Jakarta : Any tips?

[xman]

Hi Guys

I'll be heading to Jakarta for 4 days - a kinda shopping trip with the Mrs and I'm going to be shooting away as well, might come up with a series or something :D

Anyway, need some tips from anyone who's been there before on:

- best place to go for shopping?
- is photo equipment there cheap and any recommended shops if so?
- any distinct places to go shooting?
- do's and don'ts

Thanks!

[somy nex]

I've had a few very short trips there, so can't offer extensive advice, but here is what i can offer.

First thing to remember if you haven't already been there is to always always always use only Bluebird taxis. If you can't find a bluebird, silverbird taxis are ok also (same company) but more expensive. Other taxis will try and rip you off by not using the meter, taking you in circles, getting lost, or any combination of the three, and hopefully nothing worse. If you can only find a non-bluebird taxi, then do your best to agree to use the meter before going anywhere.

in terms of shopping... for handicrafts and local stuffs, the sarinah shopping centers are great for this. there are actually two sarinah shopping centers in Jakarta, one near the welcome statue in the middle of Jakarta (near plaza indonesia) and one quite far away near Blok M (forgot the exact name, but i think it's at one of the ends of the bus routes--last stop that is). they both sell the arts, crafts, batik, etc. and such, but i think the one near Blok M is the better one - bigger & much better selection.
*Edit: i think the 2nd Sarinah is actually Plaza Senayan, but I am not 100% sure. My Indonesian friend did tell me that the department store operating inside was the same one operating in Sarinah though. But Plaza Senayan is another definite must visit for shopping =)

Plaza Indonesia (PI) is probably the "crown jewel" of jakarta shopping centers if you are into branded goods. it almost makes KLCC look like a middle-range mall. i usually stay near PI and go there to windowshop now and then :P PI is linked to another mall which seems to cater to younger people with those 'trendy' clothes stores and such. in this linked mall, there is a very good gelato shop (forgot the name though), better than the shop actually named 'Gelato' which also sells gelato =)

I haven't really shopped for camera stuff in Jakarta because I just only got serious about dSLR photography recently, so I don't know anything about prices of photography equipment. If you have time though, try and visit some of the sights there--Monas, the welcome statue, the national museum, and a few other attractions are all very close to Plaza Indonesia.

If you like good food, try visiting Cafe Batavia in the old Kota area (North Jakarta), which also happens to be where the History Museum and Museum Wayang (?) are. This is the northern part of Jakarta, near the old docks and is basically the kota lama of the city.

Here are a few touristy snapshots of some of my visits there:

History Museum, Cafe Batavia, Kota, Monas: http://www.pbase.com/somynex/060819b

National Museum & Welcome Statue (near Plaza Indonesia): http://www.pbase.com/somynex/050709jakarta

[ShaolinTiger]

Yeah good tips.

I don't much of interest in Jakarta apart from pampering yourself and shopping, the spas there are awesome and pretty reasonable priced.

The shopping is good, camera was I'd stick to Malaysia and Singapore for equipment.

If you want to buy handicraft stuff and paintings though it's good there, but even better outside the city.

As for photograhy, the only good thing I find in Jakarta itself is street photography.

Ciputra mall is a pretty interesting area and a nice place to shop aswell.

Plaza Indonesia probably is the number one now.

Grab your camera, a prime lens and a small bag and just wonder around the streets, the characters and things you see are so fascinating.

And yeah, PLEASE only use Bluebird taxis.

[xman]

unfortunately these tips only came after i came back already :D

anyways, yeah street photography was the way to go for me as i wasn't in the outskirts much except for the drive to Bandung

friends did mention to always use BLUEBIRD but fortunate for me, i had a "supir" there who took me everywhere and the mrs was all about shopping so we hung out a lot at the more feminine places of Jakarta hehe

but all in all was a wonderful experience and I would want to go there again

thanks again for the tips, will certainly use it for my next trip there :cool: