At Jakarta, I had all my meals in air-conditioned restaurants. No no.. don’t get it wrong. Not that I’m so well-paid to only spend my meals at air-conditioned places, but I wasn’t too comfortable with the road-side food stalls served in mobile carts.

Anyway, even in the restaurants found in shopping malls, I was still paying less than what I’m paying in KL and PJ. So, why take the risk :p

On the first day of arrival (arrived in evening), I didn’t travel out for dinner. Instead, walked out 5 minutes from Aston Rasuna, and came to Pasar Festival. There were a few common fast food names spotted, but none of my interest. Then, I decided to give Bakmi Top 17 a try. In Indonesia, Bakmi means “noodles with meat”. It is brought into their culture by Chinese merchants.

Ordered a plate of seafood bakmi and a cup of Vietnamese coffee. Looks good, but taste was normal. Not bad, but I consider it an average one.

Breakfast? Of course I had it in hotel lo hehe… Aston Rasuna was quite generous in the breakfast servings. Considering drinks, there were choices ranging from coffee, tea, fresh milk, plain water to 4 types of fruit juice (orange juice was served every morning). Besides cooked dishes, a wide variety of breads and cakes were served too.

My workplace was Menara Duta. There were 2 air-conditioned restaurants at the basement serving lunch. One selling beef satay, and another selling cooked dishes. For all 3 lunches there, I was at the restaurant selling cooked dishes. The portion of serving and pricing of food were good. For about RM5, I had a decent meal with a cup of fruit juice. I simply just love the fruit juices there - very very thick.

They served quite a variety of set meals. This, laksa ayam (chicken laksa) and a plate of rice, came in a set. Portion was quite big, as the bowl of laksa actually came with beehoon too! Continue reading ‘Food I ate in Jakarta’

As mentioned in previous post, when I first arrived at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, I engaged with Garuda Bird taxi counter, as I couldn’t find Blue Bird. Later on, by asking Blue Bird taxis in city, I was told that there’s actually a Blue Bird counter at the airport.

Right in front of Aston Rasuna, there was a service station dedicated to Blue Bird. So, traveling around was very convenient, as taxis were readily available. Similar experience I had in some big shopping malls as well; dedicated Blue Bird depots were available.

Is Blue Bird The Only Trusted Name?

Contrary to general believe, Blue Bird is not the only Indonesian taxi operator you should trust. However, we should recognize Blue Bird Group, instead of just Blue Bird. Another major group under the Blue Bird Group’s umbrella, is Pusaka. Have a look at this page to learn about all logos under Blue Bird Group.

The most prominent feature, the a windscreen sticker labeled with “Blue Bird Group”.

Transjakarta Buses

There’s no light rail transportation in Jakarta. However, they have a close-match alternative - Transjakarta. Transjakarta buses operate in a fixed route with fixed stops. Besides, at most places (not all), Transjakarta buses have dedicated busway lane too.

At fixed rate of 3,500 Rp (about RM1) / trip, you can get to any station within the route map. Yes, no matter how you transit, still same flat rate.

There’s a Transjakarta station (GOR Sumantri, corridor 6) just about 5 minutes walk from Aston Rasuna.

How did I travel to some places with Transjakarta?

1. Menara Duta - From corridor 6, stop at Setiabudi Aini.
2. Grand Indonesia / Plaza Indonesia - From corridor 6, stop at Dukuh Atas and transit to corridor 1 (heading to Kota). Then, get down at Halte Bundaran HI (Hotel Indonesia).
3. Plaza Blok M - From corridor 6, stop at Dukuh Atas and transit to corridor 1 (heading to Blok M). Then, get down at Halte Blok M.
4. Glodok (Chinatown) - From corridor 6, stop at Dukuh Atas and transit to corridor 1 (heading to Kota). Then, get down at Halte Glodok.
5. Monas (National Monument) - From corridor 6, stop at Dukuh Atas and transit to corridor 1 (heading to Kota). Then, get down at Halte Monas. Alternatively, you can also stop at Halte Gambir 1 of corridor 2.

Tips for traveling with Transjakarta: Continue reading ‘How Did I Travel in Jakarta by Taxi and Bus?’