Jakarta, located on the Indonesian island of Java, extends over 25km from the docksides to the suburbs of South Jakarta. At its heart stands Merdeka Square, and its towering, tasteless landmark, Monas, around which many key attractions cluster.
Jl Thamrin is the main street for shopping/entertainment and luxury hotels, to the east are a host of restaurants. It's worth travelling to the affluent suburbs (Menteng, Kebayoran, Pondok, Indah and Kemang) to see how the local yuppies live. At weekends, brave the traffic on the five-hour (70km) escape route to the mountains of peaceful Puncak, or jump on a flight to Bali which will take about the same time.
If you have only a day or so to sightsee, you'll want to concentrate on Jakarta's historic sites. When the city was established as the capital of the modern nation of Indonesia, Sukarno, the country's first president, established many museums and built public monuments to instill the new republic with a sense of nationhood and destiny.
When feeling out-bustled by Jakarta, escape to the Thousand Islands, actually made up of some 300 white beached, palm-fringed islands. Putri and Pelangi are great for water sports, Papa Theo attracts serious divers, rustic Sepa have gorgeous beaches and Pantara Timur and Barat have a sophisticated ambience. 1hr 30 minutes' boat ride from Ancol Marina. The Marina opens at 7am and most boats sail at 8am: make sure you arrive at the marina before 7am for a guaranteed trip.
