Jakarta Part 1: Giant Steps

Momentum is the best word I could choose to describe Jakarta. This fast growing city is an absolute explosion of life.

There are so many people and so many livelihoods. Just so many pouring through the streets. Everyone is on the move. By foot, bicycle, motorbike, tuktuk, car, truck … the wheels are turning and you can’t help but wonder, where are you all going? There is a real sense of determination in the air. Very persistent like the heat. And just as the heat rises, so will this city.

Pause with me here, let’s set the scene.

Jakarta: Some Context for You

Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia, located on the northwest tip of the island of Java. With 10.56 million people, this is Indonesia’s most densely populated city and the fourth most populated city in the world. This is as of 2019, so it’s estimated even higher now! The most widely spoken language in Jakarta is Javanese, closely followed by the national Indonesian language, English, Chinese, Indian, and Arabic. The lesser known indigenous languages of the peripheral islands are carried into Jakarta by the people coming to find work. Jakarta is coloured and hued with elements from each of these ethnic groups. This is a city where the borders blur and many people coexist.

I landed in Jakarta on Jan 15 at 5:30 in the afternoon. Smooth sailing through security and customs, travelling light with just my carry-on. My mandatory mis en place items included my advance tourist visa (for one month, single entry), proof of three covid vaccine doses, the national Indonesian health app downloaded, and an online customs declaration. In addition, I have the apps: WhatsApp for inernational communication; Grab, which is the Southeast Asian version of Uber; and Airbnb for accomodation. The currency is Indonesian Rupiah (idr), and I brought just over 1million (100 cad) to start off with. As I step out of the airport, the heat hits me like a wave. I book a grab electric car to my accommodation (stoked they have this option), which pulls up within a few minutes. So off I go to my private little Airbnb studio apartment in Central Jakarta. My days of dorms and bunks are long over. I’d rather spend a little bit more $ to have my space- mental and physical. The price was 21cad per night as opposed to 6 to put that in perspective. Airbnb allows you to rent from locals, who are often happy to share tips and recommendations. Airbnbs and homestays (staying with a local family) are ideal for the kind of travelling I wish to engage in this time around.

So it takes me about an hour to get to my spot (10 cad) during the evening rush hour through this working city. Down my windows go as I take in the sights, smells, sounds and vibes. We’re well on our way. It’s been 6 years since I’ve put sole to pavement in Southeast Asia. It feels like an entire lifetime has passed by in the blink of an eye. My senses swerve as my memories of this continent mix in with my present moment. Here we go; here I am, situated 12 hours ahead in time from home as I knew it, and ready to explore this world.

My First Night:

The first thing I like to do in a new country is go for a walk in the neighbourhood I’m staying in, and get something to eat. Especially if its at a local market. I also have a side mission… I need to purchase an adapter to charge my phone in the sockets here and (something I knew would be less expensive upon arrival) and get a local sim card with some data. I get a recommendation for the night market of Chinatown from the owner of my place. I drop my pack in my room, and out I go.

So hello Jakarta!! Hello to the nearly 40-degree-heat still present in the advancing evening, traffic moving in every direction, hawkers and street-food vendors shouting out, smells floating through the air, all of this coming straight at me. Each component of the environment demands attention, pulling my senses every which way. The canvas flows as if painted in water colours, each colour more vibrant than the next. With each step, I get my footing, orienting myself to the everyday life of the people of Jakarta.

Layout of the City:

Jakarta is divided into districts. And these districts are divided into a conglomeration of villages known as kampung . A beautiful little mosaic of life: a patchwork of houses and shops. Jakarta has seen immense growth since the 1990s, economically and architecturally. The growth has created many jobs, so tons of people have moved here or commute here daily. Tons of skyscrapers line the horizon, and lots more are going up. This megacity holds many opportunities. The kampung are now crossed by main roads and superhighways as a result. These roads are like the veins and arteries of Jakarta, leading the people where they must go to sustain Jakarta’s growth. These major roads look to the future of Jakarta, while the smaller streets and alleys of the kampung preserve the past. They hold down the rich and diverse culture and traditions of this crossroads of the world.

In Tokyo I found the yokocho of Shinjuku, and now the kampung of Jakarta. In other words, I struck gold! For it is here that you can step from one world into another; slipping from the present into the past. I love to trace the formation of a city back to its roots. Among the kampung lie the open-air markets: the heartbeat of it all.

Present time:

I stayed in the district of Central Jakarta, in an area of the kampung called Kota Tua, for three nights. Kota Tua is known as the old town, within which lies Glodok, or China town. The architecture is composed of many pagoda-style roof lines marking the sky, worn-down Dutch colonial-style buildings, among the simple cement mid-rise dwellings typically found in the cities of Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries. There are also some beautifully ornate Chinese and Buddhist temples among these streets.

The market of China town was just amazing!! I count my blessings for choosing this part of the city to stay, on the week leading up to Chinese New Year. There is so much festivity in the air. I walked through the Glodok gates, and the first layer of the market is selling lanterns and decorations, so the bright red and gold draws me right in, painting celebration into the scene. There were sweet shops, with candies of every colour, shape, texture and size to choose from. Once I moved through this outer layer along the main street, I found an opening down a little alley in the midst of all the red and gold. Down the rabbit hole to tons of stalls and shops lining narrower and narrower streets and alleys, as I peel back the layers to the heart of the kampung.

Glodok

Night markets carry their own unique vibe. They focus mainly on serving up local dishes to the neighbourhood: people out to dinner, the after-work crowd, and maybe a few outsiders like me. (Though I barely saw any tourists during my time in Jarkarta). Many people come here for a bite to eat, yes, but there is definitely more of a social, laid back element present. People come to hang out; the neighbouring stalls celebrate the day’s work together, decompress, gossip, and close up shop. The sights and sounds, the smells wafting from the food stalls pulled me every which way; a feast for the senses. The local food provides an intimate glimpse into the Indonesian and Chinese culture here within Jakarta. And what a great place to be for people watching. But don’t get me wrong, I was being watched just as closely. I savour a scene that carries an air of mystery: there is always more to what lies on the surface.

Sitting with the locals:

The first thing I tried here in Jakarta was a Kerak telor. This is a traditional Indonesian dish: a spicy omelette made with sticky rice and egg, with toppings of shallots, dried shrimp, and shredded coconut added. It is cooked over charcoal fire like most street food here in Jakarta. And of course this had to be accompanied with sambal, the traditional Indonesian chili sauce. Don’t worry, there will be more on food later :)

Padang-style food display of traditional Indonesian dishes

Blending with the scene, sitting down at these infamous plastic tables and chairs of Southeast Asia, I get the honour of sharing a meal alongside people in the open air of this market. An atmosphere that has been calling me back for years. The people are united, living life. And this is the kind of moment I come back to, again to realize that we’re not all that different from one another.

The momentum of the evening calls out to me. I grab an adapter (3 cad) and a sim card with 7gigs (8 cad) in a little shop nearby. Lanterns lead me through the darkening lanes of the kampung, lighting my way past the shops, the porches and homes. My dimeanor starts to unwind what is seen as chaos to start with, step-by-step, I’m settling into the shape of life as Jakarta knows it. And here another layer unravels: this is when I first hear the prayers of the mosques coming through the speakers, mixing into the scene. Something so rich and so personal, yet universal. Coexistence is ever present in the kampung… Who are we speaking to? Where are we heading? These thoughts float on into the evening.

Listen:

GRIND: Get Ready It’s a New Day

Time to see Jakarta in the morning light.

The daytime markets line portions of the streets, like concentrated versions of their nightly counterparts. They have a renewed sense of hustle, matching the rising heat of the day. The streets are filled with commuters, endless streams of motorbikes rush by. As I take it step by step, I focus on not letting my guard down, letting my gaze wander too far, or taking a step in an unpredictable direction. There is always a motorbike present, usually within inches. 1-2-3-4 people on one, with any combination of items in tow you might conjure up. You’re lucky to have a sidewalk, but don’t think the motorbikes won’t go there too. It’s sort of a free-for-all. If there is space, the people will take it and use it to move ahead. The horn works as an: “I’m here and I’m going” announcement. You even see food stalls rigged-up on bicycles and motorbikes, with projectors announcing what they’re serving up. There is no place for anything but a calm and collected mind. Its sort of a practice in meditation for me if you can dig it.

Good Morning Jakarta!

There’s something for everyone here. People selling anything you might need.

Produce, meat, fish, snacks, drinks, clothes, electronics, cookware. All laid out in neat lines and piles, opposing the chaos that fills the streets. The fruit is always so enticing to me. The familiar favourites like pineapple, lychee and dragon fruit are here, along with the less familiar like mangosteen, sour oranges and jackfruit. And of course there is the infamous (and stinky) culprit, the durian, looking menacing as always in its spiky shell. This is a delicacy in the Southeast Asian scene that I haven’t adjusted to quite yet. If you know you know.

I find a little market near my place that I end up visiting each morning. This works wonders to get the day started. Who needs a coffee when you get this sensory slap out of bed. Just kidding though, the coffee here is amazing too. The purple dragon fruit is what I’m after first and foremost; the perfect breakfast if you ask me. I have a particular stand I’ve become a regular at. I’d buy one (for 5k idr/).40 cad), and have my guy slice it up. I’ve found a front stoop to perch on, just outside the market’s main drag; a nice point of view to watch the morning scene of this world unfold.

Strolling on, I spot the sea cucumbers and think to myself how bizarre they look to me. I love that feeling of bewilderment. They’re just lined up and floating in tubs water, waiting to be taken home and transformed into a delicacy. They’re actually marine animals called echinoderm. I may or may not have touched one when no one was looking… and let me tell you, the texture is just as startling as the appearance. I had to do a little research to get to the bottom of that one.

Over the next few days I continued my explorations by wandering through the kampung streets, along the river and canals. As I make my way through the paths and alleys of Jakarta, I gather glimpses into realities very much alternate to my own. There’s layers beyond layers. I’m reminded of opening up a pomegranate and peeling back the pulp to find the seeds. I walk along rivers and canals lined with little homes. I get equally as many looks of puzzlement as smiles. Most people just ignore me and go about their day. The exception is the kids, who love interacting with me. They follow me along as far as they can, shouting “halo!” then running back to their homes. The kampung are lively with neighbours interacting, tons of beautiful little gardens being tended to, and everyone using their space to the fullest. The people of Jakarta demonstrate how content they can be with what they have here in this space and time. I take a seat by the river, remembering just how many ways we can define and make a home.