Well , I survived........barely.
This was my fifth time in Jakarta and I've never been so tired! I just can't deal with the traffic anymore. Everything is so geared around getting by car to such and such a place etc. It just drives me nuts. I have to hand it to those here who live there.....I don't know how you do it!
i complete understand you my friend..
[COLOR=Green]actually even the locals has gone insane many years ago, if you have the option choose the shortest distance of between office and home. most well to do locals especially the working groups opt to buy down town apartment to avoid the madness.. [/COLOR
] if you work or do your daily activity in CBD, forget staying in so-called residential district such as kemang or pondok indah, these areas are bloody congested and traffic can take forever especially rush hour and rainy season. These places are not longer green and the food in Kemang really sucks..@! Stay as close to the CBD as possible ..
I spent the first night in Kamang at my relatives home......it took 2 1/2 hours to get from the airport to there. The next day we all went to Rancemayah (sp) Golf and Country Club near Bogor. Apart fronm the usual traffic hassles, this community boasted fresh(er) air and places to relax and recreate. For those golfers here , it looked like a beautiful course. I don't play but from what I saw from the rented villa the greens were spectacular. We stayed here for 2 nights and I was able to use the gym and pool. The food was fine and lunch buffet suited my taste (and the local Indonesians) as well. It was the only time I was able to eat some Indonesian food.
Rancamaya is actually one of the better courses near Bogor, altough i find the club house can bettter managed for a private club runned by an expat..another nice course public nearby would Bogor Raya (hot receiptionists...!!). the gated community is well maintained..actually i know local married couple who live there and commute to jakarta daily to work..so much sacrifice for clean air...i just hope they stop building more estates around the area...The food in all the golf courses in Indonesia is all the same abit of udon, nasi goreng or bimbimblap..they are average at best and over priced for sure...In food in rancamaya is quite bad and overpriced, the buffet is beyond recoqnition..did you try the local durian in the coffee shop. Unfortunately there is no option nearby else..which is why it is what it is..if you want to eat better food you need to Bogor downtown .. again traffic jam, but you can get better Sundanese food, chinese food and local specialities ngohiang, soup babat, asinan etc.. go locals my friend the experience is the fun part...
Back in the city, I was taken to Sushi Nobu
which as I live in Japan, could not stomach the wierd taste......My family seemed to love it though
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sorry ...Sushi nobu is for local teenagers totally clueless about food...which is a pity to use a highly published Chef Nobu name but no one gets it ?? for Jap restaurant : the rule is : if the japanese aint the chef or the owner...stay away! easier way is to step inside and see if there is any japanese eating..
Was also dragged of to Scussa(sp) at the IC
. The food was not worth the price and our seafood was over-cooked and tasted (at least to me ) not fresh. For a $800.00 USD(for 5) dinner I clearly expected more .
Chef Luca too busy these days cooking up too much volume ?...If you read my earlier comments you'll agree. Executive chef in hotels Jakarta these days seldom cook anymore, the locals do it.. most likely its pak slamet who wrecked your dinner..stay away from any hotel owned restaurants, go to stand alone venue like Emilie French or furusato Japanese...i know their buffet offer is absolutely crazy cheap and insanelu plentiful..but dont let even the super deal all you can eat buffet tempt you...good from far, far from good, parma ham that taste like credit cards, huge oysters that taste like kerosene and cheap 6 dollar champange to wash it down...happy ???
I did notice that the price of many things has risen (30%) since my visit last summer.......I don't know how the majority there survive.
yes .. its tough, but when the average indonesian who are already earning and survivung on less than 2 bucks a day another 30% dent wont matter...
My drive back to the airport took about 2 hours, leaving at 4:30 PM for the last SQ flight at 8:15 PM........Those toll booth line-ups can be a real killer
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suggestion next time take 2 pm flight on friday and leave town around noon when everyone goes for Friday prayer..
Next time I hope to meet some of you "real" Jakarta types, the expat style of Jakarta life clearly does not suit me
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