Exploring Indonesia, Part 3: Within Jakarta

While we were in Indonesia. I decided to do a bit of souvenir shopping. After seeing some handicrafts from some Indonesian stores here in Manila, I decided to try my luck finding some handicrafts for the house. Browsing through my map (which is available for free at the airport), I went to an open-air antique market in Surabaya. About 20 minutes away from the hotel.

Upon arriving there, I was disappointed to find just a short stretch of stores. However, it did not dampen my shopping spirits. There were a lot of unique antique brass items and curios, traditional Indonesian puppets and some wood crafts. I had my heart set on the wood crafts. After browsing through all the stores I was able to buy an adorable sunkla made with teak wood and with rooster details (with feet) for 125,000 rupiah (P680). Sunkla is very similar to our sunka but with less shells. I have yet to research on how to play it. Of course, I also bought the standard wooden Indonesian mask and small wooden statues of an Indonesian man and woman in costume which my nephew christened as dead soldiers. Yikes!

I have no idea if the stuff that I bought were real antiques but they were nice and cheap enough. Remember to bargain by at least 40% their asking price. Walk away if they won't give you the price that you want. Most of them are desperate to make a sale and will eventually give you a lower price. The sunkla was originally 350,000 rupiah.

If you are traveling within the city, take a cab. The buses are quite confusing and not everyone speaks English. Always bring a map with you and mark to place that you want to go to and show it to the driver. Remember to ask "argo"? (meter) Otherwise, they will rip you off. Taxi cabs are more expensive in Jakarta than here in Manila. Prepare to pay at least double for the same distance.

Happy antiquing!