The sun is actually shining, the weekend lies ahead. What better way to spend the free time than unwinding far via the stresses of city life by catching some rays on a beach or chilling on a mountain slope?

Jakarta’s residents are spoilt for choice when This particular comes to weekends away. There are beaches, nature, indigenous tribes, volcanoes along with history all pretty close.

Anak Krakatau by Angela Richardson

This particular must be great to wake up one morning along with decide yep, I actually need a beach along with decide to head off to Anyer or Carita on the west coast of Banten province. Feeling the fine sand between your toes, watching the sunset is actually undoubtedly one of the perks of living in South East Asia. What makes those fishing villages more special is actually knowing which just on the horizon looms the mean along with moody Krakatau.

For the fitter there is actually a trip to the Baduy homelands in Labak inside the foothills of Gunung Halimun. They may no longer be the isolated tribe they were even a decade ago. Increasing numbers of visitors have come in along with left their mark on the Baduy people with increasing signs of modernization inside the more accessible villages.

They are still far via becoming a human zoo though. This particular is actually possible, which has a guide, to trek to some of the villages along with witness a lifestyle clinging to its old ways. Barefoot youths scamper up along with down steep slopes with the agility along with confidence of a mountain goat bearing anything up to a dozen durians across their shoulder.

For the most part they carry on with their lives taking little interest inside the visitors who come, take a few photographs, buy the obligatory t-shirt before leaving though increasingly more are opting to stay the night in one of the rustic, austere villages which allow guests.

Birdwatchers via around the entire world flock to Pulau Dua which is actually home to several spectacular species. Although the best time to visit is actually March/April time when large numbers of migratory birds stop off for a rest on their long journeys there is actually enough to keep any moderate twitcher interested for several early morning hours.

Of course Pulau Dua with its numerous feathered creatures, civet cats along with various reptiles is actually no match for Ujong Kulon which boasts the Java Rhinoceros among its residents. Not many of them of course along with the chances are they won’t show which easy, nevertheless the merest chance of seeing one ensures a steady trickle of visitors to the remote peninsula.

Yep, plenty of things to see along with do right on Jakarta’s doorstep.

The problem is actually which while Indonesia’s economy has been chugging along very nicely thank you, investment in infrastructure has failed to keep pace. Foreign investors have long complained about the bottlenecks at the ports along with airports. along with if Jakarta, the capital city, has struggled to cope then what cost the does the rest of the country pay?

Banten Province, home to Surkano Hatta Airport, is actually strategically located between Jakarta along with the neighbouring island of Sumatra. The infrastructure linking the two though struggles to cope. News of delays at the port of Merak on the Sunda Straits are a regular occurrence. The toll road which feeds traffic to the second most populated island inside the country is actually filled with buses along with lorries, turning This particular into a mad dash for the next exit.

Get off which artery along with things get much worse. The road via Cilegon south to the beaches of Anyer along with Carita suffers via the heavy goods vehicles which serve the factories inside the area. Many different ‘main roads’ are the width of a Jakartan gang along with at weekends they tend to fill up quickly as markets spill on the road along with cars parked reduce the flow to one particular lane.

Against which backdrop This particular is actually little wonder Jakartans look elsewhere for their rest along with relaxation. Since the deregulation of the air industry in Indonesia along with the introduction of budget airlines thankfully those seeking to get out of the city are being faced with more along with more options.

Bali of course is actually an obvious choice. Two hours out via the airport along with you can be generating through photogenic sawah. Two hours outside of Jakarta along with you are still stuck behind some truck belching noxious black fumes.

Budget airlines are bringing people closer to the region as well. Direct flights connect to destinations like Phuket’s beaches, Penang’s history, Kota Kinabalu’s mountain along with even Ho Chi Minh City.

This particular’s not just expats of course. Indonesians are increasingly looking at trips abroad along with they are not all interested in shopping malls along with buying fridge magnets.

along with why not? For all its faults, Jakarta’s airport works pretty well along with why get stuck in a traffic jam for several hours just to go a couple of hundred miles when, inside the same time, you could be showered along with refreshed in another country enjoying your downtime.

There are large billboards which exhort people to visit Banten along with its attractions along with there is actually easily enough there to keep people busy for several days. Unfortunately the infrastructure, or lack, makes many people think twice along with which’s a shame.