and look between the old concrete buildings and shiny air-conditioned malls, you’ll find a burgeoning cafe culture, cool in its underground-ness and supported by stylish youth who know what’s coming before its even ‘upcoming’.