Indonesian Trends

When planning a trip to Jakarta, consider spending a day at one of the many modern shopping malls the city has to offer. You may welcome a day off from tourist and cultural sites and enjoy spending time in air-conditioned comfort, where you can relax and shop without annoying hawkers. Therefore there are choices galore for shoppers!

If you've spent much time visiting outlying provinces or rural areas, it will be quickly evident during a trip to the capital city that Jakarta showcases the wealth of Indonesia. Skyscrapers, impressive monuments, wide boulevards (albeit crowded) and large malls rival those of any major world capital.

In traditional Indonesian society, open common areas in villages and towns or the courtyard of the Sultan's palace have long been a place to gather and spend late afternoon and evening hours. Small vendors set up their wares, food carts gather and people stroll around meeting friends and sharing gossip. Jakarta's shopping malls are a modern urban equivalent of traditional meeting points – a place to shop, eat and gather with friends and have some fun on the weekends.



Shopping in Jakarta takes many forms from the most traditional pasar (markets) to glitzy world class malls with international designer shops. Most expatriates shop most comfortably in malls and grocery stores without the need to bargain or deal with curious stares. However, that is no reason to avoid the more colorful traditional markets.