Indonesia: Kuta Beach in Bali

Since I'm on the topic of Indonesia, I realized I had not written about my trip to Bali last year. So hopefully, I finish that this week. Bali is a culturally exciting destination. The richness of its culture and heritage, so much different from the rest of Indonesia, is most definitely worth the trip.

It's also famous for Kuta Beach which is teeming with tourists, particularly surfers. Since my flight arrived quite late in the evening, I ended up having to rely on the taxi I rode to help me find a place to sleep. I told him Kuta when I should have said Legian which is where most of the cheaper accommodation can be found. Kuta is both a district and a village. Kuta District contains the villages of Kuta and Legian.

Anyway, the taxi took me into one of the small side streets where there were several hotels. I was expecting it to be cheap but unfortunately, the rooms were a bit pricey for budget travel. I ended up having to spend a lot for the room since it was late and I was too tired to look for one.

The next morning, I realized why even the rooms in the interior were pricey. I was in the high-end resort area of Kuta Village. After walking around the beach, I planned my next three days. I decided to take a van to Ubud, Bali's culture town, which would serve as my base as I explore the rest of the island.

Indonesia: Roti Tape Pisang Special at a warung kopi in Kelapa Gading

In a previous trip to Jakarta, I had a hawker food overload in Kelapa Gading. There was a lot of stuff I really enjoyed. So during this trip, after dinner with SSEAYP friends, I made sure to drop by again.

Unfortunately, on the way there, it started to rain really hard. So by the time we arrived in Wisma Gading, the warung were closing shop much earlier than schedule (it was a Friday night even) since the rains had prevented people from trooping over for yummy servings of warung food.


Good thing there was one warung open which served dessert roti. The warung kopi served roti panggang or grilled bread. Yes, you heard me right, grilled! It's the basic loaf bread sandwich with fillings that include chocolate, pineapple or strawberry jam, peanut butter, egg, corn or cheese or a combination of these. Then the sandwich is grilled to a toast over hot charcoal.


We chose the Roti Serikaya which is grilled coconut custard sandwich, and Roti Tape Pisang Spesial. Tape is fermented cassava while pisang is banana. They grill the tape and bananas first before placing them between the bread together with butter, cheese and chocolate sprinkles called meises (influence from the Dutch chocolade hagelslag). Then they grill the sandwich and slice it into bite-sized pieces.

It's damn good! And you could really taste the fermented tape. Eating tape is actually an acquired taste. So if you're not an adventurous eater, you're better off with the safer choices.


Anyway, since I was frustrated that we didn't get to binge on more warung food, we tried to look for hawker stall or food outlet that was still open. And we saw two across the street. One was a Chinese restaurant which served food very common in Medan. Contrary to popular belief, they do serve pork in Jakarta, particularly in areas where there is a high concentration of Chinese.


The restaurant is called Kaca Mata. We had a sampler plate which included Bebek Panggang Peking (grilled Peking duck), Siobak or Babi Panggang (roasted pork belly which tastes more like lechon kawali) and Chasio Garing Madu (honeyed barbecued pork which tastes like tocino) and Chasio Biasa. Cha sio or char siu is barbecued pork which is very popular in Medan.

Thanks to Ron Rada for this food adventure in Kelapa Gading and the previous one in 2007! For an even more comprehensive feature of food in Kelapa Gading, check out Indonesian food trip.

Indonesia: Sate overload at Jakarta's Jalan Sabang hawker street

Three years ago, when I first visited Jakarta, I was introduced to the sate stalls of Jalan Sabang, a popular hawker street in Jakarta. For the lack of a better way to describe the peanut sauce that accompanied the sate ayam (chicken skewers), it tasted like heaven! I have had a lot of sate in my various trips around Southeast Asia. And nothing comes close to the peanut sauce I had in Jalan Sabang.


So I made sure to visit Jalan Sabang again during this trip. Unfortunately, I could not remember which stall we ate at previously. So I picked two stalls, one recommended by my friends and the taxi driver himself at the street corner, and another along the street where I saw a lot of customers.

The sate ayam along the street costs Rp16000 for 10 sticks which includes glutinous rice called lontong (something like suman) which they cut up into small pieces and include with the sauce. It was really good. But I remember it being richer the last time I had it.



At the street corner of Jalan Sabang, I got ten more sticks of sate ayam at Rp14000, and ten sticks of sate kambing (mutton skewers) for Rp30000. They serve nasi putih (plain rice) here. But I decided to forgo on the extra carbs.

That was worth the trip. Unfortunately, food in Indonesia is surprisingly more expensive than in the Philippines. I spent Rp68000 for that street food meal which is about Php340. Well most things are.

Anyway, for an even more comprehensive feature of food in Java, Indonesia, check out my previous post Indonesian food trip.

Indonesia: Around the Bogor Botanical Gardens (Kebun Raya Bogor)

One of the cities I missed visiting during my previous trips to Indonesia is Bogor. The main attraction of Bogor are the Kebun Raya Bogor or Bogor Botanical Gardens and the Presidential Palace which can be seen from the gardens.

From the Gambir Station in Jakarta, I took a train to Bogor which takes about an hour and costs Rp11000. From the Bogor Train Station, which was built in 1881 (the good thing about Indonesia is that their old train stations have been preserved), I walked to the Tourist Information Center a few meters away to ask for a map and directions to the Bogor Botanical Gardens. Basically, from the entrance of the station, you make a right. You'll see signs pointing towards the information center.


From the Tourist Information Center, it's a one-kilometer walk to the Kebun Raya Bogor. Along the way, you'll see a number of Dutch colonial buildings. There is only one open gate to the botanical gardens. Entrance fee is Rp9500.

The 80-hectare garden opened in 1817 and today contains over 15,000 species of trees and plants. It continues its tradition as a major center for botanical research. Noteworthy in the collection are 400 types of exceptional palms and 3,000 varieties of orchids.



Unless you have a private vehicle, be prepared for a lot of walking. And make sure to have lunch at Cafe de Daunan, a restaurant in the middle of the gardens. Its pleasant location up a hill offers a refreshing view of the plants and trees.

I ordered a plate of Rijsttafel, which is a little of everything: rice served with various dishes of fried chicken (ayam goreng), marinated beef, sautéed bean cake, spicy egg and shrimp, traditional vegetable dishes, and spicy potato and peanuts. For drinks, I had Es Kelapa Muda, which is coconut juice with vanilla syrup!

I walked towards the Orchid House where some really nice blooms were on display. But the bulk of their collection of Indonesian species is actually in the green houses behind the main display.


Lucky for me, a Rafflesia patma was in full bloom today in another section of the garden. The flower only lasts a few days and is rarely seen. It was such a big thing that they were installing signs that day pointing visitors to the rafflesia flower.

While you're there, also make sure to check out the Presidential Palace which can be seen from the lake of the gardens. It's where you take those "I've been to Bogor" photos.


I didn't stay too long and took the train back to Jakarta before dark. Unfortunately, I was met by Jakarta's notorious traffic. And I learned that taxi meters in Jakarta are very sensitive to traffic if you know what I mean!

Indonesia: Around Jakarta's old Kota District and Sunda Kelapa Port

I'm back in Jakarta, Indonesia. And one of the first places I visited was Jakarta Old Town (Kota Tua Jakarta), also known as Old Batavia (Oud Batavia), the seat of government of Indonesia under Dutch colonial rule. It's a heritage district which is very much intact, having been saved from any WWII bombings which devastated Philippine cities like Manila. Sadly, most of the buildings are unused and in a state of decay. But a visit to the old Kota District makes an interesting walking tour.

I asked the taxi to drop me off close to Taman Fatahillah (Fatahillah Square) where the former Stadhuis (city hall) of Batavia still stands. This structure built in 1710 houses the Jakarta History Museum (Museum Sejarah Jakarta), which is also called the Fatahillah Museum or Batavia Museum.

Among the items you'll find in the museum are objects from the Dutch East Indies Company, historic maps, paintings, ceramics, furnitures and archeological objects from the prehistoric era. Entrance to the museum is Rp2000.

Also around Fatahillah Square are two other museums namely the Wayang Museum and the Fine Arts and Ceramics Museum.



The Wayang Museum is a showcase of Javanese wayang puppetry. The current building is located in a site previously occupied by the Old Dutch Church built in 1640. The church was destroyed by an earthquake in 1808. The garden of the Wayang Museum is the former yard of the Dutch church, the burial place of Governor General Jan Pieterszoon Coen and other governors general.

The current building dates back to 1912, initially functioning as a warehouse of the Geo Wehry and Co. The building got its current look in 1938 when it was adjusted to Dutch colonial architecture.

Inside the museum are various kinds of wayang, such as wayang kulit and wayang golek. Entrance to the museum is Rp2000.


The Fine Arts and Ceramic Museum (Museum Seni Rupa dan Keramik) is a showcase of paintings of local artists and ceramics of Indonesia. The building where it is currently housed was completed in 1870, and was used as the Court of Justice. Entrance to the museum is Rp2000.


I took an ojek (motorcycle for hire) to Sunda Kelapa, the old port of Jakarta which has been in continuous use since the 12th century. It was the main port of Sunda Kingdom of Pajajaran. The old Sunda Kelapa port only accommodates pinisi or Makassarese schooners, a traditional two masted wooden ship. There are guides in the tourist information office who can take you up the boats. But you'll have to haggle for the guide fee.


Nearby is the old Uitkijk Lookout Tower which offers a great view of the Sunda Kelapa Port.


I took an ojek back to Kota (Rp10000) and was dropped off at the Jakarta Kota Train Station, another heritage landmark. The station, completed in 1870 and renovated in 1926, is a combination of Western Art Deco and local architecture styles.

Outside you'll notice some of the traditional modes of public transport in Jakarta, the bajaj (pronounced as bajay, their local tricycle) and the mikrolet (the local version of the multicab).



Walking around, you can see a lot of the buildings still standing. In 1972, then Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin issued a decree that officially designated the Jakarta Kota area a heritage site, as part of efforts to preserve the city's architectural heritage. Slowly, the different buildings are being restored. But the slow progress has left many of the buildings in a state of decay.

At least Indonesia is lucky it still has something to restore. For Manila, not much is left. Which is why we fight hard to preserve the little that is left. It's close to impossible to bring back what is no longer there.