Welcome to Jakarta! If you're looking for nice landscapes and quiet surroundings, get out immediately. This city is big, crowded and noisy. This city is for those who like excitement: lots of daily activities to watch and traffic jams to endure.
A few simple suggestions:
- don't flaunt your wealth: jewelry and heavy photographic bags don't belong in the streets of Jakarta. Keep them for your travels in Bali and Borobudur. Travel light in Jakarta: it's hot, crowded and it wouldn't be nice to meet its worst citizens.
- in most places people are nice but you can get into trouble like in any other big city in the world. Get advice from your hotel staff about what to watch for.
- there are lots of "packaged" tourist areas such as the "Art Market" (Pasar Seni) in Taman Impian Jaya Ancol ("Dreamland") or the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Miniature Indonesia) but if you want the real stuff you'll have to spend months in Indonesia. You have more than 17,500 islands to see!
I'm not trying to discourage people from coming here. We do need the cash influx from tourism. I have travelled extensively in Indonesia and all I can say is if you want to see real beauty and wonderment, get out of Jakarta as quickly as you can.
If you just need cheap cold beer, Jakarta is pretty good at that!
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