Indulging in gourmet while exploring the South East      

I already explored South East Asia including Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta and Bali; and indulged in gourmet from March 8 to April 4, 2023.

The purpose of travel mainly is eating and drinking , sightseeing, shopping and experiencing the customs and cultures of different countries in order to enrich knowledge. Eating and drinking is a culture and also is an art.

4.  Jakarta Indonesia Episode Part 1：Jakarta Arrival 

Dining, Sightseeing and Shopping   

                             Tuesday, 2023/3/21  

Jakarta

Jakarta officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta is the nation's capital city and the centre of the largest metropolis of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta is the largest metropole in Southeast Asia, and serves as the diplomatic capital of ASEAN. Jakarta is bordered by two provinces: West Java to the south and east; and (since 2000, when it was separated from West Java) Banten to the west. Its coastline faces the Java Sea to the north, and it shares a maritime border with Lampung to the west. Jakarta's metropolitan area is ASEAN's second largest economy after Singapore.

Jakarta is the economic, cultural, and political centre of Indonesia. It possesses a province-level status and has a population of 10,679,951 as of mid-2022. Although Jakarta extends over only 661.23 km2 (255.30 sq mi) and thus has the smallest area of any Indonesian province, its metropolitan area covers 9,957.08 km2 (3,844.45 sq mi), which includes the satellite cities of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, South Tangerang, and Bekasi, and has an estimated population of 35 million as of 2022, making it the largest urban area in Indonesia and the second-largest in the world after Tokyo.

This city is divided into 5 districts, namely Jakarta Pusat (Central Jakarta), Jakarta Utara (North Jakarta), Jakarta Barat (West Jakarta), Jakarta Timur (East Jakarta), and Jakarta Selatan (South Jakarta). The term ‘Jabodetabek’ refers to Jakarta-Bogor-Depok-Tangerang-Bekasi - the Greater Jakarta area consists of megacities surrounding the capital.


All parts of Jakarta are studded with their own culinary icons and trending coffee shops to spend the day at. Here, you can easily find the five national foods, namely Nasi Goreng, Gado-gado, Soto, Sate, and Rendang.

Jakarta Arrival 

I flew on Malaysia Airline from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta on March 21, 2023. I arrived at Soekarno–Hatta Airport (CGK) Jakarta at about 5 pm. The lineups for customs clearing were long. I passed the customs at around 7 pm. The CGK airport is in Tangerand whereas the Millennium Hotel Sirih Jakarta is in Central Jakarta. I took the Gambir Damri CGK airport bus to Balai Kota Jakarta for 41 minutes. Fare was about CAD 4. When I arrived at the Balai Kota stop, I just walked about 5 minutes to the hotel.

▲ Airport Bus Gambir Damri

Millennium Hotel Check in

I had to pay the hotel total rents for 4,071,795 IDR = CAD 360 or USD 270. But the Canadian TD and CIBC VISA could not accept this huge number 4 million plus IDR. However, the hotel could not accept USD or Canadian dollar cash, and  suggested me to give them USD 270 as deposit. Next morning, I should give them IDR to exchange my USD deposit. 

Fortunately, my Indonesian friend Arno came to see me next morning. He exchanged my USD 300 for IDR. Therefore, I could pay the hotel for the rents in IDR. Afterward, Arno gave me a lift to Grand Hyatt Jakarta for sight-seeing, shopping and foods. Thank you Arno for great help. Also thank Johnny for the WhatsApp calls that morning.

"A friend in need is a friend indeed."

1 CAD =  11,299.53 IDR

1 USD =  15,254.37 IDR

Welcome Back from Millennium Hotel  ❤❤❤❤❤

When I returned from Bali and checked in the hotel again, I found this fruit platter on a table in my room. I was very impressed and moved by the hotel's "welcome back" complementary gift. This was my first time to eat Salak, snake fruit.

❤❤❤❤❤ Welcome back from the Millennium Hotel

Itinerary

1 CAD =  11,299.53 IDR

Air Tickets 

5. Malaysia Airline    MYR 1,164 USD 289.44 CAD385

     Depart KUL Kuala Lumpur Tue 21 Mar 16:25  =》 CGK Jakarta Tue 21 Mar 17:30 MH723

     Return CGK Jakarta Sun 26 Mar 11:10 =》 KUL Kuala Lumpur Sun 26 Mar 14:20 MH710

Malaysia Airline Official Web Site 

https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/hq/en.html

Hotel

Millennium Hotel Sirih Jakarta  

Jalan Fachruddin 3, Jakarta, Indonesia 10250 Tel: 62 21 230 3636

Tue Mar 21 – Thu Mar 23, 2023     2,794,035 IDR = CAD 247.27
Fri Mar 24 ­– Sun Mar 26, 2023       1,277,760 IDR = CAD 113.08

Millennium Hotel Sirih Jakarta Official Web Site  

https://www.millenniumhotels.com/en/jakarta/millennium-hotel-sirih-jakarta/

Next:
4. Jakarta Indonesia Episode Part 2：

    North Jakarta
    Dining, Sightseeing and Shopping

Publisher：Kar Discover