Thursday 6 August 2009

Jakarta Reviewed...Really Quickly!

















Some memorable moments: a. Nirmala Chandran, the perfect hostess, b. an evening at a spa c. history visited in Jakarta's biggest muzium, d. The Chandrans' backyard.

What I liked:

  1. Hawkers and push-cart vendors selling simple foods along the roadsides, in every part of the city.
  2. Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenery! And what superb landscapists Indons are!
  3. First hand experience of religious tolerance.
  4. Appreciation by the people, of all their heritages that were there, through the ages.
  5. The food (Laguna, Stix, you have my vote!)

  6. The Spas!
  7. Beautiful Batik.
  8. The endearing language used by the locals, e.g. "Pecel Nasi Ayam Pete" is actually "Special Nasi Ayam Petai" for us in Malaysia.

What I loathed:

  1. The traffic and the narrow roads.
  2. The fact that my impecable Malay (so I say!), made me soooo Malaysian when I spoke that I was a tourist waiting to be taken for a ride despite what I thought was an advantage.
  3. Endless Security checks at the airport.

Verdict: DO VISIT!

2 comments:

Joe Ismyl said...

Lovely to get to know you Shobha. I hope you will achieve your dreams. Go forward and don't look back while there is still time. Life is but only memories that pass by without you you realizing. Appreciate the world and the universe and everyone in it and all time you have for it does not wait to come again. Go chase the rainbows and have a good time but good times are only those that you could turn it into good memories for you to treasure.

Shobha Janardanan said...

Well said! God bless!