rel="nofollow" href="#u9a5ff0b9-3fd3-51de-8fa2-6c50e3d376eb">Acknowledgments, Additional Sources of Information
Welcome to Jakarta!
Raised in the Wild Wild West of America with cowboys as my heroes and bank robbers as my enemies, I spent my childhood climbing mountains, building forts and fashioning rafts to float the North Platte River. Channeling this adventurous spirit, I became a leader in the Outdoor Club at university before joining the Peace Corps and spending two years in a small, mountainous village in the Republic of Georgia. Hiking for hours through the scrubby green hillsides, chatting up leathery old shepherds and reveling in solitude, clean air and the tranquility of body and mind were everyday occurrences.
Then I moved to Jakarta.
My first thoughts as I moved into the massive apartment block of Taman Rasuna in Kuningan, which has a population four times my hometown, was that I had died and gone to hell. The buildings were too big, the people too many, the automobiles too dirty and the city too hot. But soon my instincts took over and I began to adapt.
My first action was to buy a map and a bicycle. With these tools I covered massive swaths of the city, venturing into slums, joining street protests, squeezing through markets and following the canals until exhausted. I began to not only tolerate the city, but to fall in love with it. As the years went by and I continued to have incredible adventures, I knew that I was experiencing a Jakarta that most people are not exposed to. I heard a lot of complaints that there was nothing to do in Jakarta except go to the mall, and I knew this wasn’t true.
And so it was that, four years ago, I began to scribble down notes on where I was going, what I was doing and who I was meeting so that I could help lift the lid on the steaming pot of mystery that is Jakarta, and in so doing let many others get a taste of the experiences they may have been missing out on.
I hope that as you read this guidebook you feel inspired to get out and explore, to open mysterious doors, to eat curious foods, to talk to intriguing people and to do things you never thought you’d do while living here. Now go and have yourself an adventure.
GENERAL INTRODUCTION
This book contains 25 guided tours, most of them geared towards walking. Twenty of the tours explore areas in north, central and south Jakarta while five others explore attractions an hour’s driving distance or more from the city. Each tour contains information on how to reach the start point, the length of the walk, who the walk is suitable for, and facts on the points of interest along the way, as well as cultural notes and recommendations on where to eat and drink.
Different tours have different functions: some delve into the city’s history, others focus on family activities; there are walks which link parks together for a green kick, while others amble through village neighborhoods and markets. There’s not always an end destination; instead, the walk itself is the purpose.
Many of Jakarta’s residents, both local and expatriate, have yet to ride a public bus, rarely get beyond the malls on weekends and have never walked anywhere in the city for pleasure. This is not necessarily for lack of want, but rather due to a dearth of helpful information compounded by plenty of misinformation and a fear of getting lost in the city’s maze of chaos. What you now have in your hands, though, is a key to seeing more of the city than shops, and a guide to parts of the labyrinth of streets which make up Jakarta.
The purpose of the walking tours is to introduce you to weird, wild and wonderful places—places in Jakarta you may not have known existed. This will require you to call upon your inner adventurer, cast aside preconceived notions about the city and its people, and ignore the paranoid warnings from your company, your embassy and your friends. So strap on your adventure shoes and pack your adventure bag; it’s time to take some incredible photos, experience things that will spice up your emails home and live a life more fulfilling. Very little in Jakarta is what it seems to be. It may take some time to discover this, but like the delicious es campur (mixed ice), there is always another layer to be discovered if you dig a little deeper.
First and foremost, though, it’s time to shelve the fear of the unknown. Jakarta is no more dangerous than any other capital city in the world. To make matters even better, the local people are helpful, courteous and approachable. Rather than run from them, greet them. Rather than shy from what may be around the corner, take a peek.
This is not to sugarcoat the city however. The air quality can be poor, the sidewalks rough or non-existent, the environment hot and humid, the traffic frustrating and the lack of amenities inconvenient. Going on walks in Jakarta requires you to leave home with the resolution not to be critical, to have a stalwart mind and a sense of humor. You will need patience, resilience and water. Your comfort zone will be stretched, your sense of direction twisted and your determination challenged. But along the way you are likely to meet friendly people, discover a unique shop, stumble upon a cute park, step inside a tasty café or come across an artistic mural. You may never get to where you intended, but instead end up exactly where you want to be.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE BOOK
This book is divided into five main sections. The first section gives some tips for successful expeditions into the tangled lanes of the city. Being streetwise, knowing what time of day to travel to certain areas, knowing which mode of transport is the quickest for particular routes and knowing how to give and respond to greetings are the street-savvy elements which will make everyone’s experience of their visit much more enjoyable. This first section also covers health and safety basics, cultural do’s and don’ts and an introduction to the city’s transport options.
The second section delves into seaside north Jakarta, the city’s black pearl, so-named because, although to some it is the gem of the city, it is by no means the sort of thing you would give as a wedding present. There are five walking tours exploring quarters of north Jakarta. Three have a historical and cultural flavor, strolling through the city’s old town, harbor and Chinatown. The Muara Angke tour takes in the disparity between rich and poor, passing through neighborhoods in which mansions and slums share the same zip code, before arriving at a mangrove forest and fishing village. And the fifth, the Ancol tour, is a blast of seaside fun with roller coasters, a water park and an art market.
The third section moves to central Jakarta, with eight tours exploring both the main streets and the seldom-visited back streets. The Monas tour is steeped in history. The Menteng tour guides walkers through a sequence of parks to enjoy the leafy side of life. A day at the city’s central sports grounds is the focus of the Senayan tour. The Markets tour brings together a trio of unique places to shop, while the Cikini tour looks at the arts. Explore the quaint lanes of the Bendungan Hilir neighborhood or make your own batik at the Textile Museum during the Tanah Abang tour. The Downtown tour provides a contrast between the upscale malls and the small neighborhoods located just blocks away.
The fourth section journeys to south Jakarta, a huge area of the city which the government defines as encompassing both Kuningan, in the central business district, and the University of Indonesia, which can be over an hour’s drive away. Seven tours tread through this part of town.
Some of the city’s larger, family-friendly attractions are located in the south: Ragunan Zoo, the cultural and educational park Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, and the fruit orchards of Mekarsari. The Pondok Indah and Kemang tours amble through green residential neighborhoods. The Kuningan tour visits some eye-catching cemeteries, and the Blok M tour satisfies both shoppers and park fiends, while passing an animal market as well.
The fifth section explores some of the attractions within five hours driving distance of the city. The farther you get from the smog and noise, the greener and more relaxing the environment becomes. These drives may mean renting a car and leaving before the call to prayer has finished rattling the bedroom windows, but it’s worth the effort to breathe the sea and country air.
Sun