Although I would say that the traffic congestions there are no match for Kuala Lumpur. The bajai’s there are similar to the tut-tut’s in Bangkok. Jakarta is a huge place, so are its shopping malls. There are plenty there and all of them have their own specialty. MONAS is a beautiful sight at night and a significant monument, rightly so. If you have been to MONAS, you have been to Jakarta, Indonesia. Taman Mini Indonesia is a must see. Its going be tough to visit all places in Indonesia, taman mini is the solution. You can visit the whole of Indonesia in 1 day, including PNG!
Bandung was fantastic. The weather is nice, cooling and the town is peaceful. The shopping there, oh my. If you want to shop for clothes you should go to Bandung, anything and everything under the sun.
Yogyakarta, another awesome place to visit. A must place to visit in Indonesia. The Borobudur temple, a majestic sight to see is truly a fantastic building which is a world heritage site under UN. Its pyramid shape and uncountable statues portray Indonesia in another way, as though Borobudur is another country. The city of jogja, is peaceful and easy going, filled with horse carriages for tourists. Malioboro street a definite destination in jogja. Anything and everything including beautiful batik items can be found there
The people of Indonesia are really friendly and nice although I would not say the same for their driving habits haha. Being the country with the largest Muslim population, Indonesia also comprises of Christians and Jawanese Muslims. The 16th Century Cathedral in Jakarta, build during the Dutch era, matches the ones build in ancient Rome.
The enormous Mosque’s, largest in South East Asia, represents the large population of Muslims there.
Being in Indonesia for 10 days was really a marvelous experience. The food there, spicy for some, nice for me. Gadu-gadu, the famous of them all. The huge variety there sometimes made it difficult to choose my meals.
Finally I would like to thank all the rotaractors from all the clubs in Jakarta, RAC Semanggi, RAC Lippo Karawachi, RAC Gambir, Bandung Rotaractors also Budy and RAC Yogyakarta Molioboro for their time and wonderful company throughout the entire
trip. Not forgetting the students of Universitas Pelita Harapan, hosted us during their silence week. It wouldn’t have been the same without all of you there. Wishing all of you a wonderful new year, all the best in whatever you do. Take care!!!!!!!
THANK YOU!!!!!!!
Jasmitt Bullar
Rotaract Club of Universiti Teknologi Petronas, District 3300
Malaysia
What I think about INDONESIA:
Honestly, I have never been to Indonesia. However, it gives me the impression of a culture and tradition- rich country, where lots of monuments and historical buildings are still preserved, much to the delight of tourists. Despite the political turmoil and natural disasters that had taken place in Indonesia, the people in the country still continue to strive forward in holding the country together, a spirit complimented.
Chan Yen Pinng
Rotaract Club of Universiti Teknologi Petronas , District 3300
Malaysia
What I think about Indonesia.
From the beginning I was skeptical about Indonesia. I was of the idea
that Indonesia is not such a good place, starting from the roads to
the environment, I wasn’t sure what to expect. All these ideas thanks
to a lot opinions from various people who themselves haven’t been to
Indonesia.
My journey from the airport told me a little about what to expect from
Indonesia, or Jakarta to be precise. The journey, albeit a little long
because of the traffic jam, I was kept occupied by the environment.
Being a scenery fan myself, I was amazed at how many trees and
greenery I met all the way to the hotel. Even in the capital city,
they were so many tress around. It was just beautiful. Even with all
these trees, I read in the papers that the city had not met its trees
quota, which means there are more trees to come. That’s great!!!!
Another thing I noted was the great architecture each building had,
preserving the architecture of those days in between modern day
buildings is just wonderful to watch.
On one of my days in Jakarta, I went out for a walk at night to soak
in the culture and get to know the people a little bit. One particular
culture that is similar with us Malaysians is the night life. Many
shops are open even until late at night. We stopped a satay shop, and
my friends got themselves some satay. While waiting, we got a chance
to have a chat with the shop keeper. He was so friendly and jovial.
That character is true for all Indonesians in my view. Even the
Rotaractors who kept us company were the same.
Being in Bandung reminded me of any town in Malaysia. It was so
similar. Since language was no barrier and was almost the same, I
really felt like I was at home. The visit to the Angklung centre was
something amazing too. We got to know a little bit about the
Indonesian culture and musical instruments. That was an experience not
to forget for me.
Finally we went to Yogyakarta by train. Eventhough the train ride from
Jakarta to Yogyakarta took nine hours, I didn’t feel the distance as I
was either enjoying the scenery or well asleep. There were paddy
fields all the way. Paddy fields even came as close as the train
track. There were also some unharmed rivers and jungle that were great
to the eye. In the city that had both Borobudur and Prambanan, we
managed to do a lot of shopping. I was amazed at how well Candi
Borobudur has been preserved. Even more impressive is the fact that
rehabilitation is still taking place,to keep the candi in its shapre
for a longer time to come.
All in all, I had a great time in Indonesia. To sum it up in a few
words, the people are great, the environment is great and so is the
culture. I had a splendid 10 days in Indonesia.
Sandeep
Rotaract Club of Universiti Teknologi Petronas, District 3300
Malaysia
