![]() Brief tours of the massive white building are generally available but make sure you’re not too casually dressed.ġ1.30 a.m. Opposite St Mary’s is Mesjid Istiqlal, one of the biggest mosques in Southeast Asia. Its about 30 minutes drive from the centre of town. Its exhibits, some pretty tacky, include a mini version of the Borobudur temple complex and other sights from around the archipelago. Take a trip to Taman Mini Indonesia, a theme park devised by the late widow of former president Suharto. The capital has an amazing number of sprawling malls and many Jakartans seem to use them as places to hang out given the few open spaces in the city.ġ p.m. Grab an early lunch at Plaza Indonesia. ![]() For no obvious reason, some shops also specialize in vinyl records and brass navigation equipment.ġ1.30 a.m. The “antique” market sells wood carvings and bric-a-brac from all over the diverse nation. Head through the leafy Menteng district, home to the family of former president Suharto, to Jalan Surabaya. Known by some as “Sukarno’s last erection”, there is a lift to take you to the top, although it was not operating recently.ġ0 a.m. At the centre is the National Monument, or Monas, a towering column commissioned by President Sukarno in the early 1960s. ![]() If you make it up in time, head to Medan Mederka (Freedom Square), a rare piece of green in central Jakarta flanked by the National Museum and various palaces. Billed as Jakarta’s first vodka bar, it quickly heats up on Friday evening to a point where half the expat and local clientele are dancing precariously on table tops.Ĩ a.m. Top the evening off by heading to the slick Red Square bar near the huge Plaza Senayan shopping mall. Blending Arabic, Indian and Malay influences, it consists of an eclectic band of musicians and an array of singers, often sexily dressed, crammed into small dark clubs where the air is thick with traditional clove cigarettes.ġ1 p.m. Try the Blora area to get a taste of some Indonesian dangdut music. It also has a decent Thai and Indian restaurant - Lan Na Thai and Hazara - to spill over into later for dinner.ĩ.30 p.m. Housed in a converted Dutch-era building and dotted with Asian artifacts, the bar has become the de facto gathering place for foreign correspondents. Start the evening with drinks at Face Bar. Got 48 hours to explore Jakarta? Reuters correspondents with local knowledge help visitors get the most from a short stay in the Indonesian capital. A view of clear skies in central Jakarta, on the eastern Indonesian island of Java, October 6, 2006.
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