Prudence's Jakarta mall-crawl
by prudence on 12-Mar-2012
I have noted Jakarta's contrasts before. They have been no less evident during my current visit.
Palatial meets dilapidated.
Glitzy meets scruffy.
Leafy meets boggy.
Rich very definitely meets poor, in a very blatant demonstration of Asia's development gap.
Of course, I see this gap at home in Malaysia, too. But here it's much more stark.
I have tried hard to like Jakarta. But I have to admit I can't really "like" it. Possibly my fault -- I'm always under pressure from deadlines when I come here. There has never just been time to cruise. That's the only way to really get to bond with a city. And you need lots of time for that process here, because of -- you've guessed it -- the traffic...
But if I don't "like" Jakarta, I certainly admire it. Like the curate's egg, it's very good in parts. And there's a palpable feeling of energy here -- whether it emerges from the tenacity of its commuters or the doggedness of its roadside vendors or the modernistic statement of its thrusting malls.
Which brings me to my subject... I have lots of work to fit into my Jakarta week. So I don't have much time to take in more of the sights. In lieu of which, I've been mall-crawling.
Pondok Indah was my Saturday mall. Very modern. And very vast. Almost overwhelmingly so. I concentrated on Marks and Spencer's, the supermarket, the food court (for a drink consisting of soya milk and avocado), and a coffee shop where I consumed Toraja coffee and fried cassava. I didn't really scratch the surface.
My Sunday mall experience was a study in contrasts. Pasaraya Blok M is elegant and empty. It has a gorgeous stained glass roof that surmounts the vast well around which its departments are arranged. It has a fabulous collection of beautiful batik. And, appropriately, it has the Kafe Batik, which sells very tasty Javanese food, which you eat to the sound of gamelan music. The other bits of the Blok M area are much more populist (and popular). A little cramped and dim, a little past their best, and heaving with people, they emit an immediately perceptible sample of that energy I was talking about.
Today, on my way between two appointments, I visited Grand Indonesia. I'm pretty sure I've been here before -- I remember the bookshop. This time, I thought it was time for some Sundanese food, and very much enjoyed my nasi bakar (a mix of rice and chicken baked in a banana leaf -- delicious -- what have I always told you about banana leaves?) Swilled that down with avocado and chocolate. Not Sundanese at all, but never mind.
I'm sure mall-crawling is not the way to get to know Jakarta. But at the moment, malls are my sitting rooms in the city. When you don't want to drag back through the traffic to your hotel, the mall makes a useful substitute. Ideally, you need one of those smart coffee places. Admittedly, they're expensive, but your payment secures a kind of rent on the table, and unless there's an annoying rush of customers, you can happily sit there reading your book.
UPDATE (14 March): Tuesday's mall was Plaza Senayan. Here they have a bigger Kinokuniya than Grand Indonesia (although I have to admit it's still not as amazing as the inimitable Singapore branch). Wednesday's mall was Senayan City -- slogan: "infinite surprises". And I was indeed infinitely surprised that I impulse-bought a replacement bag for my cheap and cheerful early Malaysian purchase, which (as Nigel never tires of pointing out) has split.
Palatial meets dilapidated.
Glitzy meets scruffy.
Leafy meets boggy.
Rich very definitely meets poor, in a very blatant demonstration of Asia's development gap.
Of course, I see this gap at home in Malaysia, too. But here it's much more stark.
I have tried hard to like Jakarta. But I have to admit I can't really "like" it. Possibly my fault -- I'm always under pressure from deadlines when I come here. There has never just been time to cruise. That's the only way to really get to bond with a city. And you need lots of time for that process here, because of -- you've guessed it -- the traffic...
But if I don't "like" Jakarta, I certainly admire it. Like the curate's egg, it's very good in parts. And there's a palpable feeling of energy here -- whether it emerges from the tenacity of its commuters or the doggedness of its roadside vendors or the modernistic statement of its thrusting malls.
Which brings me to my subject... I have lots of work to fit into my Jakarta week. So I don't have much time to take in more of the sights. In lieu of which, I've been mall-crawling.
Pondok Indah was my Saturday mall. Very modern. And very vast. Almost overwhelmingly so. I concentrated on Marks and Spencer's, the supermarket, the food court (for a drink consisting of soya milk and avocado), and a coffee shop where I consumed Toraja coffee and fried cassava. I didn't really scratch the surface.
My Sunday mall experience was a study in contrasts. Pasaraya Blok M is elegant and empty. It has a gorgeous stained glass roof that surmounts the vast well around which its departments are arranged. It has a fabulous collection of beautiful batik. And, appropriately, it has the Kafe Batik, which sells very tasty Javanese food, which you eat to the sound of gamelan music. The other bits of the Blok M area are much more populist (and popular). A little cramped and dim, a little past their best, and heaving with people, they emit an immediately perceptible sample of that energy I was talking about.
Today, on my way between two appointments, I visited Grand Indonesia. I'm pretty sure I've been here before -- I remember the bookshop. This time, I thought it was time for some Sundanese food, and very much enjoyed my nasi bakar (a mix of rice and chicken baked in a banana leaf -- delicious -- what have I always told you about banana leaves?) Swilled that down with avocado and chocolate. Not Sundanese at all, but never mind.
I'm sure mall-crawling is not the way to get to know Jakarta. But at the moment, malls are my sitting rooms in the city. When you don't want to drag back through the traffic to your hotel, the mall makes a useful substitute. Ideally, you need one of those smart coffee places. Admittedly, they're expensive, but your payment secures a kind of rent on the table, and unless there's an annoying rush of customers, you can happily sit there reading your book.
UPDATE (14 March): Tuesday's mall was Plaza Senayan. Here they have a bigger Kinokuniya than Grand Indonesia (although I have to admit it's still not as amazing as the inimitable Singapore branch). Wednesday's mall was Senayan City -- slogan: "infinite surprises". And I was indeed infinitely surprised that I impulse-bought a replacement bag for my cheap and cheerful early Malaysian purchase, which (as Nigel never tires of pointing out) has split.