Have Perut Will Travel...: CGK Day 4 │ IMLEK @ Jakarta • Glodok • Kota Tua

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Wednesday, 29 January 2025

CGK Day 4 │ IMLEK @ Jakarta • Glodok • Kota Tua

Chinese New Year in Old Jakarta

We picked you up again after checking back into Sigit’s lovely unit at Thamrin Executive Residence. After a quick shower — still dressed in our Imlek outfits — we headed out at 4:00pm, hailing a fixed fare Bluebird taxi for IDR81,000 (approximately MYR19/USD5/EUR4) to Gapura Chinatown in Glodok.

The drive took about an hour, giving us a very different view of Jakarta — less polished, less shiny, but endlessly fascinating. A few characters approached the taxi window now and then; I was tempted to film, but thought better of it.

We were dropped off right under the iconic Chinatown archway and began exploring Glodok, an urban village in Taman Sari. The lanes were narrow, lively, sometimes sketchy — but we emerged unscathed and exhilarated.

From Glodok to Kota Tua

After wandering through Chinatown, we continued north toward Kota Tua. Unfortunately, our Action 5’s battery died just as we left Glodok — something we only realised much later.

Kota Tua was buzzing. We walked around the huge plaza, admiring the 17th century Dutch colonial buildings while being serenaded by street buskers scattered across the square. It’s easy to see why this is one of Jakarta’s most popular attractions.

Imlek Dinner at Café Batavia

Eventually, we made our way to the famous Café Batavia for an early Imlek dinner. After chatting with our waiter, Baim, we ordered:

Sop Buntut (Oxtail Soup)
Nasi Campur Meneer (Dutch style mixed rice)
Terung Telur Balado (Eggplants with sambal)
Si Jagur Punch
2 Bir Pletok
Coca Cola

Total: IDR739,300 (approximately MYR202/USD47/EUR43).

The meal was excellent — rich flavours, warm ambience, and a perfect setting for Chinese New Year. We’re happy to say Café Batavia lives up to the hype.

A Close Call

After dinner, we took another stroll across the plaza before heading toward Jakarta Kota Station.

Then something happened.

We almost fell victim to a pickpocket gang. A man in a white hoodie and a woman in a long sleeved white blouse had unzipped my camera backpack. Thankfully, Cat noticed the open zipper in time. Nothing was taken, but the shock was real.

We reached the station safely and asked a security officer for advice. He suggested taking the Bogor train to Manggarai, then switching to another train to Sudirman.

Midway through the ride, we decided to get off at Cikini Station instead and hailed a fixed fare Bluebird taxi for IDR46,000 (approximately MYR12/USD3/EUR3) back to Thamrin Executive Residence.

Safe at Home

Back in familiar surroundings, we finally exhaled. The adrenaline was still pumping, but we were grateful nothing worse had happened. We vowed to be more cautious moving forward.

Step count for Day 4: 11,023.

What’s Next

Be sure to catch our next video — we head out for an unexpected but necessary errand tomorrow.