not be able to read maps. The longer someone hesitates before pointing somewhere, the more likely they don’t know, so watch out for that look of uncertainty.
Directions to places in the book are, at times, not given with a high degree of detail. This is done on purpose. If you are anywhere near where you are supposed to be, just ask people around you and they’ll point the way. It’s better than having your nose buried in a map and getting frustrated because the book’s description doesn’t match what you are seeing. Another reason is that things change very rapidly in this city and a landmark/building/market that was there yesterday may not be there today.
A NOTE ON PEOPLE The walking tours in this book are nice, no doubt. You will enjoy going to new places, discovering novel things, and you’ll come home loaded with tales of adventure. But the locations themselves are only half the story. It’s the people who make up the rest.
It’s imperative that you stop and talk. Take the Senayan walk, for example. Ultimately, it is a walk around a giant sports complex. This doesn’t sound so interesting, but if you are there on a Sunday morning, and you stop and take the time to talk to some of the athletes, the families, the drink sellers, the skaters—whoever it may be—your day will be radically different than if you had not.
If you feel shy, just sit down and hang out and undoubtedly someone will approach you and start chatting. Don’t scowl at them, but smile and see what they’ve got to say. It doesn’t matter if your Indonesian is not great, or even non-existent. You can either take this opportunity to practice the few words you know, you can seek out the English speaker in the group, or you can discover the beauty of hand gestures. Remember that Indonesians are not only incredibly kind, they are also incredibly patient. If you say three words in Indonesian, they will exclaim that you are fluent. Try saying three words in French to a Parisian some day and see what they have to say!
If you plan on snapping photos of people selling things, a good way to get them to open up and be responsive is to start by buying one of their goods. Imagine if you were a guy who sold drinks out of bamboo tubes and a tourist took a hundred photos with you and then walked off without buying the Rp3,000 drink! It hardly seems fair. Sellers will greatly appreciate the courtesy.
There may be times when you’ll need to pay an unofficial fee to gain access to a site, enter a building, go beyond a certain point, take pictures or compensate for taking up quite a bit of someone’s time. Usually this is a minimal amount of money, between Rp1,000 and Rp10,000, and the person asking for money will refer to it as uang rokok (cigarette money) or uang kopi (coffee money). This is likely chump change to you so be nice, pay the fee and don’t get red in the face and stomp around. If you are trying to get something done, be proactive by offering to pay this uang rokok or uang kopi and alerting the person you are ready to go the extra mile to get it done. Often they won’t state an amount, suggesting that ‘it’s up to you’. Pay what you think it’s worth and watch for their reaction to see if you have given enough.
A NOTE ON ACTIVITY INFORMATION
Change keeps things dynamic and constantly interesting. For that, we love it. When it comes to phone numbers, e-mail addresses and websites, though, it’s not great at all. From the time research began on this book until the time it was sent off to the publisher, more than half of the contact information collected was no longer valid.
CONTACT INFORMATION If an activity or business has a website, all extra information about opening hours, addresses or other relevant facts and figures will not be listed in this book since it should be available on the website. If you try the website and it’s no longer valid, it may just require some additional internet sleuthing to find the new website, a valid phone number or e-mail address. This isn’t the optimal situation, but it’s the reality. Many businesses, in fact, are ditching websites in favor of a Facebook page.
A large number of the websites listed will only be in Indonesian. Make sure you are using Google’s latest browser, which comes with a ‘translate’ button that will automatically translate the website into manageable English.
GETTING AROUND For getting to all the places listed in the book, it’s generally assumed that you will come by taxi, take your own car (and driver) or take the Busway. General driving directions are often given, but it is expected that you’ll make best use of a map. When it comes to parking, it’s nearly impossible to guarantee that the parking situation of today will look anything like that of tomorrow. Most taxis will know general locations, but if there is some confusion, show them the printed name of where you are going as they may not understand what you are saying.
PRICES In most cases, prices have not been listed. Most entrance tickets, parking and admission fees, etc. are Rp50,000 or less, with many only Rp5,000–Rp10,000. If something is quite expensive, it has been noted.
PHONE NUMBERS Phone numbers are generally of two types: mobile phones and land-lines. For all landlines in Jakarta, the numbers begin with 021. This is only needed if you are calling from a mobile phone or outside Jakarta. If you are calling from within Jakarta and from a landline, you don’t need 021.
OPERATING HOURS Most government-run museums, cultural centers, etc. are open from around 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Sunday. This may vary slightly from place to place. Note that often things will close during Friday prayers.
WEATHER OR NOT In a perfect world, every person in Jakarta would go around wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, a tank top and flipflops all day, every day, year round. With only two seasons, dry and wet, but a temperature that remains fairly constant, it’s not hard to choose what to wear each day. The only question is, umbrella or no umbrella? While the humidity may rise and fall depending on the month, the temperature only varies between 80 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit (27–32 degrees Celsius). Nights don’t cool down much, getting down to around 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius).
The rainy season is fairly hard to predict these days, but falls roughly between 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
