Travels in Indonesia: Jakarta

We arrived in Jakarta after seven hours on the train from Yogyakarta. The train was a pleasant experience; the scenery was often green, and we had booked Eksekutif (Executive) class tickets for only $84 US total, which were two big seats together on each side of the aisle. We ordered some average tasting Indonesian food from the dining car once onboard, and settled in for the long ride.

Gambir train station is the main train station in Jakarta, and we arrived in the early evening.

It was a traffic-filled ride to our hotel in the Cikini neighborhood of Jakarta, and once we arrived we were beat so, we ordered some room service. We’ve never been big on ordering room service in general, but on this adventure, we have done it more, especially on arrival day. In the US, it is usually way too expensive and not that good, but here and other places we’ve visited so far, the price is super reasonable and food pretty tasty.

The next morning we could appreciate the view from our room of the city.

We needed some clothes, so our first stop in the day was the Plaza Indonesia Mall; which is massive, spread across two buildings that each can be accessed from underground; it is seven stories and there are so many shops and eateries it was overwhelming (as are many of the malls we have encountered so far). I left Jessica at the H&M to go look for a power converter box; I finally found one at an electronics store on the 6th floor, but didn’t remember how to get back as there are elevators and escalators and so many people, I was truly lost, and there wasn’t anyone to ask.

Jessica finished up and told me she was at a cafe on the lowest level below H&M; I couldn’t find it, but made it back to the first floor, and found the directory desk and asked where the H&M was; I was across the street in the other mall building, and made my way to her at the cafe. We walked around the mall a bit more, then wanted to explore a rooftop bar only one kilometer or so away we had marked on our map, but it was so disgustingly hot we decided to take a taxi.

The taxi driver was friendly, and asked where we were from (I have never been asked more times where I was from than on this trip; usually it is friendly, often times its because a sales pitch is forthcoming) and while we have most recently lived in North Carolina, we say Chicago, as that is where I grew up and is Midwest so Jessica can also claim it; and most everyone knows it. Nine times out of ten, people say “the Chicago Bulls!” which is pretty amazing that its been nearly 30 years since Michael Jordan played for them. This time though, the taxi driver said, “like the band?” and started singing “Saturday, in the park, think it was the fourth of July…” and we laughed, as it was unexpected. He said his dad was a fan of classic rock and he listened to it a lot growing up.

We had a lot of time to talk to the cabbie, as it took us an hour to go the one kilometer. Literally, we sat in traffic, and the traffic in Jakarta is bad. He said there was an event going on, so that added to it, but we wound up walking two blocks as he said it would be easier once we were close enough to the bar. We finally arrived at the Awan Lounge, which was on the top floor of a nice boutique hotel. We ordered some beers and burgers and enjoyed the early evening on the patio.

It was a much shorter taxi ride back to the hotel later in the evening once we left the Awan Lounge. The next day we made it a day of religious structures, as you know how much we enjoy exploring the different ones. We started at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, which is a Roman Catholic church now, but began as a Protestant church when Indonesia was ruled by the Dutch (built in 1901).

The interior was designed in the Neo-Gothic style, and is quite impressive.

A couple of statues we had not seen at prior Cathedrals or churches included a laying down Jesus;

The eagle and crest of Indonesia:

and a statue of a Saint with headphones?

The saints’ name is Carlo Acutis. He was raised in Milan, born in England, and sadly died of leukimia at only 15 years of age, in 2006, and is the first millennial saint. He’s been referred to as the “patron saint of the internet,” for creating websites about miracles and apparitions.

Directly across the street from the Cathedral, and connected by an underground tunnel (that was unfortunately closed while we visited) is the largest Mosque in Indonesia (and third largest in the world) the Istqlal Mosque. (The picture below is from inside the courtyard of the Mosque; you can see the spires of the Cathedral on the right).

We arrived at noon, which was a prayer time so could not enter, and would have to wait until after. We spoke with a woman named Malaikat (which means Angel in Indonesian) who had a big smile and was very friendly.

While we were waiting, a western tourist group passed us, and the Muslim man leading it invited us to join. He gave us a bag for our shoes (as one needs to remove their shoes when entering the Mosque) and we joined the group inside. Once inside the Mosque, we proceeded to the second floor to view the Mosque floor. It is massive, and can accomodate up to 200,000 people at one time (though not all inside).

He told us the Mosque was built over 17 years, first starting 1961 and open to the public in 1978. Istqlal means Independence in Arabic, and it is a testament to the Indonesian’s independence from Colonial rule. Interestingly, the Mosque was designed by a Protestant named Friedrich Silaban, who won the competition for the design.

The Mosque site was chosen due to its proximity to the Merdeka Square and the National Monument, which we viewed from the outside as we walked by.

Our last stop that day to complete our religious tour was the Pasar Baru Sikh Temple, a 20-minute or so walk from the Mosque. The temple is not on the same grand scale as the Cathedral or Mosque, but we wanted to see it, and were welcomed inside.

They invited us to eat lunch and we ate very well; after we cleaned our dishes and utensils and headed back to the the hotel. Next up, famous Museums of Jakarta!