Indonesia's vast, restless capital
Jakarta is Southeast Asia's largest urban area, a sprawling capital of traffic, malls and street food. Its history begins at Kota Tua, the old Dutch town of Batavia, where Fatahillah Square is lined with colonial buildings and museums, and at the old harbour of Sunda Kelapa, where wooden pinisi schooners still unload. The National Monument, Monas, rises from Merdeka Square, facing the vast Istiqlal Mosque and the neo-Gothic Jakarta Cathedral. For most visitors it's a gateway, but it rewards a day or two.