Our first stop in Indonesia is the capital city of Jakarta. The city is among the largest in the world--10 million, 28 million including the suburbs. It has grown dramatically in the past few decades which is evident in the city's many growing pains. Traffic is a constant problem due to inadequate public transportation infrastructure. There is no subway, but a bus rapid transit service was recently introduced to ease congestion. The front third of these busses are reserved strictly for female passengers, a policy from the conservative Islamic culture of the city.
A BRT station near our hostel. The left two entrances are general admission and the right is female only
A view of Jakarta from an elevated highway
KOTA (BATAVIA)
Indonesia was a colony of the Dutch East India Company and the Dutch government for over 300 years. Jakarta was known as Jayakarta prior to Dutch conquest. The Dutch renamed the city Batavia and made it the center of their colonial empire. The old Dutch quarter of Batavia is now known as Kota. It has many surviving Dutch buildings and has recently begun a revival after decades of decline and neglect.
Dutch architecture in Kota
Former residence of the Dutch Governor General
The Cafe Batavia lured us in with a free concert
Steamed rice and chicken wrapped in banana leaves
Bandrek, a traditional Indonesian drink with lots of spices
Torrential rain starts as we have dinner
GLODOK
This neighborhood just south of Kota is Jakarta's Chinatown. It contains a labyrinth of alleyway markets that's stretch for miles, stands where street artists practice their crafts, and is the heart of the city's nightlife.
Are these cobras for sale?
Obama is very popular in Jakarta. He attended middle school in the city in the 1960s
No Chinatown is complete without a Chinese temple!
Political ads are everywhere. I smell an election coming
The old Dutch canal system is in need of some love...
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