I was in Jakarta for a short transit en route to a more historic destination. Unanimous advice was against venturing out to sightsee. There was nothing to see. Traffic is bad. 6 hours is not enough to leave the airport and come back. I defied the odds and made it back after several hours in Batavia, the colonial heart of Jakarta.
Jakarta emptied out as Ramadan came to a close. Traffic was not heavy so it was perfectly possible to rent one of these colourful bikes with matching hat for a tour.
This part of the world was a former Dutch colony. Some remnants remain, such as this drawbridge that now looms over a dirty sewage canal.
Urban planning is a bit of a nightmare here.
The old harbour area is now full of garbage.
Motorcycles are very common here, so protect yourself with a cutsie helmet.
These old VOC warehouses are now part of a museum which closed early during Ramadan. I was out of luck.
I would not recommend heading into the city during a regular traffic day, but what a difference when there is no jam. The journey from the airport to Batavia would only take 40-45 minutes.
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