Jakarta

Jakarta: Indonesia's capital city and where our journey began! Jakarta is the second largest city in the world and has a blend of cultures - including big Dutch and Chinese influences.

Our first day was a trip to Jakarta's National Monument - Monas. This is a 132m tall structure in the city centre surrounded by the beautiful Merdeka Square. We were surprised that we were actually the main tourist attraction - with lots of domestic tourists and school groups coming up to us and asking for photos! Luckily we did also get to see views of the city from the top of the tower before going back to the hotel to chill by the pool.

Day 2 we explored Kota Tua - Jakartas "old town". This was once the centre of trade in Indonesia and the original Dutch settlement. It almost seemed out of place seeing grand Europen buildings alongside shanty towns, however added to the uniqueness of the city. Next we explored the city's 'China town'. This was not all that it was hyped up to be, walking through cramped, narrow streets with market stalls of raw food everywhere was not quite what we had envisaged!

Jakarta definitely isn't my favourite place to visit, happy to have ticked it off the list but doubt I'll ever be back.Leggi altro