Skyscrapers Galore in Jakarta

Selamat Datang Monument, Central Jakarta

We arrived in Jakarta after a 9-hour-long flight from New Delhi over the weekend. After getting our visas on arrival, we walked over to the immigration counter. Upon enquiring about the purpose and duration of our trip, the immigration officer informed us that we did not require a visa for up to 30 days. Unfortunately, we could not get a refund on the $35 visa fee per person that had already been paid. With a reluctant smile, we bid him goodbye. I felt stupid for not having conducted enough research on the visas. Note to self for the next time!

Inside the museum

The unexpected free entry at the National Museum that we visited later that afternoon offered some form of respite. The new Museum building is a synthesis of colonial style coupled with modern architectural design offering an extensive collection of relics from the past; giving visitors an insight into the country’s history, people, and their lives. There was another exhibition about human evolution which was interesting. On our way out, I posed with an abstract piece of art outside the building. The National Memorial stood tall from across the road, inside a massive park. I took some pictures from outside as we were too tired to walk all the way inside. In fact, we were lucky to catch a glimpse of this lovely monument draped in the national flag colours, while on our way to the railway station early next morning.

National Memorial Monument

This was all the sightseeing that we had the energy for, on day one. As I like to visit rooftop restaurants for a fantastic city view in large cities, we decided to visit one of them. While Skye lounge located on the 56^th floor of BCA Tower seemed to be the most recommended one on travel websites, we opted for another popular rooftop garden bar - Lucy in the Sky instead. It was a great choice without the panoramic skyline views that I had been hoping for, as it was located on the second floor of the Fairgrounds complex in South Jakarta. We sat there for hours gazing at the gigantic skyscrapers around us, through the glass ceiling. At night, they fairy lights lit up the ceiling. The candles on tables added a magical feel. Their Loosey Goosey burger was by far the best burger I had in Indonesia. The California Motherfucker cocktail as part of their Hippie Sundown menu is amazing.

Loosey Goosey burger with curly fries

Lucy in the Sky at night

On our way back to the hotel, I took a few pictures of the multi coloured high rise buildings around. Each building was lit up in a different hue, giving them their own unique personality.

We went to sleep fairly early as we had a 5 am train the next morning

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The land of Volcanoes and Bollywood fans

Batur lake at sunrise

Indonesia welcomed us with open arms. So much so, that they even have a visa exemption for Indians. We only realized that after paying the $35 visa fee. Grabbing a blue bird taxi from outside the airport was fairly easy. We passed by sky scrapers of all shapes and sizes as we hit central Jakarta, each of which had a minimum of 50 storeys. I tried to grab some shut eye on the way to the hotel; it took longer than expected as the driver lost his way and even got fined as he inadvertently broke a traffic rule.

After a quick change and a long wait for our taxi (thanks to Jakarta’s notorious traffic), we headed to the National Museum. They were giving free entry to everyone on account of some festivities; I seem to be getting my luck back, I thought. Spread over four levels, the museum gives a detailed account of human evolution, history of the islands and their formation, their people and way of life. All in all, it was a good starting point for our ten day tour of the archipelago nation.

Mount Agung at sunset

I had my first glimpse of Indonesia’s famed volcanoes while waiting for the sunset at Gili Trawangan, a small island off the coast of Bali. Mount Agung, Bali’s highest peak stood prominently in the backdrop as I watched the sun set into the Bali sea. It was an incredible sight, one I went back for the next day as well. While in Bali, we went on a sunrise trek to another volcano, Mount Batur, 1717 mtrs above sea level. It was supposed to be a fairly easy trek according to various travel websites and blogs. It wasn’t. Our guide, Putu was of great help during the last, extremely steep stretch up to the crater. The misty view of the mountains, lake Batur and the rising sun from the top was worth all the effort.

On the trip, I also realized that the Indonesians love Bollywood. Whenever we got talking to any local and informed them that we were Indian, they replied with an excited ‘Shahrukh Khan’! EVERY local that we met loved him. At first, it was funny but then it happened everywhere - from Jakarta to Bandung and the Gilis to Bali. As the first Hindi movie that they ever saw was a Shahrukh Khan one, he is their favourite Indian movie star.

Throughout the trip, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s song Despacito that I had been tripping on even before my trip had begun followed me everywhere there. Once while we were waiting at a traffic light in Bandung in Java, a young Indonesian boy appeared out of nowhere with a guitar and started singing this for me. It was one of the most surreal moments. Of course, I sang along with him.

A Weekend in Kasauli

Pine Forest

My brother and I had woken up uncharacteristically early to set out on a walk to Gilbert Trail, a hiking trail in the Kasauli Cantonment area. It was a lovely summer morning; fresh mountain air and the rising sun greeted us after a pleasant night’s rest. There were only a handful of walkers up at that time. After a short walk up from the Kasauli club where we were staying, we walked up a steep cemented path towards Gilbert House, a British era house belonging to Major General Gilbert from the 1800s. 

Greenery everywhere

We could hear the call of partridges and a couple of crows flying around us. As we reached the first lookout point, we came across another Punjabi. He was new to the area and asked us how far the trail went. In all these years that we have been visiting Kasauli, we had never actually ventured beyond this point on the trail. As we were now planning to go further, he joined us as well.

Dew drops lined up perfectly

Wild Marijuana

There was a lot of wild growth, tiny flowers and marijuana growing freely. It was interesting to see a few green leaf life plants which had dew drops neatly outlining their rim. We came to a point where there had been a landslide due to which a part of the path was missing. By holding onto a few plants, we managed to make our way ahead. At this point, our Punjabi friend decided to turn back. We kept walking and reached the Monkey Point Hill.

Rugged terrain

Close up of Monkey Point

It was the first time that I got to see a close up view of the famous tourist sight. This side of the hill had a distinct look, with rocks forming lines at the top of the summit. After taking a few pictures, we kept moving ahead. We saw a deer in the forest below; a couple of dogs walking with a local spotted it too and darted down the hillside towards it.

The path was now descending towards a village and further towards the plains. We decided to turn back and sat down at one of the lookout points, taking in the various sights and sounds of the forest. It was a calming experience, the best way to start a new day.