First Impressions of Jakarta

I was in Jakarta for a 3-day trip at the beginning of October - all because Angie got transferred there for a year. So lodging was free :-)

Eventhough I've been to other parts of Indonesia before, it was my first time in Jakarta. And whenever I travel to a place for the first time, I try not to have expectations to avoid disappointments.

Here are 3 of my personal observations of the city:

Traffic
One thing that people usually tell me is that the traffic in Jakarta is horrendous. One can get caught in a traffic jam for hours just to travel a short distance.

However this time I didn't get to experience the horrible traffic that Jakarta is famous for, simply because I travelled on a weekend. I heard that traffic is usually notorious on weekdays during peak hours.

Customer service
Customer service standards in Jakarta are relatively higher compared to other countries - even in KL where I live.

In Jakarta we walked into malls and shops and the staff would greet us like they value the business we're potentially giving them. Even if we don't buy anything, they would still smile and thank us as we walk away.

At the Sate Senayan restaurant in South Jakarta, there was a staff on duty in front of the washroom to greet and direct customers to the washroom. That particular staff also ensured that the washroom is consistently clean. I haven't seen such a thing yet in KL.


Malls, malls and more malls
When it comes to malls, Jakarta is in a league of its own. The sheer boldness in the way the city builds its mammoth malls is amazing. I think Jakarta has ample land and enough customer volume to sustain these giant malls.

We went to 3 malls during my stay in Jakarta - Pondok Indah Mall, Anggrek Mall and Grand Indonesia. Amongst the 3, Grand Indonesia lives up to its name as the grandest mall of them all. Can someone please tell me what is the biggest mall in Jakarta?