I opened the window of the living room after I returned from Jakarta and saw grey and white. I really should have participated in the voting of the condo’s new external wall color. But that is another story.
“Why do you visit Jakarta?” asked Cynthia. “I want to see you,” I answered almost immediately. “Do you want to do shopping? What do you want to buy? Some Polo shirts perhaps?” she cocked her head on one side and asked. “Nah, I just want to see you,” I replied.
Cynthia was surprised that I have agreed to visit her over the weekend in Jakarta because I have always prefered to stay in Singapore even when she is on business trip overseas. I have even shocked a good friend of mine and he thought that I have acted too impromptu and out of character. Occasional displacement of the routine is a good thing – somehow reinforced by one of the two books I have finished reading during my stay in Jakarta. Books by Paulo Coelho are my life stories. Look out for the book reviews coming your way.
Sari Pan Pacific is a nice hotel especially the suit we were staying. The unique batik bedcover, “Prada Cloth”, is completely handmade and decorated with gold thread for the nobles of Indonesia (1st two pictures from left). The room is full of decorations such as the “Kain Tapis”, yet another handmade item decorated with gold thread from Sumatra for the commemoration of the Royal traditions (last picture). The lounge area located on 18th floor where part of it reminded me of a small greenhouse is my favorite (3rd from left). Breakfast is served at the lounge and from 6pm to 8pm, there is free flow of drinks and food. I thought I came to Jakarta to detox. I ended up drinking lots of free beer.
Traffic in Jakarta is a wonder. Nowhere on Earth have I seen cars move with such a close proximity. But yet, drivers do know when to fill in the gaps and when to give way. The pedestrians flow across the traffic direction with motorcyclists zigzag in all directions. Yet, on the highway when the road is wet, cars maintain a safe distance from one another. Passengers get in and out of public buses while the vehicles are in motion. Bus lanes are created with raised kerb as a solution to a subway system as there is none in Jakarta. What a contrast to Singapore.
On our way to the hotel, in front of us was a Toyota. The made was “Alphard”. At first, it read “Alpha-Hard” to me and I turned to Cynthia and commented, “What a cool model name!”. Then I realized that it pronounced as “I’ll Fart” instead. Oh well. I took back my words. I’m sure that won’t sell in Singapore.
Ancol, a resort area that Cynthia and I both have not visited before (see pictures above). It is a waterfront resort and I suppose we have not visited all that Ancol has to offer. Especially the Sea World that is supposed to be larger than Singapore’s Underwater World. However, without a driver, we strolled along the waterfront instead. There is a little bridge that takes us out to a cafe in the middle of the sea. Kind of reminded us of the St. Kilda beach in Melbourne, Australia. Of course there is no comparison but still, the resemblance is there.
There are new malls in Jakarta and when I visited some, the similarity of the Singaporean brands – retail shops and restaurants – is just amazing. More so than 10 years ago. There was an art gallery display in one of the mall and I could not help but to admire some of the photographs taken in Indonesia (picture on the left).
I think the Indonesian food in Singapore is nowhere, I mean not even near, to what Indonesia offers. It is to do with the spices, the ingredients, the chickens that are bred in Indonesia, the skill, and everything else.
A short and enjoyable trip. Time for reflection and time to read. Even a moment away from the routine is worth the hassle.
waaaaa i’m homesick!! 😀
glad u like jakarta.. and yea.. the traffic.. i always say it’s a “perfect” traffic coz everything is just there…. literally.
guess there’s nothing much changing in jakarta.. can’t wait to see it again soon 😀
Oh Sylv, there is a new mall called Senayan City. A pretty nice mall. And later we found that most people were hidden in basement as there are lots of restaurants and shops that look like a mini-Singapore mall to me 🙂
And the food … the food !!
Budget airline flying there is pretty cheap. Just that if you are an Indonesian, the fiscal tax kind of sucks. Sorry.
how sweet~~ =)
From a female’s perspective, I think it’s good to get surprise visits 🙂 ….
What is Prada cloth? *curiosity awaits* …hahaha
A short getaway is usually enjoyable isn’t? Explore the other things outside Sg.
i know that mall. i visited it when i went back. but i guess it’s a bit too elite hehehe.. oh i’m free of fiscal since now i “permanently live” in Singapore.
to tigerfish > that prada comes from prodo, a javanese word that means “gold” =)
Lora – Time for you to visit Indonesia again? 🙂 Perhaps Bali …
Tigerfish – A short trip away from home and the usual routine distraction is good. I can’t believe I have finished reading two books just 4 days away from home! Oh, Sylv’s comment answers to your question.
Sylv – Hey, thanks for the clarification. I was wondering about what that word means as well, although I am sure it is derived from some Indonesia language.
hmm… trip to Bali sounds good… =)
Visiting friends or loved ones in another country usually far surpasses any other agenda, because what’s the use of shopping or going to spa alone? From the perspective of a guy having a shopping disease, it’d be nearly heaven if my female partner can fulfill this pursuit :). Then we could be stranded in a foreign land haha. Btw, I thought I saw an Alphard in SG, the weird squarish vehicle…Ah you mentioned about the art gallery, I can imagine how serene and fulfilling to wind down one’s life and let our inner tranquility and sensibility take over 😉
Lora – Ya, you should. And you may wish to stay at Hard Rock Bali as well 🙂
Ghim Seng – I love shopping too! Just that I wasn’t in the mood 🙂 I was more into reading and just spending time with Cynthia. Anyway, art gallery like you said, is a great way to wind down our stressful day-to-day life. I actually wanted to watch a symphony but Cynthia said that we were not dressed for it (actually she didn’t even know that Indonesia has a national orchestra!).
Haha..I guess they might have a national ballet or chinese orchestra? Btw I have some indonesian Chinese friends who practice Buddhism but read their religious text in Bahasa Indonesia. I think it’s really a strange fusion of cultures over there.
to ghim seng >
when it was Soeharto’s (our second president) regime, the Chinese culture was banned. Meaning, we cannot practice the cultural events (chinese new year was not even celebrated. Sigh) nor the language. Chinese-language schools were all closed down/converted into Indonesian-language schools.
The restrictions are now abolished. But I guess we’re just too used to it now.
I’m Indonesian Chinese, and my first language is Indonesian. Don’t ask me about my Mandarin >_
Sylv – Don’t ask me about Mandarin too but that is a whole lot different reason. I think how Suharto enforced Bahasa Indonesia across all races is not unlike how Singapore enforces Mandarin across all Chinese dialect groups. At times I think it would be so nice to have Cantonese radio or TV or movie in the original dialect.
It’s a nice getaway from bustling Singapore. I’ve not been to Jakarta for almost a year. I used to go every 2 months to meet my friends for food and shopping! hahaha….
My Indonesian friends and some Indonesians are so warm! They really go all out to make your stay a wonderful experience.
I miss the food. Ayam Goreng Suhati, Bak Mee Gaja Mada, Hoka Hoka Bento, satay…… lots of food. sei lo…. lau hau soi.
Next time you go, I request for tao pao. Can anot?
Oh, we have Alphard in Singapore. I nearly bought one. To ferry my students lah.
Your blog cannot recognise me as a frequent visitor. Can do something to the filling in of name, email n url anot? Set it to Auto and can recognise me. I leave 3 comments, must fill in 3 times.
ECL – We have Alphard in Singapore?! Oh dear, I better censer my blog a little bit … lol.
I really don’t think this blogging engine (Joomla) has that feature 🙁 Together with your request, I have another wish list on asking people to key in some characters that are displayed in picture so that I don’t need to moderate the comments of new comers.
ECL – Sure! Let me find out what “Tao Pao” is first! Erm … they sell that in Indonesia?
alphard is a pretty luxurious car in Indo, u know! hahaha
sometime later you gotta try indo’s style of chee cheong fun.. use red sauce instead of brown sauce… very nice one..
going back at december 11th.. can’t wait…
Sylv – Okay! I will certainly give that chee cheong fun a try when I next visit Indonesia … probably next year. Meanwhile, Dec 11 is not far off so … awaiting for pictures from your birthtown (?!) then 🙂
hey, that’s one interesting blog from u, and wow… u r so sweet for that surprise to ur wife. And yes, toyota alphard is selling, can check it out at turf city. hehehee…
Limleen – Ha ha ha … I really had no idea. Hardly see them on the road!
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