9th May We have watched some diplomat enter and leave our hotel. I have not made mention of it because I don’t know why the security detail was so large and I didn’t want to jeopardise their safety. Not that there are huge amounts of people reading my blog and those that do aren’t the dangerous type. I just didn’t want to be the person who put it out there. When we arrived at the hotel, our taxi was told to drive away as the police about 25 vehicles; cars, bikes and those big crowd movers, were at the entrance along with a diplomatic vehicle. I don’t know if they were coming or going but our taxi man was sent away. He circled to the parking area and then peaked forward a little, they waved him over, obviously annoyed. Then he said we were checking in so they found him a spot to park at the entrance. We weren’t sure if we were allowed to get out of the car or had to wait but …

We arrived at the hotel and were checked in before 10:30 which meant breakfast was still available in the Grand Hyatt Jakarta Club Lounge. On Saturday we had until 11am to catch breakfast. Breakfast includes an egg station and a soup, the soup option changed daily but always included noodles. Nom, nom. Best not forget the bacon, potato and sausages. Beef bacon not pork bacon but tasty. In the same area – the entrance – there are juices, milks, soft drink, pastries, spreads, yoghurt and muesli, along with the toppings to personalise it to your taste. Around the corner is a huge selection of breads, including gluten free options. Congee, salad and a selection of hot local dishes. For those looking for healthier choices, a selection of salad, fruit and cold cuts are available. Evening canapés are available from 6-8pm. There is soup for dinner, generally with noodles again. Quail eggs, shrimp, noodles, looks like the fixings of a good laksa to me. Toppings to personalise the soup on another day. Nom nom nom. I …

I wanted to compare gold class to velvet but we had a huge downpour and neither of us felt like going outside and crossing the street. Fortunately, the mall attached to the Grand Hyatt in Jakarta also has a cinema and it is screening Pikachu, whoop. Avengers really dominates the luxury experience. I didn’t want to see it again. It was long enough the first time. At CGV it is the only thing showing in Gold and Velvet class so we were going to have to suck it up and watch in a standard theatre no matter which cinema chain we went to. CinemaXXI meant we didn’t have to go outside so we were ok with the ordinary cinema experince, this time. So we trundled downstairs and through the mall, then back up some stairs to go and see Pikachu. It the only other thing I was interested in. Yay! So glad we did. It is the cutest movie ever. I mean, Pikachu, right?! Super cute anyway and then Ryan Reynolds… I mean… riiiight? No …

If you haven’t heard of CGV or Velvet class then you aren’t alone. I found out about it two days ago. When we moved to Singapore, TW’s work organised a city orientation tour and the lady mentioned that there was a level of cinema viewing better than gold class. She also made mention that in Thailand that was better still. TW’s work colleagues had also alluded to this but there weren’t any movies out that we wanted to see when we were in Bangkok. Avengers End Game is out and we are in Jakarta so I took to the internet to find some information on the better than gold class viewing. I read two blogs – Google chrome my trusty translator. They were both very interesting and from what I could read, a locals perspective. Enter some guilt for the privileges I have with a handsome dose of appreciation for all that I do have. The first, here, was a new mother who finally got to go after being offered while she was pregnant and …

I have heard a lot about Jakarta and how terrible it is. How unsafe, dirty, just plain miserable. Bali’s terrible cousin that no one wants to visit. Not for a holiday, not for work, not for anything. Well, Jakarta probably wasn’t high on my list of holiday destinations but I have always been interested to see the difference between a capital city and a tourist Island. I must say, from touch down at 9:15 am local time to arriving at our hotel at 10am…… it was a far more pleasant experience than arriving into Bali. Bali, we arrived at about 11pm the second time and the first I think it was around dusk. I can’t remember fully as it was a long while ago now. The 11 pm arrival was far more chaotic, and yes it was recent enough that the “new” airport was open, in the terminal and on the roads than here in Jakarta. I don’t know if we just got lucky or if those who hate coming here haven’t been to Bali. …