We arrived at around 3:00 p.m. Indonesian time and we were greeted by Akang Iwan.
Akang is a term that is commonly used in Indonesia to refer to a brother.
Akang Iwan then took us to Roda Padati restaurant for lunch which served a great variety of Minang cuisine. There were several options to choose from and every dish that we tried was scrumptious! We just couldn't resist.
We also performed our prayers at the musollah at the restaurant and left after a while, at around 5:00 p.m.
After lunch, we headed to the heart of the city – Central Jakarta. We passed by many landmarks, including the Presidential Palace which is really huge and heavily guarded. The traffic at that time was quite heavy since it was just after working hours
We passed by to National Monument (MONAS) – a symbol of unity for the different ethnics in Indonesia. Indonesia is home to over 500 different ethnic groups as well as over 300 spoken languages. Our tour guide, Akang Iwan, was very informative and had many interesting facts to share about every location.
We then stopped by at Masjid Istiqlal, which was once the largest mosque in the entire continent of Asia. It is now the largest mosque in South East Asia and Indonesia's national mosque.
Some info about Masjid Istiqlal is that it has 5 storeys that represents the 5 pillars of Islam and Pancasila. Istiqlal is a term that comes from Arabic, which means independence.
Finally we headed to Selero Jumbo Seafood at Sarinah in Thamrin City for dinner. The food was amazing! It was a Padang restaurant and I loved their crispy butter prawn.
Today was more of a leisure day since it was only Day 1. My husband and I feel quite tired but the delicious food has left us in great spirits! That is really something that I will crave for. :')
.
Click here to view my timeline!
. 
