Our initial impression of Jakarta wasn't really that great. We had these preconceived ideas and fears due to the number of cases of violence and protests in the city. But then we quickly realized our wrong assumption when we got the chance to visit the place just this year.

I have to say Jakarta has a vast variety of culinary cuisines, fun-filled tourist attractions and above all - the numerous great shopping hot spots. We were quite fortunate to have an absolute blast and excitement during our stay.



Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia (the largest Muslim country) and ninth most densely populated (around 9 million population). It is located on the north-western coast of the island of Java on Jakarta Bay, at the mouth of the Ciliwung River. A wonderful contrast of architecture styles where modern office buildings and grand hotels sit next to traditional neighborhoods. Jakarta is the center of activities for the whole of Indonesia.



Even the wet season could be extremely hot in Jakarta but we still enjoyed exploring the city. Jakarta has two seasons: the wet season from October to April (with the heaviest rains falling from December to January), and the dry season from May to September.



While riding in taxi cab, we spotted a few streets that have interconnecting elevated walkways.



A Filipino citizen is not required to have a visa to enter Jakarta for a tourist visit of up to 30 days. The following countries like Chile, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are also eligible for the Visa-Free travel.

In a nutshell, I can say that Jakarta is quite an enthralling place to visit with multiple tourism option. It's a prime shopping haven that's definitely worth the time especially for dedicated bargain hunters just like us. :)