November/December and March/April. It’s during these months that Jakarta is hit by its legendary floods, which can ruin the nicest of shoes, so keep those rubber boots at hand. The rain, while it can be inconvenient, is essential for scrubbing the city clean and cooling the air down. When the dry season finally comes, it can feel brutally hot if you are out under the direct sun and the locals, especially the middle to upper class, will avoid being out if it could darken their skin. A general lack of breeze doesn’t help much, and tends to drive people indoors to the comforting coolness of air-conditioning.
THE RIGHT TIMING By far the best time of day to be out is in the early morning. If you can manage it, you should get up around the time the mosques start their morning call, the first of five daily prayers, at around 4.30 am. This is not only the coolest time of day, but also the quietest and cleanest. Late evening is nice as well once the traffic has abated and the clubs and restaurants start filling up. Many entertainment venues don’t wrap things up until the wee hours of the morning, so you never have to search for a reason to stay up late.
Almost all activities in this book are best done early in the morning—from 5am to 8am. The later in the day you go, the more likely places will fill up with garbage, noise and pollution.
MONEY MATTERS Credit cards are useful at most shops in malls and modern stores, but don’t bother using anything electronic on the street as it’s a cash-and-carry deal only. Carrying around a wad of Rp100,000 is useful at Plaza Indonesia, but having a pocket full of Rp2,000, Rp,5,000 and Rp10,000 notes is crucial on a walking tour, as many vendors, warungs, taxis, ojeks and bicycle coffee guys don’t carry much change and certainly don’t want to break a big bill.
Prepare to bargain as needed for certain things, but always keep it lighthearted and try not to assume you are always being ripped off.
RELIGION RUNDOWN The government officially recognizes six religions: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism, and woe to the poor fool who declares publicly that he or she is an Atheist. Houses of worship for all religions are found throughout the city and generally there are no issues between different religions worshiping in close contact. Of course, not all is hunky-dory: for example, there are ongoing clashes in Bekasi between a Christian congregation and the Muslims who don’t want them worshipping in the area. Islam is the number one religion in Jakarta, with a mosque located on nearly every street corner, though many are no larger than a shed. People looking for an English language church service can check the local papers for listings.
The times you will most notice Islam at work in Jakarta are during Ramadhan, when Muslims fast throughout the day; Lebaran, the holiday after Ramadhan when everyone travels to the villages to be with family; Idul Adha, the Day of Sacrifice, when animals are slaughtered all over the city to celebrate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son; and every Friday around noon, when all the faithful head to the mosque for prayers.
HAPPENING HOLIDAYS Red days, as national holidays are called, are numerous in Indonesia and help keep everyone happy. If a holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, the city usually becomes a fairly civil place as people head for Puncak, Bogor, Bandung, Pelabuhan Ratu, Anyer, Carita, the Thousand Islands or Sukabumi to have some family fun. These three-day weekends often mean traffic is light, streets are fairly quiet and, if you want to explore the city, now is the chance to do it in peace. Note: People who stay in town often flock to Ancol, Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Monas and Ragunan Zoo on these days, so it’s best to avoid the destinations locals love.
Here is a list of some of the big holiday days:
• International New Year
• Chinese New Year
• The Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday
• Hindu New Year
• Good Friday
• Ascension Day
• Buddha’s Birthday
• Ascension of the Prophet
• August 17th Independence Day
• Lebaran/Idul Fitri after Ramadhan
• Idul Adha Sacrifice Day
• Islamic New Year
• Christmas
THE WHO AND HOW MANY Jakarta is made up of every ethnicity within Indonesia, as well as people of nearly every country in the world. The largest groups are the Javanese from Central and East Java and the Sundanese from West Java. While the Chinese do not make up a majority of the population, their influence on both the past and present is incalculable. Two terms you may often come across are betawi and pribumi. A betawi person is one whose ancestors were originally from Jakarta and their mascot is the ondel-ondel, large, brightly colored, doll-like statues or costumes with masks and giant spiky hair. A pribumi is an original inhabitant of Indonesia.
More than 9.5 million people live in Jakarta, though counting the local population is like trying to count a million meandering minnows in a pond. During the day, the city swells with a mass of commuters who inflate Jakarta to its bursting point, then flood out in the evening, causing legendary traffic jams. Jabodetabek includes more than 26 million people.
The number of expatriates (expats) in Jakarta, however, is a tough number to report, partly because many may not want to be counted due to their less than legal status in the country. The total could be said to be roughly 30,000, give or take 10,000.
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT While it seems impossible to get an authentic New York cheesecake in Jakarta, you can get nearly everything else. Of course, you should spend a good amount of time tucking into the local dishes. There are some great, upscale Indonesian eateries that serve some true delights, but often the best food will be dished up from warungs or kaki limas (rolling food carts). The standard rule (up to a point) is that the cheaper it is, the tastier.
You may not think that eating food from a roadside stall would be that pleasurable, but many locals will tell you that the true secret ingredient to a good plate of nasi goreng is the exhaust off the street. This is why a similar dish found abroad doesn’t taste nearly as good. Do note that while eating street food is encouraged, it shouldn’t be done with reckless abandon. Try to eat somewhere busy, somewhere relatively fly free and somewhere with its own running water. If something smells or tastes funky, trust your instinct and don’t eat it.
Try to glimpse how and where the dishes are bring washed. If the person who is cutting up the meat is also the one handling the money as well as sweeping up, perhaps it’s time to push on. Ultimately, try to find a place with a good, long-running reputation and think about either ordering it to go or bringing your own bowl and cutlery.
SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT Although English is becoming more widely used, and a surprising number of Indonesians can use it functionally, visitors to and residents of Jakarta are highly encouraged to learn the local language, Bahasa Indonesia. It’s by far one of the easiest languages to learn, particularly since most Westerners can read it without having to learn a new alphabet. The grammar is simple, the words are generally short, and it’s free of the challenging tonal inflections heard in languages like Chinese and Japanese.
For the true Jakarta explorer, the most important word to learn is Ayo! (Let’s go!). See the back of the book for a list of helpful starter phrases which should be employed immediately.
One of thousands of roadside stalls in Jakarta.
Jakarta Food Guide
While out and about, look out for and try the following common dishes and snacks.