Jakarta took us by surprise. From the airport onwards, what struck us first was the green: trees and plants everywhere. After a long drive we reached our hotel, already dressed for Christmas.
The hotel's breakfast became the highlight of every morning: tables laden with food from everywhere, and a staff whose warm smiles and greetings matched the warm weather outside.
Eating in Jakarta
Heat and greenery make a good combination, and food is never hard to find. The city is known for its street food, and for the padang table: the whole table is covered with small bowls of different dishes, you eat what you like, and you pay only for what you have eaten.
Traditions
Jakarta gives great importance to family traditions, and every family has its own customs. Funeral rituals, in particular, can be more elaborate than any other ceremony. The variety of traditional family houses is worth discovering too.
What to see
- the Istiqlal Grand Mosque, majestic in the centre of the city, and just opposite it the cathedral, where Christians worship
- the National Monument
- the National Museum, which tells the history of Jakarta through maps, objects, clothes and everyday tools
- the Wayang Museum, devoted to Indonesian puppetry
- the orchid garden, with orchids of every colour
- the zoo, where you can see, among many others, the Komodo dragon
