It has been more than a month since I updated this blog. It is mostly because of I had an awesome Christmas holiday back in Jakarta.
Pittsburgh was cold as hell. Need. To. Migrate.
It was a total of 25 hours of flight (exclusive of the transit time). I went with Emirates so I had to go from Pittsburgh -> New York -> Dubai -> Jakarta.
This was my first time in Dubai and I didn’t think that the airport would be that nice. The duty free shops open 24 hours and you would see people from many different countries passing here and there.
Since the transit time took more than 6 hours, Emirates gave me a room. Not a super luxurious one, but it is actually nice. Very comfy bed.
Oh yeah, I also got my flight upgraded to Business class, baby! >=)
Arrived in Jakarta. The airport was packed with Indonesian workers from Dubai (on the right bottom corner of the previous photos). I took me one and a half hours just to wait until my luggage pop out on the conveyor belt!
I went outside after fetching my luggage and saw that my mom and my driver had already been waiting. Surprisingly, my mother had already booked a room in Shangrila Hotel! Awesome!
Now, off to the hotel! Ah.. beautiful Jakarta sky.. warm and sunny =)
We reached Shangrila Hotel Jakarta around 6 pm. Nice night views from the room =)
After unpacking some stuff, I went to gym for a small workout. Had a great dinner in the lobby and took a rest. I went for a bit exploring to see hotel’s swimming pool the next day. Not too shabby, eh? =)
I spent most of my time in Jakarta meeting with my good old friends. It was great because there were some that I had not seen for nearly 17 years!
This is a Sundanese restaurant in an upscale department store in Jakarta, Plaza Indonesia.
Had not been eating Indonesian food for awhile plus the huge craving I had that time, I ordered more than my capacity and ended up being very slow in finishing it.
In this restaurant, raw meats are displayed at the counter and we can choose which we want and they will cook it for us. Lots of yummy internal organs =P
Great friends from junior high school!
The outer look of the department store. And a Starbucks nearby. I had a little chat with my close friend, a fabulous jazz singer, from Perth.
You should check her and her band “Afternoon Accidental” at: http://www.myspace.com/afternoonaccidental
Jakarta has definitely undergone some serious changes since my last visit (2-3 years ago?). I did go back one time last year, but was on transit and didn’t have a chance to look around.
Classy fine dining restaurant with modern minimalistic design interior has sprouted everywhere. Wine bars are gaining popularities.
A friend of mine took me to this chic restaurant called Immigrant, located in EX – Plaza Indonesia. They surely have some nice food and cocktails.
We had a fish and chips and a plate of Indonesian lamb fried rice. Look at the size of the plate! The mojitos are great here. They call it “Green Card”, probably as a tribute for lots of expats that usually hang out here.
I spent couple of days before I went to Singapore and Myanmar to hang out with some friends from kindergarten. We did a small warm reunion with our teachers as well.
Lastly, the center of Jakarta: Thamrin Boulevard, where all the upscale hotels and foreign banks offices located. The street is always filled with cars on day at night. You can see a “Welcome to Jakarta” statue surrounded by fountains of water in the center of the picture. At night it is usually brightly lit to welcome people. Unfortunately, somehow the lamp was probably broken when I took it..
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