Jakarta 2016

We decided to hop over to Jakarta last month (sans the kids) for our anniversary trip.  My last visit was back in 2012. This is my 6^th visit to this bustling capital city of Indonesia. Since it was only us, we decided on a reasonably-priced, and fuss-free hotel that has a good location – Holiday Inn Express Thamrin.

Holiday Inn Express Thamrin is strategically located in central Jakarta. The Grand Indonesia mall is only a stone away (7 minutes’ walk). I did not intend to do a lot of sightseeing, because I’ve been to most of the places on interests before. Main agenda – eat and shop. It’s about an hour away from the airport, and if you take a cab, it would cost you about SGD 20-30, depending on traffic. And traffic was horrible! You can book the “blue bird” taxi at the taxi counter, located just outside the immigration exit. I’ve never used any other taxi companies other than Blue Bird. Highly recommended.

 Here’s my take on the hotel

1.        I’ll say it again. Awesome location!

2.        Room size is just right for 2 people. We are out most of the time in the day, so it’s good for us. Now, if you have kids, you might find this a little cramp.

3.        There’s no pool, which is fine with us. You might want to think again if you are bringing kids. 🙂

4.        Breakfast spread is average, but they do have a “to-go” pack if you are in a rush (consists of coffee, sandwich and muffin).

5.        Efficient housekeeping. We had a little trouble with the door lock, and it was fixed right away. Room is cleaned daily and toiletries replaced daily too.

Overall, it’s really a good base to explore Jakarta. Highly recommended for business and couples.   

 

Remember my agenda? Eat and shop. So here’s my take on shopping malls and restaurants. I came to Jakarta with a list of things that I wanted to buy and eat. 

Malls

1.        Grand Indonesia Mall
One of the biggest mall in Jakarta that is literally filled up with international brands. Definitely not a place for bargain hunters. But I love this mall because of its dining options. I went here for all 4 days when I was in Jakarta and ate in different eateries all the time. There’s a cinema on the top level and I must say that I love the experience of sitting on a bed and watching “Captain America”

 

2.        Tanah Abang Market
Biggest textile market. Bargain hunters, please come here. Local’s wholesalers paradise. It’s a huuuuggggeee place. About 10 minutes taxi ride from where we stayed. One thing I learned – when you see something nice, just buy it. Stop telling yourself “it’s ok. I’ll come back in a while”, because you may never be able to find the shop again. There tower A and B and too many corners. It’s a mess, but I love to shop here. The “I love Jakarta” t-shirts go at 6 for SGD10. Great place to buy souvenirs. It closes at 4pm, and opens at 5am. Best to go right after breakfast and leave by 2pm, because the traffic there gets really crazy. By 3 pm, you can see some shops closing as the owners make their way to the streets of Jakarta to sell their stuffs, at a higher price.

 

3.        ITC Mangga Dua
Shoes, jewelry, textile, cushions, luggage, electronics etc. Basically, anything that you want, you can find it here. A place for bargain hunters. Prices for clothes are slightly higher than Tanah Abang. Everything else is reasonably cheap. I came here at 9am, and some shops are still close. And the shops here closes late (9pm or so), so you can opt to come here later. And don’t forget to get freshly preserved mangoes here. Simply delicious!

 

Food

Unlike Bali, majority of the people in Jakarta are Muslims, so halal food is widely available.

Mangia Rasa Indonesia

Grand Indonesia Shopping Town
West Mall 5th floor
Jl. M.H. Thamrin, Central Jakarta
Phone number: +62-21 7279 9674
Opening hours: Everyday from 10am to 10pm (midnight on weekends)

Colette & Lola
Awesome looking cakes!

 Fook Yew – Shanghai Bistro & Bubble Tea Lab
Loved their crab steamed bun.

 
Sushi Grove
Try their Unagi Don!

 
Popolamama
Italian food with a reasonable price tag.

 
Warung Leko
Never leave without trying the Gurame fish.

 
Magnum café
Ice cream at its best!

Shuttle train (SG – JB)

Johor Bahru (JB). Great place to find food at a reasonable price, especially with the current exchange rate (1 SGD = 2.93 RM). Typically, I get to JB by car. On the average it will take you about 30 mins to drive across including Custom clearance. However, during peak period (Public holidays, eve of Public holidays, school holidays, Friday nights), it will take you around 2 hours or so. There were times when I was stuck in the jam for about 4 hours. For current traffic conditions, log on to www.onemotoring.com.sg

So over the weekend, I decided to try out the shuttle train to go to JB. It’s now called the Terbrau Shuttle. Kids were super excited because it’s their first time travelling on a train to JB. The last time I took a train to Malaysia (Malacca to be exact) was probably 30 years back. Back in the days, almost everyone I knew took the train to Malaysia. And because travelling on 2^nd class or 1^st class cabins were too pricey for us back then, we normally took the 3^rd class cabin. Free seating. So yeah, imagine the chaos! So my memories of taking the train to Malaysia consist of smelly toilets, being pushed around to get seats, squeezing myself in between my siblings in the seat compartments, and getting yelled at for repeatedly asking “Are we there yet?!!!” Hahaha!

So back to Terbrau Shuttle. Tickets can be bought online,https://intranet.ktmb.com.my/e-ticket/login.aspx. It’s SGD 5 (one way SIN-JB), and it’s RM 5 (one way JB-SIN). Please print your e-tickets in hardcopy. The gate will open only 30 mins prior to departure time. Customs clearance will take you about 10 mins. The good thing is that at any one time, there’s only 1 train that departs from the station, so the customs clearance for both Singapore and Malaysia will not take you more than 15 minutes. The journey itself is about 5 minutes long. Yeap, no traffic jam. We did saw a long trail of cars as we passed by the link bridge, and they were probably stuck for hours since it was the Easter holidays. We took the 4.30pm train and arrived in JB at 4.35pm. It’s free seating but seats are comfortable and there’s enough seats for everyone on board. It was a very pleasant experience, and I will use the shuttle train again when I go to JB. And maybe in the near future, I’ll try taking the train to Kuala Lumpur. 🙂

Hello Eid 2015!

It’s been a while! I’ve been saving up a few posts in my folder, but I just couldn’t find the time to upload it. Technically, it’s still the monthbof Syawal, so happy Eid to all my Muslim brothers and sisters! I hope you guys had a blast,because I certainly did. I look forward to Eid, not just because of the food, but the opportunity to meet up with close friends and relatives.
Happy Eid from me!

Hello Ramadhan

The holy month of Ramadhan is here. Thank you Allah, for giving me the chance to embrace it again. I am a Muslim, and proud to be one. Every day, I pray to be a better Muslim. Disclaimer: I’m not a terrorist and I don’t go around bombing people/building/everything. I am not an Islamic extremist.

I like peace. I like living with people of different religions and races. Singapore is not an Islamic country; we are a multi-racial country, who welcomes people of all races and religion. We don’t go around chopping people’s hands if they are caught stealing. You will go to jail instead. Neither do we stone people to death if they are caught having marital affairs. You will get caught, and face the wrath of your spouse. Heh heh! God will deal with you later. 

Anyway, back to Ramadhan. Now, in this holy month, Muslims around the world fast (abstain from eating and drinking). The fast begins at dawn and ends at sunset. You can read more here.
One of the things I love about fasting is, I get to lose some weight. Wooohooo!!! The first week of fasting is always the hardest. Do I get thirsty? Yes. Do I get hungry? Yes. It’s all in the mind…haha! Endure….for the sake of Allah.

And I tell you, the snacks/food that they sell in the Ramadhan Bazaar is so deliciously sinful. Every year, without fail, I always see new stalls selling awesome snacks/desserts popping out. And these stalls are usually run by creative, young entrepreneurs. I read an article the other day that there’ll be fried ice rolls?! Definitely will check that out!

Picture credits

Camping at Sisters’ Island

I’ve always been an outdoor person and one of the things that I love doing is camping. I’ve been to plenty of camps during my school days and when I was a youth/adult volunteer and I love every single one of them. I would love to see my kids enjoying camping as much as I do, so I decided to look around for good camping grounds. There is really not much camping options in this sunny Singapore. The most popular spots are East Coat and Pasir Ris. These camping spots are near the beach and cafes/shops are all within walking distance. Well, that’s not really very authentic. So after much research, I decided to explore one of the southern islands near Singapore – Sisters’ Island. A few things to note:

1. Camping permit is a must. You might get away by not applying for permit, but hey, safety first. By getting this permit, a notification will also be sent to the Marine police to inform them that there are campers during that period of time. Permit is free. Send them an email (7 working days) with your name, the number of days you would like to stay and the number of people: administrator@sentosa.com.sg
2. How to get there: There are no regular ferry services, so you will need to charter a boat. It will cost you approx SGD 180 for a return trip (12 people per boat).Take the train to Marina South Pier. There are several boat operators. Different operators may charge differently. Go test your bargaining skills. Boat ride will take acround 15 minutes.
3. Available facilities : Toilets, 3 bbq pits, benches, shelters (all at first come, first serve basis)It’s really back to basics, so bring your own food, charcoal (or you can collect your own firewood), water (water from the tap is not recommended for drinking. Please boil first), tents, lights etc. No electricity. No lights.

It was really nice to be away from all the hustle and bustle of city life, and just enjoy my time with the family.  We had fun talking, lazing around, swimming and just enjoy the simple things in life.