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In a nutshell
Indonesia's capital and largest city is often called the "Big Durian" as it usually shocks tourists with the sights and smells from the varying strands of culture of its 10 million inhabitants that consist of the Balinese, Madurese, Timorese, the Ambonese of Maluku, and the Bataks from Sumatra. These people from different regions have brought in their traditional foods and customs to Jakarta, making the city a definitive center to heart and show of Indonesia.
At first sight, Jakarta is a wide plain of sharp contrasts-skyscrapers and limousines amid slums and street urchins. In daytime, Tourists are confronted with poor signage, traffic smog, and urban disrepair. However, Jakarta transforms into one of Asia's prettiest swans at nightfall. Countless bars, cafe's, discotheques, entertainment centers, and red-light districts line up shoulder-to-shoulder from West to South Jakarta.
City of surprises
Travelers who scratch deeper than the surface may find that Jakarta is a city of surprises from every corner-markets, spas, art galleries, museums, cultural theaters, planetariums, and more destinations too many to name. In addition, Central Jakarta has the Presidential Palace; West Jakarta has Chinatown, the old town (Kuta), and a few temples; and South Jakarta has zoos and water parks. East Jakarta is home to the Cibubur camping ground and the Utan Kayu art community while North Jakarta has the Ancol Dream Park, one of Asia's biggest themed parks. It consists of Fantasy World, Ocean Park, and Seaworld, Southeast Asia's largest aquarium.
Since there are many sights in Jakarta, there are also many vehicles for getting around. From smallest to biggest they are: ojek (motorcycle taxis), bajaj (orange mutant scooters), and busway or Tije (air-conditioned buses).
Street food haven
Apart from staple foods such as bubur dingin (cold porridge) and soto betawi (beef parts and intestines in coco milk), Jakarta is also known for its street delicacies like kelapa gading (seafood) and tennis-sized meatballs. Indeed, with such a variety of offerings, Jakarta showcases the honest-to-goodness Indonesia-both the good and the bad.
Jakarta Landmarks:
- Amusement Park (3)
- Bars (10)
- Churches (1)
- Clubs (4)
- Markets (2)
- Mosques (1)
- Parks (1)
- Planetariums (1)
- Restaurants (2)
- Sights (3)
- Theatres (2)
- Zoos (1)
User blogs:
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News from http://news.ph.msn.com/top-stories/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3737940 Richard Branson unveiled Monday a commercial spaceliner offering tourists a cheaper chance to experience the thrill of weightlessness and view the splendor of the Earth from space. The British billionaire hopes to offer tickets aboard his spacecraft at a cost of 200,000 dollars each, giving adventurous ... Read full Blog post
Indonesia Eco Tourism
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San Gimignano and San Pellegrino
Night falls on the flourishing and industrious San Gimignano, its 72 towers stand on the low roofs of the houses lit by the moon. This is not a luxury travel spot but is something you don't see every day. In the distance the clatter of hooves echoed tired in the Via Francigena. The hand of the blacksmith stops beating, the frame of the weaver becomes silent, the streets of the tank only a concert ... Read full Blog post
An Aerial fiesta in Clark Pampanga
Its a party in the sky as multi colored hot air balloons piloted ny different pilots from various partso of the world participated in this annual gathering. As early as 5am, the 2,500 hectare aviation complex at Clar Economic Zone in Pampanga was already crammedi with excitement. Clusters of hot air balloon participants busily prepare their own balloons for liftoff as they need to take advantage of ... Read full Blog post
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