4D3N Jakarta – Of Prada Bedcover, Kain Tapis, and Sari Pan Pacific

I opened the window of the living room after I returned from Jakarta and saw grey and white. I really should have participated in the voting of the condo’s new external wall color. But that is another story.

“Why do you visit Jakarta?” asked Cynthia. “I want to see you,” I answered almost immediately. “Do you want to do shopping? What do you want to buy? Some Polo shirts perhaps?” she cocked her head on one side and asked. “Nah, I just want to see you,” I replied.

Cynthia was surprised that I have agreed to visit her over the weekend in Jakarta because I have always prefered to stay in Singapore even when she is on business trip overseas. I have even shocked a good friend of mine and he thought that I have acted too impromptu and out of character. Occasional displacement of the routine is a good thing – somehow reinforced by one of the two books I have finished reading during my stay in Jakarta. Books by Paulo Coelho are my life stories. Look out for the book reviews coming your way.

Sari Pan Pacific is a nice hotel especially the suit we were staying. The unique batik bedcover, “Prada Cloth”, is completely handmade and decorated with gold thread for the nobles of Indonesia (1st two pictures from left). The room is full of decorations such as the “Kain Tapis”, yet another handmade item decorated with gold thread from Sumatra for the commemoration of the Royal traditions (last picture). The lounge area located on 18th floor where part of it reminded me of a small greenhouse is my favorite (3rd from left). Breakfast is served at the lounge and from 6pm to 8pm, there is free flow of drinks and food. I thought I came to Jakarta to detox. I ended up drinking lots of free beer.

Traffic in Jakarta is a wonder. Nowhere on Earth have I seen cars move with such a close proximity. But yet, drivers do know when to fill in the gaps and when to give way. The pedestrians flow across the traffic direction with motorcyclists zigzag in all directions. Yet, on the highway when the road is wet, cars maintain a safe distance from one another. Passengers get in and out of public buses while the vehicles are in motion. Bus lanes are created with raised kerb as a solution to a subway system as there is none in Jakarta. What a contrast to Singapore.

On our way to the hotel, in front of us was a Toyota. The made was “Alphard”. At first, it read “Alpha-Hard” to me and I turned to Cynthia and commented, “What a cool model name!”. Then I realized that it pronounced as “I’ll Fart” instead. Oh well. I took back my words. I’m sure that won’t sell in Singapore.

Ancol, a resort area that Cynthia and I both have not visited before (see pictures above). It is a waterfront resort and I suppose we have not visited all that Ancol has to offer. Especially the Sea World that is supposed to be larger than Singapore’s Underwater World. However, without a driver, we strolled along the waterfront instead. There is a little bridge that takes us out to a cafe in the middle of the sea. Kind of reminded us of the St. Kilda beach in Melbourne, Australia. Of course there is no comparison but still, the resemblance is there.

There are new malls in Jakarta and when I visited some, the similarity of the Singaporean brands – retail shops and restaurants – is just amazing. More so than 10 years ago. There was an art gallery display in one of the mall and I could not help but to admire some of the photographs taken in Indonesia (picture on the left).

I think the Indonesian food in Singapore is nowhere, I mean not even near, to what Indonesia offers. It is to do with the spices, the ingredients, the chickens that are bred in Indonesia, the skill, and everything else.

A short and enjoyable trip. Time for reflection and time to read. Even a moment away from the routine is worth the hassle.