Jakarta is the home of more than 15 million ethnically diverse people and also the nation's capital. Most of the citizens of Jakarta are immigrants from other provinces in Indonesia but Jakarta has its own native people called Betawi. On normal day, the city will average a tropical 27 degrees Celsius.
It all started in a small sector in the Ciliwung riverbanks more than 500 years ago. Centuries later, this small town grew into an international merchant center. The city of Jakarta was named Jayakarta under the Fatahillah rules. By the end of 16th century when the Dutch arrived, it was changed to Batavia; then again it was changed to Jakarta in 1942 during the Japanese settlement in Indonesia.
Jakarta is divided into five administrative sectors. Jakarta Pusat or Central Jakarta is a center of governmental activities; the Presidential Palace is located in this area. Jakarta's most popular icon, the Monas (national monument), The National Museum, and the Tanah Abang market, known for being the place with the largest concentration of garment wholesalers in the city, can also be found here. Moving south, you will experience the true life style of modernity where most shopping plazas awaits you, as well as the opportunity to play various sports in the largest sports complex in the city: Gelora Bung Karno.
Meanwhile, East Jakarta offers one of most fascinating tourism spots called Taman Mini Indonesia Indah or Indonesia's in Miniature Park. Moving across to the West Jakarta, here you will find some ancient and historical places such as Kota area, famous with it's ancient Chinatown, and Glodok that gives you so many choices of electronic stuff. Glodok provides thousand of electronic vendors, this place is similar with Akihabara district in Tokyo Japan. Last but not least, is North Jakarta, known as Bay City where the port harbor is located, there you can take a 30 minute boat ride from Jakarta Bay from North Jakarta to the famous Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands) for an ocean paradise get-away. If you decide to stay in the northern part of the city, you can experience its very own culinary experience, Kelapa Gading with its mind boggling number of restaurants and eateries.
Jakarta offers a variety means of transportation to get into, out and around the city. Jakarta has one of the busiest road traffic in the world. One best advice is drive with caution or try rent a car with private driver to get around. Indonesia is served by direct air flights from North America, Europe, Australia and many other countries in Asia. The national carrier, Garuda Indonesia, has the most connections, but many other international airlines fly into Indonesia. Besides Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta also provides a private airport for those who wish to use private jets, helicopters or special VIP flights at Halim Perdana Kusuma airport. For your own safety and ease, it is best to order a taxi from the taxi-hiring booth located in the airport rather than to get a randomly parked taxis. These taxis frequently don't want to use meter.
For those who wish to travel by land you may take the bus and train. Most major cities in Indonesia provide bus service to Jakarta and they will end in several big bus stations in Jakarta such as Kampung Rambutan, Pulo Gadung in the East part of Jakarta or Lebak Bulus in the South. As those who choose train, you may start from the main station, Gambir. This station is located in the center of the city. The station is located in the center of the city. The station offers train service to destinations only in the Java Island such as Bandung, Yogyakarta, Solo, Malang and Surabaya. Other stations such as Pasar Senen, Jatinegara dan Kota only serve inner city train services. Other means of transportation are boats and ferries, enter Jakarta through Tanjung Priok Harbour in North Jakarta. The national ship fleet, Pelni, serves ferry services to all major islands through out Indonesia, such as Kalimantan, Sumatera, Sulawesi and Papua.
It's better for you to plan a head your chosen destination when getting around Jakarta. If it is a close destination and you wish to take on an adventure, Bajaj or the motorbike taxi known as Ojek would be the perfect means. You should bargain on the fare before you start your adventure. For further distance, choose Trans Jakarta or Busway.
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