En Route to Bali

March 10, 2012 - The day after our Taman Mini adventure, we were all set to leave for Bali! We had breakfast in the apartment and prepared for the airport.

Bluebird Taxi - trustworthy

Sure enough, we paid only around 180,000 IDR for the metered cab going to the Jakarta domestic airport. Tip: Friends recommend taking only Bluebird cabs when moving around Jakarta , since they are known to be the most honest and trustworthy cabbies, and there is also high probability that the driver will speak English.

Belinda swiping for check-in !

We picked Air Asia for our Jakarta - Bali flight (130 USD, booked and bought in Manila). Air Asia encourages online check-in to minimize airport lines. You can check-in through email and get your boarding pass, or through smartphone and get a bar code for scanning. We thought their self check in consoles were pretty cool, you scan the smartphone bar code there and it prints out your boarding pass. However , it was weird that they don't honor e-copy of the boarding pass :oP which I had on my iPad , so I had to manually check in. Good thing the policy was pretty new that they didn't charge me the 30,000 IDR for that! Be ready also with 150,000 IDR airport tax.

Al Capone (left) was soo good

We were also advised to drop by J.Co for awesome donuts (we learned later that they were about to open in Megamall in Manila, too bad I don't go there! :-) Al Capone rocked. 


Our flight was delayed for almost 3 hours that day. It was also really confusing in the waiting area, since it was just one huge room with one gate where all the different flights were being called. The formal announcements were scarce and barely audible... and we only knew that flights were being called when a ground steward starts going around the room calling for lost passengers. If we weren't impatient Filipinas, we wouldn't have known that our flight was delayed because they didn't announce! They tried to feed the people food but it didn't look too good so we passed (besides, we were full of J.Co already!)

The flight from Jakarta to Bali took around 1 hour and 15 minutes.Air Asia also had fun games like Cebu Pacific.

Whereas Jakarta's time is an hour behind the Phils' - it was good to be back to own timezone in Bali! It was hot and humid , and Bel and I were pretty nervous because we didn't make arrangements for pick-up! We couldn't locate a Bluebird taxi - so we asked the security guard -- and he led us to this man who brought us to a bet up Avanza-like vehicle. OMG, the plot for the movie "Taken" floated through my mind! We got to our hotel okay , but I think the 180,000 IDR he charged us was wayy too much vs. the distance traveled.

When I was imagining Bali, I was thinking of a rural, relaxing type of place with very few infrastructure. I was surprised about how developed it was , with wide roads, box like buildings and disappointing, Jakarta-like traffic. It was bustling with activity!

Our scheduled first stop was Kuta, the beach area! On the way to our hotel, you can really feel that the area was pulsing with energy and fun. It was evening so we couldn't see the beach -- but the collection of bars and shops twinkled invitingly that evening.. we were itching to go out !


We dropped our stuff off in a charming hotel called "Dekuta Hotel" a few meters off the main road. After a few moments of again "making a mess and reassessing luggage" , we were off to explore!

Jakarta and Mini Indonesia

Money Note: The US Dollar to Indonesian Rupiah conversion varied from place to place, also depends on what valuation of bill you are changing, to make it easier for you, let's use U$D 1.00 = IDR 9,000

Jakarta is like Manila...

... without the English! Frankly speaking, I didn't like it that much and was happy we only spent a day there. I guess it is unfair for me to judge too soon because we probably didn't get to see the nicer places, so let me "save" that dislike by saying that we didn't get to go to the nice shopping places which were supposed to be really good :o) maybe next time.

I was also grateful that we knew people there because it looked difficult to get around. I had a fun time experimenting with the BTS Skytrain in Bangkok, but Jkt really made me nervous. It was weirder that Pinoys look Indonesian, and you feel like such an outcast because of the language barrier. (Didn't help much that the people think we were Indonesian and they start speaking to us in Bahasa.. Uh oh)

Bel and I really didn't know what to expect in Jakarta so our itinerary there was blank til the last minute. I just wanted to see my friend Nyla, whom I have promised to visit a long, long time ago. I was just our luck that by the time our Indo trip get finalized, she also learned that she snagged a job in Canberra, Australia and was scheduled to leave the day after we arrived! Great for her but bummer for our reunion (and there goes our tour guide...) Her housemate Ivy, also a Filipina (and a UPLB grad!) was nice enough to still give us a place to crash , amidst the frenzy of packing since she was about to move out as well.

We arrived super late Friday evening and got picked up by Nyles at the airport. the airport is very much like our own NAIA 1. Since it was super late , we paid around 250,000 IDR (about 25 USD)  from the airport to Nyla's place which was right in the middle of the city. Normal price should be around 180,000 IDR only... (thanks Nyla for treating us!)

Hanna and Belinda making a mess in Nyla's and Ivy's living room. Ahem. "Assessing luggage"

The following morning, we had a whole day planned with Milan and his family. Milan is a former colleague from Manila who is now living in Jakarta with his family and they were kind enough to adopt us for the day. Originally from Slovakia, they just moved to Indo last Feb and were eager to explore.

It was difficult to find a good list of "Places to go in Jakarta," and what looked interesting on the web was the Taman Mini Indonesia Inda . Check out the TMII in Wikipedia, TMII in TripAdvisor, and the TMII website. Roughly translated, it means Miniature Indonesia Park. It intrigued me because it reminded me of our very own Nayong Pilipino. Why not squeeze in a visit to all of Indonesia by visiting this park?

We left the apartment at around 9 am and packed Milan's Innova - we were an interesting bunch. Three Europeans, 2 Filipinas, in a right-hand drive car, in unfamiliar streets, and a tiny English - Bahasa, Bahasa - English Dictionary .. oh, and a delayed reception GPS. Of course we got lost a couple of times (the most interesting one was when we took a wrong turn and ended up at a Muslim mosque, we were in summer clothes and got stared at really bad!) It didn't help that a thunderstorm met us when we got near the vicinity of TMII! Better be worth it...

Well, it was worth it... sort of. I couldn't quite explain what I felt about the place. I guess I give them points for trying to come up with a great park (especially since one of the reviews called it the Disneyland of Indonesia!) . The entrance itself looked grand, but the insides looked neglected. As if it had once enjoyed its days of glory and fun. In Filipino, I would say, "sayang!" Nevertheless, it was still an interesting visit!

Entrance to the park cost u about 10,000 IDR (for the whole car, about a dollar ). Since it was 300 hectares , maps were all in Bahasa, and we simply got lost trying to navigate it by ourselves, we decided to get off the car and ride the nearby cable car. At 25,000 IDR (about 2 USD) , we were taken from one portion of the park to another (I won't say from end to end because it didn't look like the end.)

The park was huge from above , and it definitely cannot be seen in just one day. We caught a glimpse of a crowded waterpark and some compounds of different traditional Indonesian communities. When we got off, we decided to walk through the houses. Some were really well maintained, while some were not. I wondered how they allocated the resources for it, maybe local governments are assigned to the specific region? Most interesting for me was one house which walked you through the traditional wedding ceremony. I am sorry but I cannot recall too much of the history because it was just so hot and sticky to be attentive! Soon, we got sick of too much houses and didn't even go inside some. Almost everything showcased wedding garments. They looked very much like our own Mindanao's colorful costumes.

Girls with Erik at the entrance of Museum Indonesia

Our last stop for the day in at TMII was the Museum Indonesia near the entrance. By far, it was the best place we visited that day - the building was intricately designed and the displays were wonderfully preserved inside. Reminded me of Cebu's Museo Sugbo, small , tight, crisp, meaningful! They had literature, paintings, sculpture, history, life size diaromas , in a clean, well preserved environment. What's great about TMII is that you only pay for what you want to see - each attraction has separate entrance fees. Museo Indonesia cost us 5,000 IDR, barely 1 USD.

And with this, let me introduce you to my rating system for trip reviews:
1* - Don't bother
2** - Visit only if you have time (don't smack yourself for not being able to go...)
3*** - Try to go, you won't be disappointed
4**** - Don't miss it!!!

I rate between TMII 2** - 3*** , maybe there's more to it than what we saw. There's also an iMax theater and a couple of other museums (14 total!) ... but maybe there are some other places to visit in Jakarta.


When visiting TMII, don't forget to bring water, wear walking shoes (that's easy to remove because some of the houses don't allow them...), some snacks (limited choices) and a camera! Bring loose rupiahs (most expenses range from 2,000 IDR - 25,000 IDR) Not much souvenir shopping here also. You need 2,000 IDR when using the restrooms, which are not really that clean and equipped (bring toilet paper!)

Vietnamese Food - Aquaknox Vietnamese Kitchen

Wannabi Busog?

It is a weird name for a restaurant, an Asian one at that (unless I am missing something … to those who know, please enlighten me) , but the food was so good!

I was lead to Aquaknox ( a bit out of the way from my usual route of office – home) by a 50% off coupon – a Groupon purchase, only to find out that a reservation was required a day before. My bad because I didn’t read the fine print! But my dad and I were there already, plus the prices looked reasonable, so we stayed.

The place was really nice, but empty .. Probably because of the Holy Week holidays. It gave me the freedom to roam around and check out the whole place - which looked really good. I hope I can hold an event there someday! They had a small private room for 20 people max (Php 10,000 consumable), the mezzanine floor for 30 people max, and you can also rent the whole place for 100 people max (mezzanine and whole place rental fees depend on # of hours needed + menu)

Aquaknox interior - I love the bold red wall and the huge Vietnamese paintings. The other decors reminded me of the cool knick knacks for sale in Ho Chi Minh City

I like Vietnamese food, because they are a perfect mix of light and explosive tastes. I feel like each dish is assembled so they complement each other. As far as other Vietnamese restaurants are concerned, I like Pho Hoa, Pho Bac is okay, and Pho 24 (Ayala Triangle Gardens) is so-so , although the Pho 24 I tried in HCMC had good food. My usual Vietnamese fare would be spring rolls and a bowl of pho (vietnamese noodle soup).

The displayed news articles about Aquaknox said that they were “more than just pho” , so I decided to deviate from my favorite Pho Ga or chicken noodle soup. We had Goi Cuon (fresh spring rolls with shrimps, pork, lettuce, and noodles), Ca Chien Basa (pan-seared cream dory with ginger lime sauce – for dad) , and Ga Roti voi Gao Nep (grilled chicken with sticky rice, scallion oil and crispy shallots – mine, a Vietnamese classmate once cooked this for us and I loved it).

Groupon or no Groupon, I was not disappointed! The spring rolls were great and perfectly rolled , moist, crunchy. The peanut sauce that came with it gave it the perfect flavor. My dad’s cream dory was flavorful too, and came with rice, veggies and an egg (dad: “may itlog? Breakfast?). My sticky rice (they call the sticky rice preparation “xoi”) was really good as well! Couldn’t help utter small “mmms” while eating!

Ca Chien Basa (pan-seared cream dory with ginger lime sauce – for dad) , and Ga Roti voi Gao Nep (grilled chicken with sticky rice, scallion oil and crispy shallots - for me!) Sarap!

For the ambience of the place, and the quality of the food – I think Aquaknox really delivers and well worth the money. I am definitely coming back to try some more stuff ! I can’t wait to try their supposed specialty, “Chef Danny’s Garlicky Crab” next time.

Check them out. They have the Arnaiz Ave (Makati branch) , as well as “Xoi” branches in SM Megamall A and in Alabang Town Center.

Aquaknox Vietnamese Kitchen - Arnaiz Ave, San Lorenzo Village, Makati City

Phone: 894-3380