A New Star of Jakarta Transportation, Lintas Rel Terpadu

It has not been long ago that this new form of Jakarta Transportation, LRT was operated. The light rail transit, or in Indonesian version, Lintas Rel Terpadu, had been officially operating since the end of December 2019, but LRT Jabodetabek just officially operating September this year. Since it is the first LRT in Jakarta and in Indonesia, the citizens are excited to try it, so the government allowed a free trial before its official release.

This form of Jakarta Transportation are relatively new for the citizen, so they already prepared with a full instruction on how to buy ticket and ride the LRT on their website: https://www.lrtjakarta.co.id/informasi-tiket.html . LRT Jabodetabek is receiving a warm welcome as it will provide more option for people to commute beside other Jakarta Transportation such as Transjakarta Busway and KRL.

The newly operated LRT connects Jakarta and Bekasi. The stations and the routes are built near busy places such as office complexes in Sudirman area, including Halim that also functioned as airports, to TMII, which was a tourist attraction where people can see a “mini” version of Indonesia. However, other routes and line are to be established to reach more areas in Bogor, Depok, and Tangerang.

No different with other Jakarta Transportation, an electric money card or digital banking are needed to pay and ride the LRT. However, it could be a little costly among other Jakarta Transportation, as the costs is more expensive, which is IDR5000 for first kilometer, and IDR700 will be charged for the next kilometers. It is almost equal to USD1.5 for the furthest trip.

Although this form of Jakarta Transportation is intended to solve traffic problems in Jakarta, some people might still choose to ride KRL or MRT instead because of the price. We still don’t know if there will be adjustments in the future as the establishment for the next phase is not completed yet. We hope that as time goes on, it will improve greatly to cater to people’s needs.

Now that you know about Jakarta Transportation, ready to explore Jakarta by riding public transportation? Or you would rather walk with us? That is fine, join us with Jakarta Walking Tour and we will take you on an adventure to the nook and cranny of Jakarta!

Moda Raya Terpadu, MRT of Jakarta Transportation

Introducing one of from many types of Jakarta Transportation, mass rapid transit, or a localized version, Moda Raya Terpadu. It has not been too long since this mode operated. This mode of Jakarta Transportation was built to fill the demand about proper public transportation to solve traffic congestion problem and to shorten commute time to go to work.

It was operating for the first time in the year of 2019 and becomes the first mass rapid transit in Indonesia. Although it only has a few lines, the existence itself has helped a lot of commuters since it was built in the heart of Jakarta city and circling around office complexes.

As for this year, only phase one of the establishment was completed. The route for phase one is from and to Bundaran HI and Lebak Bulus station. It is relatively easy to find the subway stations if you are staying around Central Jakarta, especially Bunderan HI. So, choosing accommodations nearby is a great way if you intend to ride public Jakarta transportation while you are staying in Jakarta. Hotel Indonesia and Kempinski would be a great choice as you can walk around five minutes to the subway station to ride MRT Jakarta.

Not much different with other public Jakarta transportation like Transjakarta and Mikrotrans, the system is cashless payment, so you will need an electronic money card that cooperates with MRT Jakarta. The price you will need to pay will be according to your trip. The minimum price is IDR3000, and it will be added by IDR1000 for every next station. It is still an affordable price for workers and commuters in Jakarta.

Even though it is intended to cater mainly for workers who commute in Central and South Jakarta, as MRT is relatively new for Jakartans and Indonesians, so don’t be surprised when it will be full of people from variety of age groups on holidays riding MRT, as it is also considered to be a way of recreations for families. So sometimes people outside Jakarta will come specifically to try to ride the MRT.

Now that you know about Jakarta Transportation, ready to explore Jakarta by riding public transportation? Or you would rather walk with us? That is fine, join us with Jakarta Walking Tour and we will take you to an adventure to the nook and cranny of Jakarta!

Kereta Rel Listrik, The Popular Jakarta Transportation in the Populated City

As we have introduced a few of Jakarta Transporation, now it is the time to introducing another form, which is Kereta Rel Listrik (KRL) or Jakarta Commuterline. The commuterline or commonly known as KRL, is a rapid transportation based on electronic rails. This is the oldest and most used public transportation often used to commute.

KRL has been established since the year 1925 and had undergone a lot of changes and improvements since its establishment. KRL is an intercity transportation that connects Jakarta with the areas nearby such as Tangerang, Bogor, and Depok. So, it will always be busy in rush hours and working days.

As one of the most popular Jakarta Transportation, the fare is relatively affordable to reach a far distance. To ride a KRL, you will need an electronic money card to tap in and tap out in the destined stations. You can buy and top up the card at the ticket booth in each station. It costs IDR3000 for the first 25KM and IDR1000 for the next 10 KM.

Riding a KRL is a good option either for commuting for work or recreation. Jakartans can travel and sightsee in Kebun Raya Bogor by riding KRL and continuing by riding taxi or online transportations. Either way, people who live in Bogor can ride KRL if they want to visit the authentic Jakarta Old Town.

The routes and lines for KRL have been changing a lot as establishment and improvement kept going while the train are still operating. The details of the line, fare, and train schedule can be found on KRL website: https://commuterline.id/perjalanan-krl/info-tarif

Just some tips if you want to travel and only experience riding KRL as a Jakarta Transportation, it will be better to avoid rush hours on working days, or you might get lost in the sea of people.

Explore The Unseen Side of Jakarta with a Ride on Mikrotrans

When last time we talked about Transjakarta, now let’s talk about Mikrotrans, another type of Jakarta Transportation. In the past, Jakarta had Mikrolet and Angkot, some type of public transportation using smaller cars. Different from buses which had bus stations, this type of Jakarta transportation can pick up and drop passengers almost everywhere where the passengers like. Depending on the track, they have different colors and code numbers. The price depends on the distance and passengers can pay using cash to the drivers.

As time went by, this type of Jakarta Transportation had undergone multiple improvements. Nowadays, most of Mikrolet and Angkot have been replaced by Mikrotrans, a fleet of feeder cars from Transjakarta. What makes it different is they must stop at dedicated stops, at certain stops with the sign on the side of the streets, so they cannot randomly stop everywhere. Besides, the passangers can no longer pay with cash, but with an electric money card. The type of car that they used is mostly Suzuki Carry 1.5 Real Van that has been painted with JakLingko logo on the body. And all of them are equipped with air conditioners.

This type of Jakarta Transportation is convenient in exploring small roads and alleyways that big vehicles cannot pass in Jakarta. Many Jakartans ride Mikrotrans to go from their houses to commuter line or MRT stations to go to work because it is free of charge as of now. You only need to bring your electronic money card and tap on the machine inside the vehicle.

There are more than one hundred routes for Jakarta, as you can see in the Transjakarta website here: https://transjakarta.co.id/peta-rute/ . The difference between the routes is usually shown by their code number, started with code JAK-number, JAK-01 for example.

Prepare your electronic money card, specify your destination, find the stops with the sign to wait for Mikrotrans to arrive, and you are ready to blend with Jakartans. Just some tips, if you want a more comfortable journey, just avoid busy hours in the morning when people go to work and evening when they go home from work, and you are all set!

Lost in Jakarta Translation

One day, you have read or heard somewhere that is better to come prepared when you are about to travel to foreign countries. So, you have done your research, learnt the language of the countries you’ll visit, and are ready to drag your luggage to the airport. Once you arrived, you were just about to use the language that you learned, but, alas, what they speak is totally different than what you learned. It is not definite, but the chance is big for to happen as you step into Jakarta City.

Instead of hearing “saya”, “tidak”, “nanti”, and etc as a standard Indonesian formal language, you will hear a tad foreign term like “gue”, “ngga”, “ntar, etc. These words are derived from Betawi language, a dialect that is often used by native Jakartans.  So, don’t be surprised if it is different than formal Indonesian that you learned. Aside from that, there are also many new popular terms that are made from abbreviations. For example, “mantul” that is formed from “mantap betul”, or literally means “really excellent”.

As a country with more than 1.300 ethnicities, Indonesian that live throughout the country speaks in dialect in their hometown, so they are relatively easy to adapt and absorb new languages. Not only they can speak in dialects, but they are also capable of speaking in Indonesian standard language or relatively known as “bahasa baku”. In Central or East Java for example, you will hear most people speak in Javanese. Even other than Java Island, people from different ethnicities most probably speak in their own dialects in their respective hometown.

So, if you hear Indonesian speaks most in dialects but you are going to ask for directions and you have only learned the Indonesian language, don’t be afraid, while they are speaking in dialects for daily conversations, most will understand if you speak in formal Indonesian standard language.

Or, if you are not convinced enough, just use English to be safe. Citizens who work in service industries most probably undergone training for English language and some locals are excited to speak to foreigners to practice their English. So, don’t be afraid to engage in conversation with locals!

Introducing The Jakarta Transportation Mode, Transjakarta Busway

Once you step into Jakarta City, you will see a lot of vehicles on the street. As the capital city, the city has a very dense population. This causes a lot of traffic congestion problems in many parts of Jakarta. With the intention to solve this problem, the government came up with a plan to provide proper Jakarta Transportation to make the citizens choose to opt out using private vehicles. Therefore, the Transjakarta Busway was established. For a glance of this mode of transportation, please check here: https://www.jakartawalkingtour.com/transjakarta-bus/

Since its establishment, the Jakarta Transportation has undergone a lot of changes and improvement. From the number of corridors, tracks, and even bus type, size, and colors. As for now, the Transjakarta Busway has established more than 14 corridors around Jakarta. The integration map of those corridors can be found here: https://transjakarta.co.id/peta-rute/ The bus type has divided to BRT (rapid transit bus) and non-BRT. The BRT bus will stop and depart from normal Busway shelters that spread around Jakarta, meanwhile the non-BRT bus will also stop and depart at bus stops with a sign at the side of the streets.

Aside from only Jakarta Transportation, there are also Transjabodetabek that cater to commuters that live outside Jakarta as in Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi. This reflects on the corridors’ number code, for example, B11, that runs along the route of Bekasi to Jakarta on corridor 11. S for Serpong, T for Tangerang, C for Cibubur, and so on.

The fare is relatively cheap for Indonesian, with IDR3500 per person and no additional charge for transiting between corridors. An electric money card is needed as a payment method to ride the bus. Nowadays, most of the buses use gas as their fuel and buses which use gas have a blue color paint on the bodies. Some of them are electric buses, and the color is soft green.

The operational hours for this Jakarta Transportation vary depending on the corridors. The earliest departure is from 5AM and the latest is 12AM. One thing that a visitor must notice is, there are a special double decker buses with a special route for tourists that want to see around the roads in Jakarta while riding buses with the best view. It is better known as “Jakarta Explorer” with seven options for route theme. You can choose to explore history, culinary and art, modern Jakarta, and so on. Say no more, prepare your card, tap in, and you are ready to go!

Going Around Jakarta with Jakarta Transportation

Along with the continuous development of Jakarta as a capital city, Jakarta Transportation also undergoes a lot of improvements as today. There are already many options to go around Jakarta using public transportation.

Jakarta Transportation is divided into two types, intra-city and inter-city transportation. For intra-city transportation in Jakarta area, we have Transjakarta, Microtrans, and MRT (Mass Rapid Transit/Moda Raya Terpadu). These types of transportation modes are provided to people who want to go around within the Jakarta area. Transjakarta are big buses that you can ride from the Transjakarta Busway shelters, Microtrans is smaller vehicles like car or used to called “angkutan kota”, and MRT is train like transportation that you can ride from subway stations.

For intercity of Jakarta Transportation, there are options like KRL Commuter Line, LRT (Light Rail Transit/Lintas Rel Terpadu), and also Transjabodetabek. These modes are intended to provide transportation for people outside Jakarta area, including Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi, hence the name of “Jabodetabek” area, as many people commute from other cities while working in Jakarta or vice versa. The routes and fares for each mode are usually provided on their respective websites.

These modes of Jakarta Transportation are meant to provide people with decent public transportation so people will opt out using private vehicles to solve traffic congestion problems in Jakarta. The fares are relatively affordable for Indonesians, starting from IDR3500 or less than 1USD. You can even ride for free on Microtrans as long as you carry an electronic money card.

Stay tuned for more information about how to ride, routes, and fares for Jakarta Transportation. See you in the next articles!

Es Cendol Durian, A Glass of Tropical Sensation

Es Cendol Durian, pretty by the look, delicious by the taste. The green color of rice flour jellies, with the white color of coconut milk, in addition with the brown sugar and yellow color of durian fruit, make a beautiful combination.

By the name, Es Cendol Durian, it is certainly a cold drink, by “es”, means ice or iced drinks. It is one of the many popular iced drinks in Indonesia. The texture of cendol, or the green rice flour jellies in the drink, is soft, light and not too heavy. A perfect choice for appetizer or dessert.

Es Cendol Durian is one of the variations of es cendol created by Indonesian. The original one does not have any toppings. Today, a few a variations of es cendol came with topping options, durian fruit, tapai (fermented sweet cassava), avocado or jackfruits. Actually, the original one also served without ice before refrigeration is invited, and has a different name in Javanese, called “dawet”. Along with many inventions of technology, many varieties of iced drinks can be found easily in the world, including Indonesia.

A few cuts of durian fruits in a glass of Es Cendol Durian add more sweetness to the flavor and creamy textures. Some fact about durian, even though durian fruit is native to Indonesia, some Indonesian also not familiar with it as it smells and taste might be too strong for some people. The strong smell causing it to be forbidden to carry in some public spaces, a plane or a bus for example. So, it will be either you love it, or hate it. However, if you think you are adventurous enough to try some new taste, you can challenge yourself.

A glass of es cendol can be easily found in the city, from street peddlers or in a menu at some restaurants. The price can also vary, depending on the area they are selling. However, it will still be quite affordable as the ingredients are easy to find.

With Jakarta Food Tour, find unique and unusual delicacies that the city can offer. From savory, sweet, to spicy, you name it. Make sure to prepare comfortable clothes and shoes to walk around on a hot day in a tropical city and try the tropical taste of Es Cendol Durian with us.

Es Kelapa, A Healty Choice of “Energy Drink”

Es Kelapa, a perfect choice to quench your thirst on a sunny day. As the largest coconut palm growing area in the world, coconut or “kelapa” is just a common ingredient in Indonesian delicacies. Not only in food, but in drinks as well. From the tree itself, coconut can be used for many functions, from the leaves and branches that can be used to create some decorations or another useful items, to the fruit and liquid that can be used in varieties of food creations.

Coconut iced drink or Es Kelapa is one of the variations of drink’s version. What’s special about Es Kelapa is the liquid came from the coconut water itself. The water already has a slightly sweet flavor, but some people may add sugar to add the sweetness. Inside the coconut water, a few pieces of coconut meat are added. The traditional Es Kelapa contains coconut water, its meat, sugar, and ice cubes. However, there are some other versions that use red syrup to add sweetness, contrasting with the white coconut meat. In some restaurants, there is sometimes also a fusion from orange juice and coconut meat.

Like the trees that can be easily seen when you land in Indonesia, Es Kelapa sellers or vendors can be easily found almost everywhere. By the roadside, in some food courts in malls, and in restaurant menus. The coconut meat has a nice chewy texture, especially if they use young coconuts. Combined with sugar and iced cubes, it is a perfect option to freshen your body in a hot weather.

Not only popular to drink in daily basis, Es Kelapa is also known as a popular appetizer for iftar, the meal taken after Maghrib prayer in Ramadhan. The number of Es Kelapa sellers will be doubled than any usual days. It says that consuming coconut water will have many benefits for the human body, hence a few energy drinks’ brands claimed to use “real” coconut water in their products to promote the benefits.

Join us in our Jakarta Food Tour, walk around a little on some corners of Jakarta, take a break to drink Es Kelapa with us, and see for yourself. A healthy choice of energy drink with less chemicals and artificial flavors.

Soda Susu, A Fizz of Colorful Happiness

Soda Susu is not just an ordinary soda drink. It is a combination of carbonated drink and sweetened condensed milk, completed with a spoonful of iced cubes. Thanks to its sweet flavor and the freshness from ice cubes, it is also often called Soda Gembira, which means a carbonated drink that will uplift the drinker’s mood.

Soda Susu usually has a reddish color from red syrup, and the white color is from sweetened condensed milk. However, as varieties and brands of carbonated drinks are growing larger, the color sometimes will depend on the carbonated drink and the brand that the maker uses. It can be clear, red, black, or other colors.

 As a popular drink in the city, Soda Susu is easily found either in restaurants, cafes, small stalls, or at the side of the streets. It is usually sold along with mineral water, iced tea, fruit juice, and other cold drinks. It is a perfect choice for hot and sunny weather to refresh your body and mind.

If you have a sweet tooth, you will almost certainly like the taste of this drink. The sweet flavor comes not only from the carbonated drinks, but also the syrup and sweetened condensed milk. Some people might find it too sweet, but ice cubes are a great combination and will tone down the sweetness.

Just a little fact that although the name is Soda Susu, which is literally means milk soda in English, fresh milk is almost never used as ingredients, as it will not blends well with the soda. So, the milk is only referred to the sweetened condensed milk.

If you are staying in Indonesia, and in some days, you are having a bad experience or not in a good mood, try this so-called happiness soda, that said to be your instant mood booster on those gloomy days.

 Join our Jakarta Food Tour from afternoon through evening, walk around with us to taste various kinds of delicacies. Take a short break, sip a fizz of the happiness soda, Soda Susu, and we will be ready to continue our adventure.