Who has been to Jakarta?

[Kiwifella]

Ok, just wanting some information.... but mainly personal experiences from Jakarta.

I have been offered a very good job there and want to know if its as bad as i've heard? :shock:

Any useful information would be greatly appreiated

[devil_doll]

I know this is a useless information >>> i have never been anywhere but Thailand.. :? :? sorry mate!

Ok, just wanting some information.... but mainly personal experiences from Jakarta.

I have been offered a very good job there and want to know if its as bad as i've heard? :shock:

Any useful information would be greatly appreiated

[Sukhumvit_Farang]

I've been to Jakarta a couple of times and I liked it very much. If I had a good job opportunity there, I would take it without hesitation. The place is much better than its reputation. Essentially, you can do/have everything there that you can have in Bangkok - from shopping to nightlife - just with fewer foreigners. ("Bule"- pronounced "boo-lay" - is what we westerners are called there. It means "albino" and is the Indonesian equivalent to "farang".)

Also, since the people in Indonesia don't see as many tourists as Thais do, the people tend to be friendlier and more appreciative towards us in Indonesia than in Thailand.

Furthermore, since Indonesia was once a Dutch colony, the mentality of the people is at least somewhat more like ours than is the case in Thailand. In fact, an Aussie friend of mine who lived in Bangkok for 10 years recently moved to Jakarta because he figures his chances of finding a compatible wife would be greater there than here. I would agree with him.

[Kiwifella]

Thanks somtamcharlie and Sukhumvit_Farang ! Great stuff ! excatley what i wanted to hear 8)

[ahpuiahsan]

just need to be more alert of the surroundings, crim rate is a bit on the high side, security is also a concern.

Friends who worked there give me this piece of information......there is a car picking him up for work even though the building he works in is just BESIDE where he stays. :shock:

[WiCKeDBiRD]

ps yeah agree totally with SUK-Farang....Indonesians are very extrovert and friendly people plus remarkably knowledgeable about what goes on beyond their country.Yep its down to Dutch colonisation this interest ,esp of Europe.

Dont we just love the Colonial style

Well ... some existing in Phuket though but not as many as in Jarkata & S'pore

[nucleus]

I concur with the other posts; I recently went as a tourist, and had positive experiences - even in the city there is still astonishment at seeing a bule (farang). There is a special lane for the "transjakarta" bus, and no other vehicles can enter, and it's only 10 baht. Some things are slightly more expensive than in BKK, like movie theaters since most of the wealthy people live there, but overall it's very peaceful and pleasant. The language is possible to learn in a reasonable time. Some of the people are very welcoming and friendly and the flights out of the city are plentiful. The fewer foreigners there, the more for the people who are there. Simple grooming and dressing will go a long way. Also, the music is better from the small sample I heard. I'm picky, and I was impressed.

[Laurence]

Mixed Feelings.

Great place for a week end partying with lots of clubs and few amazing places (Stadium). The pb is that I was actually living there for a short period of time (few months) during the event in early 97 (If I recall correctly) and that was no fun at all. I would mainly disagree with Indonesian being more friendly than thai. There is a large number of people there than can go balistic driven by few dangerous religious leader. You will also have to get use to empty street at night. You basically hop from bar to clubs (Hotels & the like)... There is now few new wave clubs that are trying to duplicate the thai "Gclub" experience bringing some cute dancers from ex Orbit, Caribbean and the like so you will even be able to have a feel of Bangkok if you want.

Just an other opinion.

[Japhrodisiac]

I loved Indonesia, and spent a few months there in 97-98. I found the people great, the language very easy to learn, and lots to do in terms of sight seeing, shopping and natural activities. Night life then was nothing compared to BKK, but maybe a little different now. I concur with one of the other posters that central Java is just great. I would easily live in Yogya or Solo. The only bad part was food. I am a big foodie, and found Indonesian fare to be generally lacking, and far behind Thai food in terms of creativity and taste. I ended up eating salads and fresh fruit almost exclusively because it was hard to get a decent meal outside of a nice hotel. Everything was greasy and relatively flavourless.

[Laughs]

I haven't really considered Indonesia before, partly because of the political climate there over a number of years, but mostly because I haven't taken the time to find out much about the place. Thanks for waking me up to the propects here guys!

I like to base myself in Thailand, usually in Hua Hin, the tour around the region a little - well as far as my time and budget will allow.

Can anyone let me know how easy it is to get a flight to Jakarta from BKK and is it expensive? Also, what are the visa requirements?

I'm over for six weeks in Jan/Feb 06 and this maybe an option.

Thanks