---
type: Video
title: "My First Time In JAKARTA, Indonesia (New York or Asia??) 🇮🇩"
description: A first day in Jakarta — the MRT, a skyline Harry compares to New York, blind-ordered Sumatran fish cake, satay-drenched street dumplings, a haggled fake backpack and the National Monument.
tags: [indonesia, jakarta, mrt, street-food, satay, monas, markets, haggling]
timestamp: 2026-08-05T12:00:00Z
resource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLogbvAxwpw
video_id: oLogbvAxwpw
upload_date: 2022-11-29
duration: 1796
---

# My First Time In JAKARTA, Indonesia (New York or Asia??) 🇮🇩

Harry's first day in [Jakarta](/places/jakarta.md), arriving from Bali, and the
video is structured as a correction of his own expectations. He rides the MRT,
comes up into the central business district, and spends a minute simply
surprised at it — the skyscrapers, he says, are better designed than England's.

The rest of the day is food. A café where the menu comes by QR code and has no
photographs, so he orders blind; a street stall of siomay and batagor under
satay sauce; and an es doger dessert mixed in front of him. He haggles a fake
backpack out of a market stall, then walks to the National Monument with fellow
creator Luke Damant (@LukeDamant), who is filming with him.

## Key moments

- [00:00] Jakarta at over 10 million, and [Indonesia](/countries/indonesia.md)
  at over 270 million.
- [01:03] English is thin here, unlike Bali where he says it's perfect — which
  he treats as a reason to learn some Bahasa.
- [01:37] The claim the whole day rests on: Indonesian street food is often as
  good as or better than the restaurant food.
- [02:42] Buying an MRT card at Block M, topping it up, and through the gates.
- [05:04] His verdict on the train — the most spacious metro he's ridden, clean,
  modern, good air conditioning, and signed in English.
- [05:34] The skyline, and the comparison to New York.
- [06:07] ONE FIFTEENTH coffee shop, ordered by QR code from the table.
- [06:46] No pictures on the menu, so he orders something he can't identify.
- [07:17] Hot coffee poured over ice cream.
- [07:50] The mystery dish turns out to be pempek, a fish cake from Sumatra,
  served with a vinegar he declines.
- [09:04] $16 for two meals and two coffees.
- [10:28] Street food: batagor, at ten thousand.
- [11:39] Steamed and fried, mixed, with tofu and chicken.
- [12:11] Satay sauce, which he rates unbelievable.
- [13:52] The chilli arrives about thirty seconds late.
- [15:05] Es doger — ice cream, coloured jellies, fruit and chocolate mixed to
  order.
- [18:19] A green layer he has to dig for that tastes like cake.
- [18:19] Football opens the conversation: everyone he meets supports Manchester
  United.
- [18:55] Fake goods on the next row: bags, caps.
- [19:27] A backpack asked at 200.
- [20:28] The negotiation lands around 150.
- [21:09] He hands over his old bag as part of the trade and transfers his
  belongings.
- [21:45] Rows of food stalls opposite rows of electronics and counterfeits —
  and Luke's point that these places don't show up on Google Maps.
- [22:16] First impressions: very developed, modern districts alongside local
  ones.
- [22:48] How many islands Indonesia has — the government says around 18,000 and
  more are still being found.
- [23:18] Jakarta is sinking, and a new capital is being built at a cost of
  billions, with people having to move.
- [23:49] His rule for Southeast Asia: ask a security guard for directions.
  They're consistently helpful and polite.
- [24:23] A statue of a hero of the Betawi, the people native to Jakarta, and a
  loud protest with heavy police presence beside it.
- [24:56] The National Monument — an obelisk of 127 metres, for the independence
  struggle against the Dutch, finished in the 1970s. He flags both figures as
  needing checking.
- [25:31] Istiqlal Mosque, which he's told is the sixth largest in the world.
- [25:31] He can't go in: shorts, no sarong, and it closes around three.
- [26:03] The top of the monument is sold out.
- [27:12] The lower viewpoint, four flights up, and the panorama.
- [29:34] His closing verdict: greener, bigger and more developed than he
  expected.

## Extracted pages

- Person: [Luke Damant](/people/luke-damant.md)

- Place: [Jakarta](/places/jakarta.md)
- Country: [Indonesia](/countries/indonesia.md)