Indonesia - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 178

Purna Bhakti Pertiwi (daily 8am-4pm;
Rp9000), which displays a fabulously
opulent collection of gifts presented to
President Suharto, including a whole
gamelan orchestra made of old Balinese
coins, a series of carved wooden panels
depicting Suharto's life story, and an
enormous rubber-tree root decorated with
the nine gods of Balinese Hinduism. To
get here from Sarinah, catch the Trans
Jakarta bus south to Semanggi then switch
buses to reach Garuda Taman Mini.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
BY PLANE
Jakarta's Sukarno-Hatta Airport ( T 021 550 5000) is 13km
west of the city centre and connects with virtually all of
Indonesia's major cities. The airport has a small tourist o ce
in Terminal 2D ( T 021 550 7088) and a handful of exchange
booths, most of which close at 10pm; rates at these are
significantly lower than in the city centre. Terminal 1 serves
domestic flights from all but Air Asia, Mandala and Garuda;
Terminal 2 serves most international flights as well as
domestic flights for Garuda and Merpati; and Terminal 3,
the newest and most attractive terminal, is reserved for
budget airlines such as Air Asia, Lion Air and Mandala.
Free yellow shuttle buses connect the terminals. DAMRI
buses connect the airport to Gambir train station (45min;
Rp25,000), with services every 15min from 4am until the
last flight, and from Gambir to the airport from 4am-8pm.
Upon arrival, turn left out of the gate and walk about 200m
to the bus stand. Taxis between the airport and Jl Jaksa
cost about Rp150,000, including Rp35,000 in toll fees. Blue
Bird (blue cabs) and Express (white cabs) are the most
reliable firms. On all embarkations from Sukarno-Hatta
Airport, a departure tax is required for both international
(Rp150,000) and domestic flights (Rp40,000).
Destinations

east of Jaksa, where there are the most buses heading to
east Java and Bali; Kampung Rambutan ( T 021 840 0062),
20km south, with the most frequent departures to Bogor
and Bandung; Lebak Bulus ( T 021 750 9773), 18km to the
southwest; and Kalideres ( T 021 544 5348), 17km west,
from where there are the most frequent departures for all
points west in both Java and Sumatra, including Labuan and
Merak. Bus tickets are cheaper from the bus stations than
from agencies in town, although tickets bought from
agencies often include free connections to the far-flung
terminals. Allow at least 1hr 30min to get from the city centre
to any bus station. Due to crowds it's advisable not to attempt
bus travel at the end of Ramadan.
Destinations Frequent departures for Bandung (4hr

30min); Bogor (1-2hr); Bukittinggi (30hr); Denpasar
(24hr); Labuan (3hr 30min); Medan (2 days); Merak (3hr);
Padang (32hr); Pangandaran (12hr); Solo (13hr); Surabaya
(15hr); Yogya (12hr).

BY FERRY
All Pelni ferries dock at Tanjung Priok harbour, 500m from
the bus station of the same name. Trans Jakarta buses
connect the harbour with Jl Jaksa's Sarinah stop (take the
#12 corridor then switch to #1 at Kota), and taxis should
cost around Rp100,000 in bad tra c. The Pelni booking
o ce ( T 021 6385 0960) is at Jl Angkasa 18 in Kemayoran;
catch the Trans Jakarta to Senen, then the red #10 or #11
buses (Rp5000) to Angkasa. Tickets can be bought from
numerous agents around town.
Destinations

4

Banda (monthly; 4 days); Jayapura (weekly; 7
days); Makassar (2 weekly; 48hr); Padang (monthly; 3 days);
Pontianak (monthly; 48hr); Pulau Batam (weekly; 30hr);
Surabaya (fortnightly; 24hr); Ternate (monthly; 5 days).

BY TRAIN
There are four central train stations (and dozens of minor
suburban ones). Gambir ( T 021 386 2363) is the most
popular and convenient, with executive and business-class
trains heading all across West and Central Java - including
Yogya, Surakarta (Solo), Bogor and Bandung. The o ce at the
north end of Gambir (daily 7.30am-7pm) sells tickets for the
Parahyangan Express to Bandung and the Argolawu Express to
Yogya and Solo. The walk from Gambir to Jl Jaksa takes
20min, while taxis are also available for around Rp20,000
from Gambir to Jaksa; avoid the touts and head for the Blue
Bird or Express taxi ranks. Ojeks outside Gambir are especially
handy during peak hour (around Rp15,000). Of the other
stations, the most useful are Pasar Senen ( T 021 421 0006),
east of the city centre, serving economy-class trains heading
to all points east; and Kota ( T 021 692 8515), near old
Batavia. All train stations are linked by the Trans Jakarta
network to Jl Jaksa; its stop is Sarinah, a 5min walk from
Jaksa. If you have a local SIM card, save the trip to the station
by dialling T 121 for train information and bookings, after

Banda Aceh (2 daily; 2hr 50min); Balikpapan
(21 daily; 2hr); Bandung (14 daily; 40min); Bangkok (6 daily;
3hr 30min); Denpasar (40 daily; 1hr 50min); Jayapura (daily;
5hr 30min); Kota Kinabalu (3 weekly; 2hr 35min); Makassar
(38 daily; 2hr 20min); Manado (5 daily; 3hr 20min);
Mataram (8 daily; 2hr); Medan (5 daily; 2hr 15min);
Pekanbaru (16 daily; 1hr 40min); Singapore (44 daily; 1hr
40min); Solo/Surakarta (13 daily; 1hr 10min); Surabaya (54
daily; 1hr 20min); Yogyakarta (30 daily; 1hr 5min).

BY BUS
Buses connect Jakarta to all points in Java as well as many
cities on neighbouring islands. There are five major bus
terminals, all serving the same destinations and all connected
by Trans Jakarta buses to Jl Jaksa. From here, the closest is
Rawamangun ( T 021 489 7455), 10km east of Jaksa in East
Jakarta; the others are Pulo Gadung ( T 021 489 3742), 14km