Java, Indonesia
 

I am flying to Jakarta in less than two weeks and would like to know of the best way to get around the city, and which attractions are most interesting to a fan of history (but not the pre-fabricated history as found that miniature indonesia theme park in Jakarta). Furthermore, after Jakarta, I am going with a consigliere to Yogyakarta, and would like to know the fastest way to get there. Thank you for your time.

It's easy to get around the city (except during rush hour - 6am to 10pm :D ) by just jumping in a taxi at any hotel and hiring him for as long as you like. If you explain your goal to the concierge, even better. Silverbird taxis are really cheap compared with, say, a euro taxi. I'd think a several hour tour would run you less then $20 or so, maybe even less.

As to what to see, the 'old port' is interesting. Ancol is the name of the amusement park you mentioned, but one large section there is devoted to craft vendors. Since I like to collect teak and mahagony wood carvings, I find it interesting.
I'm sure others can add more. I'm always busy with work there and never really toured around.

The fastest way to get to Yogyakarta is a short flight.

Tad, where are you staying in Jakarta?
(Jakarta is divided into central, west, east, south, north).

One store worth visiting is Sarinah in Jl. MH Thamrin, central Jakarta. They sell antiques and crafts.

A few miles away from Sarinah is Monas (Monumen Nasional) and Monas public park, the Cathedral and the Istiqlal (biggest Mosque in South East Asia).

Monas pic: http://dailyphoto.org/document.php?id=342

If you go to west Jakarta, there's a section called Kota near the train station. Some buildings in this area still have the old architecture from Dutch colonial era, but they're not in good condition, not well taken care of.

In my opinion, if you're interested in real historical attractions, you have to get out of the capital city. Yogyakarta is a good place to visit.

You have to visit the Borobudur Temple while you're there. Don't forget the Palace. Yogyakarta has a king (sultan).

http://www.buddhanet.net/boro.htm
http://www.bergerfoundation.ch/Home/high_borobudur.html

Fyi, Yogyakarta comes with many pronounciation/spelling. It could be Jogjakarta (Jogja = preferred by locals) or Yogyakarta (Yogya). It's all the same.

Yeah, go to Yogyakarta by plane.

(I'm Indonesian, but have lived in CA for the past 10 years)

Thanks for your comments. Well, I am not sure where we are staying, so i guess that is a problem, but which area has the most hotels closest to MONAS and the mosque?

In addition, we were thinking of taking a bus or train to Yogya, and then flying back. Would that be a big deal for two easily influenced college students? and by that I am...not sure what I mean, but how do the prices/"security" compare between those two modes of transport?

Central Jakarta (Jakarta Pusat).

If you're a student on budget, you should stay at an inn (losmen) in Jl. Jaksa (Jalan Jaksa). Do a search on Google. It's a popular tourist area and near everything that's mentioned here (train station, Monas, etc).

http://www.travelfreestyle.com/c_in_acc.asp
http://www.pilotguides.com/destinati...nd_sumatra.php
http://www.hostels.com/en/id.html

The biggest train station, Gambir, is also in central Jakarta. There is a shuttle bus from the airport to train station. Look for "Gambir". It costs Rp 5.000/person.

Train website: http://www.infoka.kereta-api.com/
Search: Gambir - Yogyakarta

You'll get 5 results from 1 (cheapest) to 5 (most expensive).

Same as train service in the US, it's not cheap. Price is almost comparable to plane tix.

Sample fare: Rp185.000 train vs Rp200.000 plane (by Bouraq, Citylink, Lion, Garuda).

I'm not familiar with bus transportation. I'll post more info when I find out.

Bus in Jakarta:
http://www.itisnet.com/english/asia/...ta/e-b-jak.htm

Bus in Yogyakarta:
http://www.itisnet.com/english/asia/...go/e-c-yag.htm

Jakarta Hotels
 

If you want to get above the prices of the College crowd, a lot of the Jl. Thamrin area hotels have prices that you won't find in any big city in the West-- there are some first class properties on several of the internet booking sites in the range of Pan Pacific, Nikko or Meridien coming in between $75.00-100.00 US including taxes and a full breakfast.

In Yogya, I happen to like to Garuda Hotel-- older, in center of town and usually about $35.00-40.00 with breakfast.

I'm with everyone else that with the low cost airlines now operating in Inodnesia, you are best flying,

I sorta live in Jakarta now, and my best advice is to ask the concierge how much to spend on fares. Because I know that when Indonesians see Caucasians, they jack up the price because they know you have money. So that's my warning to you. Also in Kota, pay attention to your stuff...pickpocketers are notorious there (for obvious reasons that you'll see when you get there). Also, flying is the best way. However, I do recommend you stick to Garuda and not the other LCCs...some of them have planes that are ready to fall apart. I've seen some that have lost the panels that cover the wheels while in-flight. Freaky scary. Let me know if you need any accomodation suggestions.

Thanks again for your helpful advice, again glad I have posted here at flyertalk.
As for the LCCs, do all of them fly from Jakarta to Jogjakarta? Do they all have websites (that work)? Would you recommend that I book once I am in Jakarta?
Regarding the hotels, we basically just wanted to know where the best place was to stay, in terms of being close to the most "attractions," and for the price, I guess between US$50-US$80 per night. How far is MONAS from the airport? We will be arriving at night, so where is it best to take a taxi from at that time? Thanks again.

If you do choose to fly LCCs, buy the ticket when you're there. It'll be much cheaper to buy from an agent than online. Well if you want to stay close to Monas but still be close to the "action," then my recommendation would be the Grand Hyatt, Mandarin Oriental, Pan Pacific, and Hotel Nikko. All four hotels are on or next to Thamrin Plaza. It's where all the action is. I can't tell you the prices off the top of my head, but they should be fairly reasonable. And it's about a few minutes' drive (ideally on a weekend it's about a 5 minute drive but this IS Jakarta we're talking about here) from Monas. With respect to the airport, it all depends on when you arrive (weekday or weekend). If it's on a weekend, then I'd say 45-60 minutes is a relatively safe approximation. On peak times, then I'd say 2 hours isn't out of the question. When you get outside of the terminal, unless you want to fork over cash, don't allow the porters to help you out. When you exit the secondary security check, make a left and exit from the terminal from the door on that side. Walk out and in your 2pm direction, you will see a Silver Bird taxi queue. That's definitely the recommended taxi to take to your hotel. Good luck!