خپور شوی: 01.07.2016
We stayed in Jakarta only briefly and rented a nice apartment on the outskirts of the city. The accommodation itself is great, but as soon as you step outside, you are greeted by incredible noise. The journey to the city center is very difficult. Most of the time you are stuck in traffic and it is almost faster to walk than to take a taxi or TucTuc. The traffic here is really a disaster! Everyone drives somehow and traffic lights or police officers are simply ignored. Nevertheless, we managed to visit some sights and take a few photos. We also took a trip to the harbor, which took us through slums and dirty areas. We strolled through some of the shopping malls that are lined up here and after doing some research on the internet, we treated ourselves to some local cuisine and a local beer in a brewery. :)
We also met some nice people from Java (including an Austrian who works at the embassy) with whom we chatted and exchanged impressions, opinions, and views.
During our few days in the neighboring district of Jakarta, we could always see the haze hovering over the city, which is caused by all the traffic chaos and waste incineration.
For us, the short time here was enough to get insights into the city. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to visit the more distant Yogyakarta with its temple complexes and volcanoes, but it would certainly have been a worthwhile option for this island. However, we are now looking forward to our next destination - Malaysia.