Spend a day or two in Jakarta...

I have marked my favourites with one or two asterisks** .

• ** Sunda Kelapa. The original port of Jakarta, on the coast north of old Dutch Jakarta. This is said to be the world's biggest commercial sailing port. Don't miss it - see fifty or more big Bugis cargo boats (phinisi) which bring mostly wood from Kalimantan (Borneo), Sulawesi, and other islands; then they take back foodstuffs, oil, building materials and the occasional light van or truck. The best time for photos, and not so hot, is early morning or late afternoon. Men with little canoes will offer to row you round the harbour. You may also get invited on board a boat; take a look and if possible look at the navigation equipment in the bridge.... probably there isn't any! The only boat I went on did not even have a compass. The captain was puzzled at my questions about how he found his way back to Sulawesi - he said he knows the way, why would he need a compass? I guess he still hasn't invested in a Global Positioning System.

• * Pasar Ikan, the fish market, near Sunda Kelapa, best early in the morning

• ** Wander around the old and mostly neglected Dutch area of Kota (Fatahillah Square). The equivalent in Europe would be the main tourist and social centre, with plenty of cafes and bustling street life. But being SE Asia, it's just an old and neglected corner of town, of little interest to local people and modern business. It's probably of the few places in Jakarta which is not crowded and noisy - part of its charm, if it does not crumble away....

• ** A drink in the upstairs bar of the beautiful Cafe Batavia in the same square after that - you will need it - once voted in Asia's top 10 bars before the crisis started in 1997. Maybe a quick beer to quench your thirst, then splash out on their great cocktails. The restaurant is good but expensive by Jakarta standards.

• ** Dharma Bhakti temple in Chinatown (Glodok) - you will need good directions or a map to find it - strongly recommended. Especially impressive during Chinese festivals when the smoke and smells from huge red candles and thousands of incense sticks create an extraordinary atmosphere, like something out of "Raiders of the Lost Ark".

• * There are some more good street markets in the same area of Glodok. This is the area to buy your fake CDs and computer software, not that you would of course. This was also one of the main areas of rioting and looting and worse in May 1998, just before President Soeharto had to step down. You may still see some burnt out buildings in the area. The true story of the rioting is still not completely clear. It is said that much of the rioting and rape and murder was started by muscular men with cropped hair, i.e. probably some sort of military, rather than the local people. The November 1999 student demonstrations at Semanggi, which I saw at close hand, also turned nasty when paid militants organised by some branch of the military intervened and started the fighting.

• ** Another street market, and a favourite for tourists, is the Jalan Surabaya antique market in Menteng. One end of the street market is mostly luggage shops, the other is for antiques. Some of the antiques are genuine, most are probably not. As a Garuda Airlines advertisement of a few years ago said: these shops have any antique you want, or they can get it made by tomorrow. Bargaining is essential; also check prices on a few stalls. Caveat emptor!

• * Dunia Fantasi ("Dufan") in the Ancol beach resort area. A bargain if you are into roller coasters etc. - a mini Disneyland at a fraction of the price, and the added thrill of wondering about Indonesian maintenance standards. Try to go mid week to avoid the weekend crowds. (There is a much smaller fun park at Taman Ria Senayan, quite near the Hilton Hotel. Not many rides, but the tiny looking roller coaster is about the most brutal I have been on - really tight and sudden turns. UPDATE: It now seems to be closed.)

• Monas. The National or Freedom monument which, if anything does, marks the centre of the city. A monolith over 130m tall, made of marble with a massive flame at the top supposedly made of some 35kg of gold. There is a lift inside so you can go to the top and view the city for miles around... or as far as the pollution will let you. It is set in a large park which could be a wonderful green centre to the city - and sometimes is a temporary army base during riots, a jungle of hawkers and food stalls, and a happy hunting ground for ladies (not necessarily female ones) of the night.

• The National Museum near the Monas national monument - drab and poorly arranged and labelled, but some impressive contents.

• Taman Mini Indonesia. Indonesia in miniature; a sort of cultural theme park with examples of traditional tribal houses etc. from all over Indonesia. Some people love it. I find it rather sterile.

• * Safari park. An animal park outside Jakarta on the road to Bogor. I have not been there for years but it used to be a good day out. Many of the animals roam free in large parklands. You stay in your cage - your car - and drive slowly though. Some of the animals come up hoping for a snack - usually a few small bananas which you can buy before you go into the park. It is quite unnerving when a giraffe's head pops into your car window, so be prepared if you decide to leave the windows wide open. I wonder what happens if you turn up without a car... do they still let you wander through the Bengal tiger area?

• Walking.  Jakarta is not a good place for walking. The heat and the pollution from the traffic are bad enough. Crossing roads is a nightmare, pedestrians seem to have no right of way. Pavements (sidewalks) are often damaged or blocked by food stalls and parked cars. Also beware of missing or broken stones and drain covers especially at night, or you could find yourself falling a couple of metres into the drains or sewers below. Having said all that, Menteng has some lovely and fairly quiet streets to wander around, and some fine old houses to look at (old in Jakarta means more than perhaps 50 years). Try to spot ex-President Soeharto's house at Jalan Cendana no.8. Further away, there are nicer and cooler country walks in the hills around Puncak, and hour or two's drive from town.

• * Golf. Jakarta has plenty of golf courses at reasonable prices. See http://www.worldgolf.com/courses/indogcs.html#Java. There are also several golf driving ranges including one on Jl. Sudirman just behind the Hilton, and another very nice one behind the Stock Exchange.

• * Thousand Islands. Hundreds of small islands off the Jakarta coast, the nearest a few km away, the furthest about 100km out. Some have resorts and dive facilities (though much of the coral has now been destroyed by fishermen). One, Pulau Bira, has a small golf course, with very large lizards (small Komodo dragons) as unusual natural hazards. The further out islands are the best, where the water is cleaner. About 2 hours by speedboat from Ancol Marina. More information on Yahoo

• Puncak: The area of hills south of Jakarta, an hour or two's drive. Tea plantations, holiday homes and hotels, walks.

• Muara Angke : Wetland and bird reserve

and..... various nightspots.. lots of bars and restaurants. Here are some pubs and bars.

The Jakarta Food Guide is very good for restaurant reviews.
 

More ideas from Yahoo: Things to do in and around Jakarta

And here is another point of view from http://jakartahotels.com/info/around.php :

Places to Go
Jakarta being more a destination for business travellers hasn't really developed that many attractions for the casual tourist within in the city itself. There are a couple, but if you are going to be in Jakarta for a more than a few days or perhaps through a weekend, it would well worth your time to get outside the city and see Indonesia. Day trips (by car) to Puncak, Bogor and/or Bandung will give you better idea of the area. Further afield an overnight stay in either Yogakarta or Bali will be time well spent.

Go to their website for more details http://jakartahotels.com/info/around.php