ATTRACTIONS

Jakarta Attractions

Jalan Jaksa area

Most South East Asian capitals have a backpacker area. This one is grubbier than most. Plopped in an unremarkable part of downtown it is thick with travel agencies and guesthouses. A few bars with live music cater to the travel crowd. The cheapest guesthouses are bare to say the least and it is worth extra money to rent a nicer room.

Jakarta Attractions

Indonesia Miniature Park/Taman Mini

Contrary to its name, the Indonesia Miniature Park covers 100 hectares of land in cultural examples of all 27 provinces that make Indonesia. The best examples of these are the architectural structures that are true to their region's traditional designs. The park also regularly hosts food sampling and cultural performances from each province. For those preferring even more exhibit variety the park has a great orchid garden, fauna museum, and bird aviary which are again representative of the wildlife from around Indonesia. Attached to Taman Mini is the Museum Indonesia which exhibits both historic and contemporary art collections.

Address: Taman Mini Indonesia Indah Complex; E-mail: info@tamanmini.com; Website: www.tamanmini.com; Telephone: (021) 840 9214; Opening time: 8am to 5pm daily; Admission: Rp 9,000

Jakarta Attractions

National Monument

Visitors will inevitably be pulled to the National Monument to inspect the enormous phallic obelisk that can be seen from much of the city. The first president Sukarno began to build the structure as a symbol of nationalism complete with 35 kilograms of gold shaped into the tip's flames. For visitors it serves as a great landmark in an otherwise confusing city centre and it also offers elevator rides to the top for a bird's eye view of the city. The surrounding park and monument are open to the public which includes a museum and hall of mediation at the monument's base.

Address: Lapangan Merdeka, Monas, Gambir; Telephone: +62 21 384 0451; Opening time: 8.30am to 5pm daily, closed last Monday of every month; Admission: free

Jakarta Attractions

Indonesia Permai Orchid Garden

The Orchid Garden in Jakarta has collected hundreds of species from around Indonesia and began several impressive gardens. The Orchid Garden in Slipi Jakarta is one of the largest in South East Asia and draws orchid enthusiasts and the casually curious alike to see some of the exotic types of the elegant flower such as the black orchid. The Slipi Orchid Garden is a commercial enterprise but is open to public viewing. A small facility near the gardens can sometimes offer classes to visiting enthusiasts in orchid cultivation and breeding. There is an indescribable attraction of certain people to orchids and these gardens are a gathering spot of both the most exotic species from around Indonesia and their admirers from around the world.

Address: Slipi suburb East Jakarta; Telephone: (021) 560 9964; Opening time: 9am to 4 pm daily

Jakarta Attractions

Kota

Kota, also called 'Old Batavia', is the surviving piece of Dutch colonial district from its heyday as the centre of Asia's trade with the west. Today the area's colonial buildings are falling into disrepair but the central cobble stone square Taman Fatahillah still lets visitors recall life in the 16th century. The area is free to roam about in although information and attractions are lacking. Yet it is a rare glimpse into the city's history which is mostly swallowed by new development elsewhere. The area is set pleasantly on the waterfront and gives a quiet and cooler reprieve from the bustle of Jakarta's inner city.

Address: Kota Fatahillah Square; Opening time: Daily; Admission: Free