Friday, January 25, 2008

My First Jakarta Experience

Well, it's not much of an "experience" anyway, since I popped in and out within 2 days, and I barely got a look at city.

So, unlike my previous blog entries, which many of you complained is too long winded, here is it in good old point form:

  • Ibis Tamarind is quite a bad hotel, the most is 3 stars to me,
  • There is this crazy food court in some high class shopping mall, ala Siam Paragon or Pavilion. It was like Jayoga setting, with food court prices! It has faux waterfall at the entrance, and the variety/quality of food was amazing,
  • I like the local food, or at least the ones I have at the food court. I don't think the food is as hot as some claimed,
  • Gado-Gado rocks! I love peanut sauce, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gado_gado)
  • Driving around in JKT is mad. I told myself that I would have died many times over if I tried driving there. Honks are more useful than signal lights, and weaving in and out is a standard practice, even but large lorries and buses,
  • Many people at roadside "helping" you with parking and costs around Rp5000-10000,
  • Got Absolut Vodka 1L at JKT airport for USD14!
  • Liquid item is strictly disallowed in cabin, must check in or discard. Apply to all airports now,
  • Sport shoes are suppose to be very very cheap (Nike 50% less for latest model?), but my schedule did not allow for any shopping,
  • My customer was super duper nice people! Brought me out for dinner (more like hijacking me, suppose to send me back to hotel only), and would not let me pay,
  • Had one piece of J.Co donut, thanks to Rudy,
  • Had fried fish at that dinner (yum!),
  • Weather was baking hot,
  • My Bahasa Melayu is almost useless there,
  • You see the Polisi everywhere, at shopping malls, middle on the highway (no kidding, like a small post).

So there you have it folks, looking forward to Medan trip...!

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