Barack Obama’s Elementary School in Jakarta, the school he attended when he was 10 years old, was an unexpected find on a recent trip to Indonesia. In front of the school you’ll find a statue of Obama as a child as well as plaque in his honor. I recommend adding it to your itinerary if you plan to visit the city.
Lately when I travel, I avoid excessive preparation. Once I’ve determined my destination, I find a well-reviewed hotel and get information about the most reliable taxi service, tipping etiquette and safety warnings, but that’s about it. I avoid travel books and review sites and just go with an open mind and sense of adventure. To feel grounded in a new location, I find it useful to read a relevant book while visiting or in preparation for my trip. In Thailand, I read a short story collection; in Ireland a novel; in Vietnam a journalist’s memoir. For Indonesia, I didn’t find many options. But then I remembered that President Obama had lived in Jakarta as a child, so I started reading his biography, The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama, which includes details of his life in Jakarta. I then found that the public school he attended for the 3rd grade and for 4th grade was still operational and has a statue and plaque commemorating his attendance there, so I decided to go check it out.
The school itself, Menteng 1 Elementary School, was easy to find and conveniently located about 40 minutes by foot from the National Monument (or 10 minutes by taxi). It’s not listed on TripAdvisor and even on Google Maps it’s hard to find. But once you locate it, it’s an easy walk through one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Jakarta. When I got to the school, the gate was closed (it was the end of Ramadan holiday) so I couldn’t get too close to the statue. But I was able to get a picture of it through the gate and to get up close to the plaque.
All of the tourist attractions in Jakarta are centrally located, within walking distance if you can brave the heat. I recommend the National Monument, Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta Cathedral, the National Museum and Grand Indonesia Mall. Jakarta is not a city that attracts a lot of tourists. In four days spent visiting the most famous monuments and museums, I saw less than a dozen obvious tourists. Having blue eyes and light skin, I was a bit of an attraction there. Several people came up to me wanting to take their picture with me. I had a similar experience in Vietnam, but only far away from the big cities and common tourist attractions. It’s fun to be treated like a celebrity.
Jakarta is like many Southeast Asian countries: hot and crowded with signs of poverty. There was garbage on the streets, stray cats everywhere and some of the biggest rats I’ve seen in any city. The rivers are polluted and filled with trash. But the city center is modern with some beautiful architecture and a surprisingly high ratio of cars to motorbikes (more like Bangkok than Saigon). And at least in the areas I visited, people were friendly and I never felt unsafe. I did have someone approach me at the National Monument that made me a little uncomfortable. I could see out of the corner of my eye that he saw me pass and quickly ran to catch up with me. He was overly friendly in a way that always makes me suspicious. You have to take a fine line with people like this: even though you suspect they’re trying to sell you something you don’t want to push them away too aggressively, since sometimes they really are just friendly and curious. This guy wanted to help me buy tickets to the monument and was giving all kinds of unsolicited tourist advice. I managed to intentionally lose him in the crowd but he found me later. He offered his services as a tour guide and I politely declined. He left disappointed but without making a fuss.
A word on logistics: anywhere in Indonesia, Bluebird Taxi is the safest and most reliable taxi. They’re available from the taxi stand at the airport and all over the city. They’re easy to recognize by the blue color of the car and the bird logo on top.