Bounded to the north by the Java Sea and the south by the Bogor Hills, Indonesia`s overwhelming capital has long been the focus of the country`s changing face and it is slowly becoming a recognized travel destination. Jakarta is a tourist attraction itself, at times disturbing and gleaming – this is a megalopolis with a ‘loved and hated’ character. Perhaps the fact of being some of the most populous cities in our planet, polluted, jammed and deafening, decreases its reputation. Yet, its flavours and history will undoubtedly captivate and there are surprises to be expected at every corner.
Indeed, Jakarta is a place of daunting extremes, with some of the world`s poorest peripheries found just a stone`s throw from the shining skyscrapers, where prosperity and poverty live hand in hand with each other.