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.
Jakarta Snapshot
While most people claim to live in Jakarta, in reality they live in Jabodetabek, which sounds more like a mythical beast than a place to live. This is a combination of names for all the municipalities that have slowly been swallowed up by the Jakarta beast. The name comes from Ja (Jakarta), Bo (Bogor), De (Depok), Ta (Tangerang) and Bek (Bekasi).
From north to south, the city of Jakarta stretches more than 25km and covers more than 740 sq km. The Jabodetabek area covers 2,720 sq km. Of the 100 largest cities in the world, Jakarta comes in number 24 according to the United Nations and it also has one of the highest growth rates, regardless of government attempts to stem the incoming tide of workers from the countryside. People continue to have fairly large families as well, as every child is considered to be a gift from God according to Islam, adding to the population increase.
Jakarta sits on an alluvial plain, which means it was formed by the build-up of sediment that washed down in rivers from the surrounding highland areas. Regular, natural flooding helped to increase the plain’s size, although the flooding nowadays seems more intent on washing Jakarta out to sea. The entire city is quite flat, with the highest areas in southern Jakarta still only about 50m above sea level. There are 13 rivers that wind their way through the city,
