Weekend in Jakarta

Once again we wake up around 4:30 am to the numerous mosques in our area chanting or reciting call to prayer over loudspeakers. The call is actually issued six times a day aligned with the prayer services at the mosques which is 4:40 am, 5:58 am, 12:03 pm, 3:07 pm, 6:09 pm, and 7:18 pm on this Saturday and similar the other days of the week. Sometimes it lasts 15-20 minutes. It is something which would take a lot for us to get used to. One evening I recorded a short clip of the sound, see below.
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We’re feeling closed in staying in this small apartment and we have some computer-based work to do, so the obvious answer is a trip to the mall! Saturday we grab a table and coffee at Starbucks then log into their WiFi. When we’re hungry we take the escalator down a floor to Greyhound Restaurant for “Thai with a twist”.

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​In the afternoon we try out Paulander, Jakarta’s only micro-brewery. William orders a half liter and I choose a glass of white wine. William declares that the beer is good and my wine is a decent Vouvray. We sip and snack on a pretzel while doing more work using their WiFi. A nice treat.

Sunday morning Jakarta has a car-free zone on a few of their major roads. People come out to bike, run and walk from 6:30 - 11 am. Vendors setup carts near the Selamat Datang Monument with food or goods - the small Sunday market is open. It’s a good start to our day.

​In the afternoon we try an upscale restaurant with a memorable name: Cork and Screw. They specialize in wine, with a mention in Wine Spectator Magazine. I have a delightful salmon ravioli and William has a tasty lasagna.

In the evening we pre-pack for tomorrow’s departure and remind our Airbnb host of the need to order a taxi to take us to the airport in the morning.