Monday, November 26, 2012

New comer to Jakarta

Hi, I am scheduled to come work in Jakarta in a few months. 
 1.- Is traffics really as bad as some people speak. If so is it all day or just rush hours ? 
 2.- I see a lot of real estate being advertised at varying prices. What would be a realistic price for a comfortable furnished townhouse ~ 120 sq m in Jakarta Pusat or Menteng ? 
 3.- Is the supply of electricity reliable? . I see wattage included with many real estate listings.
 4.- golf clubs. Can foreigners join at reasonable rates ? 
 5.- Food. Are all varieties of meat readily available in supermarkets, chciken, pork etc. 
 Thanks.JEAN 

 Hi Jean, 

 1) Indeed, traffic is atrocious here but there are ways around it. Depending on where you work, you can go to your office earlier than usual. Rush hour does exist here and is from 730 – 930 and again at 1530 until 1730 however, traffic is still very unpredictable and can be a mess at any given time. I myself have purchased a motorcycle and get around that way. It makes things much easier. There is a ‘flyover’ project in place which is expected to be completed sometime in 2013 so depending on where you will live, I suspect this will make the traffic situation less of an issue and especially to south Jakarta areas. 

 2) I work for a relocation company (Santa Fe Relocation Services) and suggest you contact us for further details on prices because depending upon which community you chose, prices can fluctuate drastically. Please contact us at santaferelohomes.com or email at homes@santaferelo.co.id 

 3) Again, depends upon where you live but many expat homes have generator sets. Electricity outages do take place from time to time but generally the local electric company, PLN does advise if/when they will be shutting off the power for prolonged periods of time. 

 4) Golf clubs; there are too many to mention on here. Yes, you can join and play for very reasonable prices. From 200,000 IDR – 1.600,000 IDR. The golf courses are amazing and you don’t need to be a member to play in most of them. 

 5) Grocery shopping is plentiful and you can find anything you need here. Suggest you request a look-see city orientation tour that would give you support and guidance pre and post arrival. Please write further if this of interest and we can give you our contact details. For more information on events and listings, you can always check www.whatsnewjakarta.com Thanks and best of luck, Jean Paul. Hope to hear back from you soon. Lara