Traveling to Jakarta and Living in Indonesia as a Digital Nomad Expat

Prices converted to USD

Hotels in Jakarta

Hotels I stayed at in Jakarta
Ana Hotel: This was the best overall hotel with all things considered. Excellent and friendly customer service. Great price. Unbeatable location in the epicenter of Jakarta. Cool Bohemian interior design in the rooms and lobby. Little noise from outside, despite being in the center of the city. Some issues with noise from neighboring rooms. The bathroom doesn’t provide the best privacy, and there’s no hand soap unless you use the dispenser in the shower. Larger rooms than comparable hotels nearby (especially if you opt for the room with two beds). I had some issues with hot water during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ana Hotel in Central Jakarta, near the Grand Indonesia mall

The Bellevue Suite (Aston): Very nice rooms and a very nice lobby. Staff were kind enough to cook my ramen free-of-charge. I found it odd that the laundry service was so expensive (I paid more for laundry than for the room and seven times what I paid at the laundry provider around the corner). Some cockroaches in the bathroom and small bugs on the bed. The noise was pretty bad with roaring motorcycles outside and ~4:00am walk-up calls from the mosque outside. Overall good value for price, especially given the nice pool and access to a gym.

The Bellevue Suite Aston Hotel in South Jakarta, near Pondak Indah

Reddoorz Plus near Senayan City: Clean, modern, good price. My biggest issue with this place was the customer service. When I told the staff about a broken shelf in the bathroom, they tried to charge me for it!

Reddoorz Plus @ Boulevard Residence BSD Tangerang: Not the best hotel, but probably fine if you’re used to 1-star hotels or hostels. Location is good. Mislabeled as a 3-star hotel.

Plaza 54 Residence: As a hotel, this place is excellent given the price and location. After trying out a few places, I decided to return here. The customer service isn’t fantastic, and there is no early check-in or a place to store your luggage. It’s a bit awkward that the showers don’t have a place for you to put your soap or shampoo. But overall, great value for money, and I would definitely return due to the quality of room that you receive for the price.

Simple Hotel Jakarta Wahid Hasyim: This is a very well-run, professional hotel with a good price. The customer service standards are comparable to what I experienced in the more touristic-centric Bangkok hotels. Incredibly quiet. The design is great and modern. My room didn’t have a real window but had a nice fake window with fake greenery…as though I were looking into a forest. There was no gym.

Ara Hotel Gading Serpong (Tangerang): Nice, roomy hotel at a fair price. Comparable to what I’d expect in the USA or Canada but at a lower price.

Ashley Jakarta Wahid Hasyim: Very nice hotel with an elegant design almost everywhere, professional staff, a gym, restaurant, and nice lobby. The room is quiet. The room isn’t as large as Ana Hotel’s, but the bathroom was better and more private. Very nice dining area. Some ants on the desk. The most convenient wifi I experienced in all of Jakarta with no password required. I had to change rooms because of defective air conditioning; the second room was not as nice but still fine. Free breakfast was a nice perk. Definitely consider this place if you find a good price as I did.

Erian Hotel: Super modern. Good service. No gym. Decent price.

Hotels I visited/considered in Jakarta
Hotel Shalva Jakarta: Excellent location near Grand Indonesia. Nice bed. Big TV. Nice bathroom. Dirty marks on wall. Good price. Not as spacious as Ana Hotel.

Grand Picasso Hotel: Excellent lobby. Great price. Rooms are are not as nice or as spacious as depicted on Agoda.

All Seasons Jakarta Thamrin Hotel: Nice rooms with cool/unique design. Nice, large lobby. Professional staff. Good price. Convenient location.

Kemang Eleven: Great price in a very convenient location in Kemang. Minimalist design. Great budget choice.

Triniti Hotel Gajah Mada: Great price for a nice hotel in a fairly convenient location in central Jakarta. Make sure you specify non-smoking room.

Oria Hotel Jakarta: Spacious rooms with a well-designed backdrop behind the bed. The hotel feels slightly dated, but the rooms look as though they were renovated fairly recently to look more modern.

Hotels in Bandung
Swiss-Belresort Dago Heritage: The nicest hotel I stayed at in Indonesia. Excellent view at the top of a hill overlooking a golf course. Nice bathroom. Nice bed. Professional service. Really nice pool with a tremendous view. Nice breakfast with multiple pastries.

The Jayakarta Suites Bandung: This was a fine-enough hotel with a nice resort-like feel outside. The building is a bit too old-fashioned for me, and the service was okay. It was nice that they offered in-room massages.

Hotel in Bali
Swiss-Belinn Legian: Nice hotel. Nice shower. Good location. Friendly but odd customer service. They only clean the rooms once every two days and they struggled with my request for a towel.

Hotel in Surabaya
Premier Place Surabaya Airport: Nice hotel conveniently located near the airport. Met all my expectations.

Odd things I noticed about hotel bathrooms in Indonesia…

• The bathrooms aren’t as private as you’d expect. There’s often a window between the bedroom and the bathroom or between the bedroom and the outdoors. In most cases there’s a curtain you can pull down, but I still find the design choice odd.
• The bathrooms often look much older and underdeveloped relative to the rest of the hotel (or apartment).
• Sometimes they don’t provide hand soap.
• You’ll usually get a free toothbrush and toothpaste, a luxury you rarely receive in North American hotels. This is even true in very cheap hotels that expect you to use shower gel as hand soap. Often they’ll even give you a new toothbrush each day!

Finding a place to stay in Indonesia

My number one resource for finding places to stay is the Agoda website and mobile app. It’s incredibly convenient for comparing daily prices, and you can switch the pricing to the currency you’re most familiar with. I used the app almost daily. Agoda isn’t perfect, however:

• I don’t trust the star ratings because I stayed at a 1-star hotel in Tangerang that was rated 3 stars on the Agoda app.
• I don’t like the pricing filter. When I set a price ceiling, the app algorithm automatically assumes I want cheap hotels such as RedDoorz even though there are plenty of better hotels within my budget.

You can use other resources such as Travelio, Traveloka, Airbnb, and Booking (owned by the same company as Agoda).

I found “residences” by simply walking around neighborhoods such as Kuningan. These are serviced apartments that are basically like hotel rooms that you rent on a month-to-month basis. Unlike hotels, however, they usually provide free laundry service 6 or 7 days per week!

You may face some discrimination as a foreigner at places such as Singapore Residence in Kuningan.

Residences (serviced apartments) in Jakarta

Residences I rented in Jakarta (Kuningan)
Suites at Seven: Very cool boutique design including a waterfall in the lobby. This residence feels like a hidden gem in the forest. My room overlooked an artificial river which was cleaned each morning by the staff. The rooms are very spacious with high ceilings. The lighting is a bit dark, and the bathroom showers are not that modern, but overall the place is quite impressive. Staff clean your room and clothing daily. You have convenient access to the super chic cafe outside, the restaurant upstairs, and the downstairs restaurant. You have access to a small but functional gym. You will see the occasional bug in your apartment, but the biggest drawback of this place is the noise. Depending on which side of the residence you live in, you may hear excessive shouting from people playing badminton or tennis morning and night. The all-inclusive price is $519 per month.

Plaza 54 Residence: Though not as nice as the hotel wing of the facility, the residence is perfectly fine at a great price of only $311 per month, excluding electricity. This includes daily cleaning and laundry, excluding underwear unless you tip. The facility has a fairly modern design — note the wooden panels outside each room. The room has a nice design with a comfortable and large bed. The bathroom is somewhat small and minimalist. I ran into a couple of issues with hot water and leaky air conditioning, but the staff addressed these issues quickly once I wrote them on Whatsapp. DO NOT EMAIL IF YOU WANT SERVICE IN THIS COUNTRY :) Staff are always available to help you, but they have a somewhat casual attitude towards customer service (e.g., playing video games and lying a couch). I’m not saying this is wrong, but just don’t expect the same degree of professionalism that you’ll find at the hotels. The biggest drawback of this residence (and the reason I won’t return) is the noise. Some people complain about the noise from the mosque outside, but for me, the biggest issue was the notification sounds from people on their laptops and phones in the dining area opposite my room.

Jakarta is generally very cheap (cost of living in Indonesia)

• Jakarta is rated #12 on the Asia 3-Star Traveler Index: https://www.priceoftravel.com/4138/asia-3-star-traveler-index-2014-30-cities-cheapest-expensive/
• I paid around $12–30 per night for 3 and 4 star hotels. Note that these prices were likely deflated during the COVID-19 lockdown. One of my best deals was $18 per night at a 4-star hotel in Menteng, including breakfast!
• I stayed at Plaza 54 Residence for $311 per month, including daily room cleaning and laundry (excluding underwear). I had to pay more for electricity.
• Suites at Seven cost $519 per month, including daily laundry, daily room cleaning, and electricity.
• Upper-body massages at hair salons/barber shops cost around $4 for about an hour. You’ll pay more for full-body massages from more massage-centric places, say $11–22.
• A very nice haircut for men will cost less than $5. Throw in a beard trim and short massage, and you’ll pay $8.
• A full warteg (street food) meal will cost just $1, excluding a drink.
• A can of western Red Bull — $1.38
• Can of Coke: less than $0.50
• Meal in a modern mall: $8.50
• Laundry cleaned and folded in 1 day: $3–5. Laundry service in this country is amazing: high quality, fast, and cheap. Avoid doing laundry in hotels as it’s typically overpriced. Laundry is generally included in residences (serviced apartments).
• Laundry in hotel: Too much money. Don’t do it unless it’s free!
• Laundry in residence: Free. You might need to pay a $1 tip to have your underwear cleaned.
• Occasionally, you’ll pay higher prices than you would in western countries. I believe I paid $7–11 for a can of Coke at the nightclub Dragonfly. I believe I almost paid $11 for a little package of imported strawberries.
• Grab/Gojek (Uber equivalent) ride in a car: $1-$5. Motorcycle rides are around half the price, but I never tried them due to safety concerns.
• Sales taxes are either nonexistent or lower than I’m used to paying in Canada. The highest I recall paying was 10%. I believe they are adding taxes for Netflix and ecommerce.
• Tipping is not expected in most situations such as restaurants. Occasionally you’ll find a mandatory “service charge” on your bill. There are some situations where you may be obligated to tip, such as when someone helps direct your traffic to and out of parking.
• Many places will charge you a small “parking fee” even when your Grab (Uber equivalent) car doesn’t actually park. This is a fee for entering the area where they pick you up.
• You’ll be charged toll fees for highway access.
• Many places will not accept your credit or debit card unless you pay a minimum amount of around $4.
• I struggled getting many apps to accept my credit and debit cards, including Gojek for taxis and food delivery and Shopee for ecommerce. I wasn’t able to top-up my Smartfren data with my card. The convenience store Indomaret also wouldn’t accept my foreign cards.
• Getting cash was generally not an issue as I was almost always able to find an ATM in a convenience store that accepted my Canadian debit card. But still, many ATMs wouldn’t accept my card, including all-but-one of the ATMs in the mall in Kemang. I found this surprising as this is an expat-centric neighborhood.
• ATM withdrawal limits vary, but often you cannot take out more than $70 at a time. The way you get around this is just by repeatedly using the same ATM over and over to withdraw money. The bank tellers had no way to help me, so this was how I paid rent at my residence.
• A visit to a doctor or dentist in a proper facility, including medicine, admin fees, etc. will be around $50–75.

What I love (and don’t love) about technology and texting in Indonesia

The amount of texting here is excessive. When you order a taxi or food delivery from Grab or Gojek, you’ll be bombarded with unnecessary texts confirming what you already ordered and almost always beginning with the message “OK.” Indonesian culture is ripe with redundancies like these that make the economy laid back but inefficient.

Many (if not most) people have two phones, usually one for work and one for personal use. What I love most is that Indonesians use Whatsapp for business. In the west, you’re usually forced to call businesses or organizations to get any meaningful information. Because the Indonesian population skews so young, they’re used to engaging with customers via Whatsapp, a much more convenient alternative to telephone. Instagram is another popular medium used not only by businesses but also by the government. I received updates on my visa from Instagram.

Even if someone provides you with an email address, don’t expect them to answer. Indonesians use Whatsapp for everything.

Areas/neighborhoods of Jakarta

SCBD: This is the most modern area in Jakarta, comparable to Singapore, BGC in Manila, or newly developed parts of western cities. This is where you’ll find Google’s office, the elegant mall “Pacific Place,” the most expensive Ritz Carlton, and the popular bar “Beer Garden.”

Kuningan: This neighborhood is popular among expats but is certainly not dominated by foreigners the way Bali is. Kuningan includes one of the most modern and developed parts of Jakarta, a walkable circle where you pass the second Ritz Carlton in the city. Some of the expat-preferred apartment buildings lie here, including The Bellagio. There are several nice malls here with a mix of old (and cheap) and fairly modern. Many nice residences (serviced apartments) lie on the other side of the road, in a less modern part of Kuningan that doesn’t contain sidewalks and is filled with street food vendors. Kuningan seems to contain most of the country’s embassies, with a few notable exceptions such as the US embassy in Central Jakarta.

Central Jakarta: This is a very convenient place to visit or live, especially given the congested traffic throughout Jakarta. Though not as modern and pristine as SCBD, Central Jakarta includes modern high rises, proper sidewalks, giant outdoor screens, and two of the most popular malls.

Pluit and PIK: These two neighborhoods in the North and South are dominated by the Indo-Chinese community. You’ll find some fairly modern malls here and some of the city’s newest residential developments. You’ll also find an outdoor food market that reminds me of the area outside Mall of Asia in Manila and Taiwanese/Chinese night markets. I recommend checking out Baywalk Mall for its rooftop pools and view of the harbor.

Senayan: This area contains a posh but non-pretentious golf course with a nice restaurant, and two fairly upscale malls. Senayan is nice but many parts of it are too quiet and residential for me personally.

Kemang: This area is probably the most popular region for expats. It is the trendy neighborhood with cool cafes and bars and is reasonably walkable. It also contains a very nice (but small) mall hidden among greenery. There is a super nice area of the mall for drinking and dining that is semi-outdoors.

Pondak Indah: This area is popular among older expats with families. It has some nice malls, some super nice residential buildings, and some quiet residential areas. The area is not very pedestrian friendly.

Tangerang: Technically not part of Jakarta, Tangerang is the most talked-about suburb. This seems to be where people go to find more affordable houses. Personally, I found the hotels MORE expensive than even the most central parts of Jakarta. Some areas are fairly modern such as BSD.

Internet and wifi in Indonesia

Mobile data is cheap and effective in Indonesia. I didn’t have much issues with speed, except occasionally such as when I stayed at RedDoorz Plus @ Boulevard Residence. I used Smartfren, which worked fine, but I do find it a bit complicated to reload the plan since it doesn’t seem to allow my foreign debit or credit card.

Wifi was very poor when I stayed at the residences in Kuningan and at RedDoorz in both Senayan and BSD. Poor wifi gave me issues with Zoom conference calls. Consider buying a portable modem with a SIM card to get faster Internet access. Wifi was much better at most hotels, although it is annoying when you’re required to sign in every time you re-open your laptop. At Ana Hotel, I had some issues because they limit the number of devices you can use. Ashley Hotel had the most convenient wifi of anywhere I stayed.

Depending on your hotel/residence and Internet provider, you may need a VPN (Proton is a free one) in order to access websites such as Reddit.

Is Indonesia the most generous country in the world?

One of the main reasons I chose Indonesia was because it is ranked as the #1 most generous country by the World Giving Index.

I encountered a lot of unexpected generosity. I met two people just starting out in their careers who were already paying for their sibling’s tuition costs. Some people will go out of their way to help you with finding things such as a home or a job. You’ll also see people frequently giving away money as tips to traffic controllers. What really stands out to me is that Indonesians are not possessive. There is not a strong sense of “this is mine” or “I deserve this,” with respect to everything from small material goods to romantic partners, and even to their own bodies. I met someone who had most of her assets (close to $1,000,000) effectively stolen from her, and she didn’t seem to hold any animosity. Pedestrians and drivers don’t have the same sense of entitlement you’ll see in the west. I met a couple who shared their apartment with someone the man had previously dated, and there were no feelings of jealousy. I met people who were sexually harassed or assaulted and felt no ill-will towards the perpetrators. Indonesians are surprisingly resilient and capable of letting things go that would be utterly traumatizing to a westerner.

But I also encountered a surprisingly high degree of ambivalence towards strangers. In Surabaya, for example, my taxi driver refused to put his seat belt on even though there was an annoying beeping alarm signal for the entire ~30-minute drive to the city center. A co-resident in Plaza 54 Residence couldn’t care less about the noise he was making outside my room. And taxi drivers told me routinely that they “had no change.” I couldn’t exit the McDonald’s drive-through because the driver behind me just refused to move.

Safety & security

Indonesia has some of the lowest crime rates in the entire world
I was surprised to read on a forum that someone felt Indonesia was not as safe as other countries in Southeast Asia. The writer suggested you should explore other, safer parts of the region before venturing to Indonesia (due to safety). The data I looked at, however, suggest that Indonesia is not only safe, but is actually one of the safest countries in the entire world. If you trust the statistics, crime is incredibly low in the country. It’s possible the writer had some other aspect of safety in mind that had nothing to do with crime rates. Perhaps s/he was considering natural disasters, pollution, sanitation, or traffic accidents.

Traffic safety in Jakarta and Indonesia
Traffic certainly doesn’t feel as safe as in Canada, the U.S., Singapore, etc., but statistically speaking Indonesia has far safer roads than Thailand does. The streets of Jakarta do feel safer than Bangkok. The upkeep on the pavement is excellent and you don’t see the same plethora of low-hanging power lines as you do in Thailand. Moreover, alcohol consumption is incredibly low in Indonesia so you don’t have to worry as much about intoxicated drivers. Nonetheless, walking and crossing streets is a daily source of minor anxiety for me.

• Scooters are everywhere, are less visible than cars, and their drivers will frequently disregard walk signals.
• Many places (e.g., parts of Kuningan) don’t have sidewalks, so you continually need to step aside when scooters and cars honk at you.
• Pedestrians don’t really have the “right of way” as they do in western countries.
• Crosswalks (especially ones with electronic walk signals) are not as plentiful as they are in North American cities.
• Jakarta is not really a pedestrian city. The city is run by scooters and cars.
• There isn’t the same regard for safety as there is in the west. You’ll frequently see entire families on a single scooter — and not a single helmet.

In Canada and the US, when I hear honking it’s almost always an indication of irritation or anger. Here, honking is mostly used for safety reasons, e.g., to indicate that you are passing someone. I grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada where legally speaking people are required to honk before over-passing someone on the road. But Canadians almost never follow this policy. In Jakarta, they frequently do, and it improves safety. Drivers in Jakarta also honk out of impatience to pressure the person in front to drive through the intersection sooner. Honking is frequent but not nearly as excessive as it is in India. The honking in Kakinda, Andra Pradesh, for example, is so continuous that it will keep you awake until around midnight.

Security guards are everywhere in Jakarta
You’ll run into security guards almost everywhere in Jakarta. To enter Grand Indonesia, for example, I encounter two security guards directing traffic and then pass through two security checkpoints with multiple guards. Your bag will be opened and checked at the first checkpoint and then scanned on a conveyor belt at the second checkpoint. Then you’ll walk through a metal detector. I even had to walk through a metal detector just to access my hotel in the Holiday Inn Express in Pluit (North Jakarta). The process is somewhat like going into an airport but not nearly as slow or cumbersome.

This plethora of security is common in Southeast Asia and somewhat paradoxical since there is such little regard for safety in other respects (e.g., driving). Perhaps the emphasis on security is one reason why crime rates are so incredibly low in Asia. I’m not really sure if it’s actually effective because security is sometimes a superficial demonstration. For example, the metal detector would frequently go off without any reaction from the security guard. I actually failed one of the safety checks at a restaurant, and the server just told me to re-take the test by giving a different answer.

In western retail stores, I feel as though everyone is treated as a thief by default — with all the theft-prevention tags on items. In Jakarta, I don’t have that same experience — likely because the security checkpoints are at the entrance to malls, well before I even enter an individual store.

What I love about Indonesians

What I love most about Indonesians is that they love themselves. They’re secure and confident in a way that is not at all arrogant. They don’t seem plagued with the insecurity, anxiety, greedy ambition, and “impostor syndrome” that is so prevalent in other countries. They’re content with just “hanging out…” relaxing…being themselves without needing to impress others.

THEY ARE NOT PERFECTIONISTS

A huge driver of unhappiness, insecurity, and anxiety in other cultures is perfectionism. Because other countries have such high standards, people are left feeling that they’re never good enough…that they should always be working on something. There’s almost always a lingering sense of restlessness. In Indonesia, it’s okay to not be perfect. It’s okay to be human!

• Things are clean, but not to an OCD level of perfectionism. 4-star hotels will still have some bugs, Red Bull cans will still have some dirt on the lids, and sometimes wild cats will wander into shops. Indonesians don’t worry much about these things. They have a healthy tolerance for imperfection.
• Customer service is professional and sufficient, but nobody is expected to tolerate customers’ extreme demands the way they are in the US.
• People dress well, but are also fine going to the store in their pajamas at night or wearing sneakers with their otherwise professional outfit.
• People seem generally content with their bodies. They aren’t trying to hide the scars they got from being hit with scooters.
• They dress and act professionally, but are also fine breaking into song and dance at work.

Indonesians are balanced between being formal and casual and between being professional and laid back. In my experience, they’re also very inclusive: friends, strangers, family, youth, and the elderly are all included in the same social engagements without any awkwardness.

Poverty in Jakarta

I didn’t see the same kind of poverty in Indonesia as I did in the United States and Canada. There aren’t drug-addicted people with serious mental health issues wandering the streets talking to themselves or threatening people…at least not anywhere I visited. Nonetheless, there are still poor people on the streets looking for money.

I really wanted to help people, so I purchased a bunch of groceries and toys to deliver to a temporary housing facility for needy parents. This felt good, but most times I gave money I didn’t feel good. Often people just pressured me to give more — either to them or to their friends. Often people are relentless in their request for money. Boys frequently follow me for several minutes saying “mister, mister, give me money” and persisting even after I say “no” repeatedly. People will stand outside your car for a prolonged period to, I assume, guilt you into giving them something. In Central Jakarta, people consistently pressure me into giving them money.

Often people provide services or goods instead of begging. Similar to squeegee boys in the US, many people walk around to cars selling tissue, health masks, water bottles, or other small items. Some will walk around your car playing a small guitar. Others will cover their bodies in silver paint or help direct traffic in exchange for tips. At night, you see people wearing giant costumes — a form of entertainment, often accompanied by music, that people offer in exchange for donations.

One area that seemed particularly poverty-stricken is between Central Jakarta and the far North. But nowhere did I feel more aggressively solicited than in the hotel area south of Monas.

Customer service in Indonesia

Customer service in stores is generally quite professional with humble and polite staff. But people will become easily confused with requests that are even the slightest out of the ordinary:

• The staff at one hotel struggled with a request for an extra towel because I asked for it at night instead of in the morning.
• The staff at one hotel did not know how to process my order for a can of Pringles, even though the hotel only had maybe 20 SKUs for sale.

I encountered surprisingly ambivalence from many customer service representatives. Staff often just lie around on couches playing video games on their phones or texting while standing at the cash register. And if people don’t want to bother with your request, they’ll just say “no.” There isn’t the same “bend-over-backwards-for-the-customer” attitude that you see in Canada and the USA. I actually admire this to some extent as I don’t think the customer is always right, and it’s inefficient to cater to unique demands due to lost economies of scale.

The big plus with customer service in Indonesia is that you almost always have access to an actual human to help you. In a restaurant, for example, you just raise your hand and someone takes your request. In this regard, customer service far surpasses that of North America.

Malls in Jakarta

Pacific Place: This is probably the fanciest mall in Jakarta and is located in the most developed/modern part of the the city known as SCBD. It is located near the Google office. The mall includes a fancy vertical elevator with neon lights that alternate colors. One of my favorite parts of the mall is the upper levels for dining where there is an artificial pond and a little boat you can eat on. There is also a very modern movie theatre at the top.

Central Park: This is one of the best malls in Jakarta, but the area is often congested with traffic. The best part about the mall is that it includes a really nice, modern park with a fish pond, outdoor restaurants, cool lights, and a place to walk your dog.

Grand Indonesia: This is considered the “main” mall in Jakarta, located right in the center of the city. It has a nice Starbucks, Zara, H&M, and almost anything you’d need. It’s fairly modern but not the most modern mall in Jakarta.

Plaza Indonesia: This mall is located right next to Grand Indonesia, in the epicenter of Jakarta. It is slightly more upscale with luxury shops but is also a bit older than Grand Indonesia. Outside the mall is a very big outdoor screen.

Pondak Indah Mall (PIM): A decent mall consisting of three major sections.

Cilandek Town Square: This small mall is one of the few with open-concept architecture with air flowing in from outside.

Aeon: Modern mall outside Jakarta, popular with Indo-Chinese people. Try the cheesy ramen and red velvet lattes upstairs.

Mall @ Alam Sutera: I heard this might be the biggest mall in Southeast Asia, but it certainly wasn’t busy. It felt a bit desolate and boring. The Starbucks was nice. The food court is very Indonesian-centric, so don’t expect to find Dairy Queen or anything of that nature.

Lippo Mall Kemang: Very nice, small mall with a scenic, semi-outdoor eating area.

PIK: Posh-looking mall in northwestern Jakarta.

Emporium: A nice, generic mall. Not too upscale or downscale.

Food in Jakarta and the rest of Indonesia

• I highly recommend trying the little red velvet cookies available at Dough Lab in the basement of Grand Indonesia.
• Kopi Kenangan is a venture-backed coffee company that has some excellent coffee drinks available at half the price of Starbucks.
• Warteg street food is available everywhere at incredibly cheap prices. I recommend sampling a little bit of everything as your bill probably only to come around $1! My personal favorite is the slightly spicy little cuts of tempeh.
• Vegetarian food is surprisingly plentiful and cheap in Jakarta. Most of the dishes offered at wartegs (street food vendors) are vegetarian. You’ll find multiple meat substitutes made out of tempeh or tofu. The only problem is the cross-contamination. Wartegs typically use only one or two serving utensils even though there may be 12 difference dishes. So even if most dishes are vegetarian, you still may find a little bit of fish crossing over into your vegetables. There are street vendors who will make you custom vegetarian dishes, usually in the form of fried rice or fried noodles.
• Bali is basically a mecca for vegetarians and vegans. The food won’t be nearly as cheap as the wartegs, but you’ll still save compared to western countries.
• Indomie! This is a yummy dish you must try: instant noodles served with egg, cheese, and sometimes other items like meatballs.
• Watch out for traveler’s diarrhea, likely from fried dishes with palm oil.
• Pizza is pretty good here but comes with some surprises. Instead of getting pizza sauce or ranch dressing for dipping, you’ll often be provided ketchup or hot sauce. I feel like the base of some pizzas is actually hot sauce and not the typical tomato pizza sauce you’ll find in American or Canadian restaurants. Indonesians also tend to under-cook the dough. Pizza Marzano is a pretty good pizza chain offering Italian-style pizza at good prices. Pizza Hut here is also pretty decent. My experience at Domino’s was a bit disappointing as my multi-cheese pizza seemed to include fake, processed cheese and a thin, cardboard-like dough. The other Domino’s pizzas are “okay.”
• Desserts here are too good. Don’t get fat.
• You cannot find super-free Red Bull anywhere, but it’s fairly easy to locate Coke Zero and Diet Coke. Alphamart is my go-to place for Coke Zero since Indomaret doesn’t offer it. A large number of restaurants will carry sugar-free soda, but most won’t. You’ll pay a premium for western-style Red Bull. At least try the local versions of Red Bull in the golden can or the tiny bottles.
• Try the fried corn fritters. Yum!
• Try the many variants of tempeh.
• Burgreens is a tasty vegetarian chain and one my go-to places for healthy AND TASTY meals.
• Super Grain in Grand Indonesia is also one of my go-to places due to its healthy food options. I recommend the tempeh with sauce on top.

Healthcare in Jakarta, Indonesia

I went to a mid-priced hospital for some minor health issues. I was surprised that I didn’t have to wait to see the first doctor, and I was also surprised at how patient the service providers were. In Canada, I’m used to doctors rushing to “get the appointment over with” in 15 minutes. But, I have mixed feelings about the service. The nurse, the general practitioner, and the dermatologist told me conflicting things so I don’t have solid confidence in the advice. The dentist and her assistants provided decent service, but it was a bit sloppy: my shirt got stained with some liquid they used, and one of the materials fell into my mouth. The service was certainly adequate, but just don’t expect the same level of perfectionism you’d find in the west. I received far more professional service in BSD in Tangerang.

The noises in Jakarta

My biggest struggle living in Jakarta was getting used to the noises. But before I explain, note that Indonesia is not nearly as noisy as other places like India. And Indonesians aren’t particularly loud. But there are little aspects of noise culture that I really struggled with.

• People don’t mute the notifications on their phones. You’ll constantly hear the high-pitched “pings” and “chimes” from people’s phones. You’ll even hear this from people’s phones when they’re working as cashiers. I heard this all day in the dining area outside my room in a residence. You’ll also hear similar dings used as signals in restaurants.
• People don’t use headphones nearly as much as they do in the west. So you’ll frequently hear people talking on speaker phone outside your room and in public places.
• Hotels and residences are generally slightly noisy, likely due to a combination of how the buildings are constructed and cultural factors.
  - Every morning I would hear music from the staff at Casa Living Senayan.
  - I had no issues with noise in the hotel wing of Plaza 54 Residence, but I really struggled with the noise in their residence wing. From morning until night, I could hear loud notification noises from people’s devices, people talking on speaker phone, and people playing videos.
  - From morning til night, I would hear people shouting loudly from the gym outside Suites at Seven. I could also hear people talking on the phone in the room next door.
  - Around 4:00am, you’ll be woken by the loud chanting at the mosques outside The Bellevue Suite Aston and the Holiday Inn Pluit. You’ll also hear it frequently at Plaza 54 Residence.
  - Simple Hotel was surprisingly silent.
  - Ana Hotel is fantastic and has excellent customer service, but I still experienced noise issues. Every day I hear the doorbells go off outside my neighbors’ rooms. One night my neighbors moved in noisily around 12:30am and then played their TV loudly while chatting with their door open at 6:30am. The staff was very apologetic about this.

Smoking, drugs, and alcohol

Indonesia has one of the lowest alcohol consumption rates in the world, but one of the highest smoking rates. Your clothes will smell like smoke if you go to a nightclub or party, and you may have minor allergic reactions to the smoke on the streets. People smoke inside, outside, and all around, so you better get used to it. I think this is partially a byproduct of cheap cigarettes. Fortunately, people don’t drink much so you don’t see alcohol-driven crimes and accidents the way you do elsewhere. Drug use is also low, so there are far fewer people walking the streets talking to themselves.