Gabe's Post - Jakarta, last day

Last day in Jakarta. We check out of the hostel, and make our way to only tourism related thing suggested to us in Jakarta, the National Museum. We end up walking half the way there and decide to take a taxi. Our decision cost us 30 cents each (it was Michelle, Shreyas, and I). The museum itself is located in 2 different similar looking buildings connected by a glass walkway. Both buildings are conveniently labeled Museum.

It costs 3 times as much for a foreigner to get in. Locals can enter for only 3,000 rupiah, while foreigners pay 10,000 (1 dollar). To our surprise, flash photos are excepted. Also the middle of the building was a courtyard, and in the courtyard was probably 100 or so Hinduism related statues exposed to the elements. You could also touch all of them if you were so inclined.

Next was a European room, which contained a couple of tables, some chairs, a dresser or two, and some cannons. It reminded me of the random culture rooms in the Singapore Asian Cultures Museum.

The rest of the first building was basically just cool wooden models of houses and random cultural things of the native Indonesians.

The second building contained pots and random tools and various things you expect to find in a Museum.

After a few hours we became tired and hungry so we decided to leave and just go to the bus station. There we ate at a hawker stand like place. I had Mee Goreng (fried noodles) which was the spiciest I have had. Michelle and Shreyas got satay, chicken and lamb respectively. It was all quite good and about the same price as Singapore actually.

We then bought bus tickets and just went to the airport, which was clean but oddly layed out. They accidentally gave Michelle's ticket to someone else, but it was ok, they gave her another one and her old one turned up later. Our flight was also delayed by an hour, but its ok because they fed all of us.

We flew back and were fine. Singapore is nice.


Things to remember from Jakarta:
Watch your step: Jakarta needs some civil engineers, the sidewalks have chunks missing from them, giant holes that fall into the blue-gray drainage system. Raised walkways over roads are usually flimsy cement that shakes and crumbles as you walk on them, or metal plates that have rusted all the way through on several important looking places revealing them to be paper thin.

Donuts: There are donuts everywhere, as a street food, in super markets, they even have a higher density of Dunkin Donuts then any other city I have seen.

People are nice: They smile a lot and are nice for the most part. Even when they are making fun of you they arn't doing it aggressively. For how big and dirty the city is, during the day I felt very safe. They also love having pictures taken of them and often ask for photo until you take one.

You will be ripped off: And not know it, because to you a couple of cents doesn't make a difference.