Jakarta

CONTINUED FROM HERE: Yogyakarta | Prambanan Temple | Borobudur

Backpacking Indonesia: Day 014, Day015, Day016 and Day 017 (27,28,29, 30-April-2025)

Desa, Kala, Patra

I decided to leave early and walk to the railway station. I stopped at a local market near the station to eat Nasi Pecel. I am addicted to this dish. A woman who had just begun setting up her stall, made me some tasty Nasi Pecel with moong sprouts and vegetables. She served me some peyek too. 

The train journey from Yogyakarta to Jakarta was uneventful. I was impressed by the modern trains with automatic doors, clean toilets, trash bags to collect garbage, modern facilties to check or print tickets and the punctuality maintained. Everyone seemed to be in sync with the modern technology. 

In Jakarta, I booked a Grab taxi and drove to the hostel - The Packer lodge again. It is located close to China town. That evening, I did not do much. I mostly stayed in the hostel. I had dinner at a cafe located at the ground floor of the hostel. 

Next morning, I stepped out to find some Nasi Pecel. Instead, I came across a small roadside stall selling Ketoprak. The old man running this place used freshly made rice cakes to make me a plate. The peanut sauce is the base to most of the vegetarian dishes here. The food was delicious. 

I took a Grab bike to the Post office. The old post office is now converted into a nice commercial space with eateries and stores. Behind it is the newly constructed post office building. Inside the post office there are three small kiosks selling post cards and rare stamps. They are very expensive and one needs to bargain. It is hard to find postcards in Jakarta. It would be therefore a better idea to find some in the more touristic places like Yogyakarta or Malang. 

Since I wanted only Mount Bromo postcards, the man selling them had to open all the collections he had and pick the Mt Bromo ones for me. I walked out to the old post office building and picked a small food joint to sit and write. Once I was done, I headed back to the post office, bought some stamps, stuck it to the cards and handed it over to the lady in charge. It has been two months now and the cards have not reached any of the destinations. The same was the case with the cards I sent from Jordan. I am disappointed. 

I walked to a near by money exchange office and got some local currency. After that, I walked to Our Lady of the assumption Cathedral. Visitors are allowed to walk in and view the beautiful interiors of the Church. 

Right in front of the catherdal is the Istiqal mosque. A lot of people were visiting the place on that day. I had to store my sandals outside in a booth and then head in. I just followed the crowd. As I entered the first floor of the mosque, I saw a long queue. I soon realised that this was for free food service offered at the mosque. I turned right and managed to pass the crowd and reach the main prayer hall. I was a bit surpirsed to see the ambiance there. I have been to mosques in Jordan but the ones here are different. In the main prayer hall people were sitting and chatting, lying down and sleeping. There was a lot of noise as well. Some might have also been having their packed food. It seemed more like a park than a prayer hall. The central dome was intricately decorated from the inside. As usual the symmetricity in islamic art was prominent. 

Next, I took a Grab bike to a Vegan restaurant and had my lunch there. After that, I headed back to hostel. In the evening, I took a walk to the neighbouring grocery store and bought some things to take back, including a few bottles of kaya jam. 

Next morning, I was in no mood to do anything. I finished the pending entries on my journal and then walked to explore China town. I found a small store that sold Coconut palm sugar. Jakarta is a city like any other. With heavy construction work happening all around, there were a lot of migrant workers from other parts of the country. I could see many tired faces as they took a break to drink some tea or smoke a cigarette. Grab drivers sat on the pavement waiting for their ride, smoking a cigarette, their eyes glued to their cellphone. 

I picked a nice cafe, ordered an avocado smoothie and sat there finishing my journal. Most of the crowd who visited the cafe were Indonesians of Chinese origin. This was a day to relax - my last full day in Indonesia. 

I returned back to the hostel and relaxed. In the evening, I walked to Jakarta Old town and spent the evening there. More about that later. 

Next morning, I left my hostel a bit early and headed towards the airport. My flight was delayed by several hours. I had my breakfast at the airport - Kaya toast. It was one of the best I have had. I also tasted Lapis cake which I think is nothing but Bebinca from Goa. I wonder if this is a Portuguese influence, which is common to both palces. 

My flight back via Malaysia was uneventful.  I returned back with lots of memories and some things. 

Here is my journal entry from the last evening I spent in Jakarta. I think this summarises my entire journey in Indonesia. 

At around 6pm, I walked to Jakarta old town which was not very far from my hostel. At the plaza (Taman Fatahillah) in Batavia, there was a lively scene - Lot of people had gathered there and were sitting on the ground in small groups.  Everybody was enjoying the live band playing at one end of the plaza. 

I walked past the plaza to find a place to eat. At a local food joint, I tried to communicate my needs. The servers did not understand my need. But, I was adamant on eating Nasi Pecel one last time before I leave Indonesia. I was helped by a young girl to order some vegetarian food - Gado Gado and Nasi.   The old lady who prepared my dish gave me a wide grin and began preparing the Peanut sauce. 

The families gathered there, recognising that I was a foreigner smiled at me. The food was absolutely delicious. I paid my bill and walked to a juice stall. Here, the lady running the stall began a conversation with me. She asked me where I was from and began saying something in the lcoal language. I smiled. She smiled back. Her husband made me some avocado juice with less ice as requested.  I thanked them and left. 

I went back to the plaza where more people had gathered. Couples, friends and family sat discussing and enjoying the live music. I made myself comfortable on the floor just like the locals.

Despite a huge crowd, there was very less trash. All areas are neatly paved and therefore there was no dust. All through my trip, I had noticed how safe this country was. Helmets were left unattended on scooter and nobody would pick it up. There was no fear of theft. The Grab drivers were always kind and friendly. They never argued like the auto drivers in India. The maximum effort I had to put was in bargaining, to bring down the high tourist prices. But I found negotiation very easy here. With a smile, they would slash the prize almost immediately. 

Wherever I went, the atmosphere was always very friendly and lively. There seems to be a harmony among people of different beliefs. A strong family bonding was also visible. 

Moreover, people enjoy art, music, coffee, smoking and food. Night markets and parks have small canvases for children to paint on. Tattoo artists and painters are almost everywhere. There is a genuine appreciation for live music - mostly rock or pop. Almost everywhere - in Bali, Gili island or Maliboro street in Yogyakarta, I have seen people gathered around bands playing live music. 

Sitting in the plaza, enjoying the guitar, drums and vocals, I became one of the the many indonesians sitting there.  This one evening summarised everything I feel about this beautiful country. They live the moment and someday, like them, I shall find the perfect harmony between Desa (Place), Kala (Time), Patra (Circumstances).