Fashionista Escapades: Jakarta, Indonesia

I simply don't know why does it seem as if my travels seems to lead me to Indonesia. It could be due to the fact that my grandfather's an Indonesian, but it could simply be the simple reason that their currency is way much smaller than ours, which simply translates to more items to purchase (which is oh so true here).

At Grand Indonesia, one of the largest shopping malls in Jakarta.

So I had the opportunity to visit Jakarta again last year in November. My first visit there was in 2005 so it was nice going somewhere that I was a bit familiar with. At least, I knew where the shopping complexes was. 

What is so apparent in Jakarta is the monstrous TRAFFIC JAM. It is absolutely horrible. I really think the Indonesian government should DO something about it. And most importantly they should do it SOON, before it swallows the metropolis, of course. 

We stayed at Ibis Hotel nearby to Mangga Dua. Although the location wasn't that great for me, however it was handy staying just behind a shopping complex. Which actually for us, Mangga Dua was actually two shopping complexes blended into one (there was an old Mangga Dua and a new one). And there was another one named Mangga Dua Baru (if I'm not mistaken). The best part about Mangga Dua is that it's not really a shopping complex so you can still haggle for a CHEAP BARGAIN. The not so great part is that it only opens til 5 pm (which totally puzzles me) and it sells mainly imitation products. Now it's not that I don't support the imitation market (which I honestly don't) but the fact is, why go for imitation? It is absolutely WRONG for a fashionista to parade an imitation product! I pity those designers. They come up with the style but somebody else is ripping off the profits *sigh*.

Now, if you're a backpacker, then I recommend you to stay at Jalan Jaksa which is a backpacker's haven. It's still in the middle of the city (Jakarta is HUGE so everywhere is in the middle of the city, unless your in the suburbs of course) and it's not far from everywhere. Not far still means that you have to either take a taxi or a mini van which they call 'Angkutan Kota' which functions as a bus, really.

Tanah Abang.

The best thing I liked about Jakarta is the many choices of shopping malls to choose from. And the best part is go can either choose to go high end, like Senayan Plaza or low end, like Tanah Abang. For me, I absolutely adore Tanah Abang. It sells a lot of fabrics and apparels which  fabrics are my one true love in shopping. 

So if you're thinking of making Jakarta your next destination, my advice is be careful of pickpockets. It seems that they are everywhere. And DO NOT leave your valuables in your hotel room. You might never know when a thief might be paying a visit to your room. 

Other than that, Happy Shopping Peeps!

xoxo Fashionista in Action xoxo