If you are into cultural/religious monuments, don't miss out the Jakarta Cathedral and the Istiqlal Mosque, both a stone's throw away from MONAS.

The cathedral was built during the turn of the 20th century during the Dutch era. Very beautiful Neo-Gothic architecture, reminds you very much of the grand cathedrals in Europe. The Istiqlal Mosque was built as a symbol of Indonesian independence and its capacity as the world's largest Muslim-majority country. It is also Southeast Asia's largest mosque, which can accommodate up to 120,000 worshippers at any one time. Do check out the upper galleries/corridors surrounding the huge prayer hall - very airy and well-ventilated, and as cool as in an air-conditioned room despite having no air-con! Both the cathedral and the mosque are right opposite each other (the mosque's external carpark sometimes acts as the carpark for the worshippers at the cathedral during Sundays), together with the nearby grand Protestant Church, the Immanuel Church (worth a visit too with its Greek-Roman architecture and huge gardens) - these 3 symbolize the religious harmony of Indonesia, as propagated by the Pancasila, the Indonesian counterpart of our Rukun Negara.

There's a nice souvenir shop at Grand Indonesia, with lots of quality products. Grand Indonesia easily blows away Malaysia's and Singapore's high-end malls - modern design, luxurious environment, spacious corridors, and great service and hospitality (the guards open doors for you everytime!)

Jakarta Cathedral, built in 1901


Masjid Istiqlal, Southeast Asia's largest - commissioned by the Government and designed by an Indonesian Christian architect


MONAS, Indonesia's independence monument


Istiqlal Mosque (the huge domed building + minaret) and the Jakarta Cathedral (twin spires) seen from MONAS


Fatahillah Museum (Jakarta History Museum), the former city hall (stadhuis) of the Dutch colonial government, Kota Tua area (Old Jakarta)


Dutch-influenced townhouses at Fatahillah Square, Kota Tua Jakarta


Borobudur, Central Java - a UNESCO World Heritage Site


This post has been edited by europology: Dec 31 2012, 06:13 AM

20 mins by Transjogja buses (the RapidKL-equaivalent in Yogyakarta) on smooth traffic days. Prambanan can be easily reached as it is located within Yogya city, unlike Borobudur which is 1.5 hrs away from the city.

If you have a student card (local/foreign unis), you'll get 50% off for visits to both Borobudur and Prambanan. Show it at the counter, and you'll get the student price of USD7 (normal price for foreign visitors is USD15) - that's a lot of savings! Don't worry about being no longer a student - they won't check you on that. If they do happen to ask, just insist that you're still a student!

This post has been edited by europology: Dec 31 2012, 06:19 AM

am pretty sure he/she had meant bandung.