Mangga Dua, Jakarta

Welcome to one of the most paced up and packed up area in Jakarta. The last time I was here on my way to the airport, I was stuck in the jam (macet) for 4 hours before I finally reach Sukarno-Hatta Airport. The Mangga Dua district has a lot to offer if you show that you’re really up to it. If you want to buy cheap clothes (womenwear/ menswear/ childrenswear/ fake bags/batiks) , this is the place. You have to be specific when talking about ‘shopping in Mangga Dua’. Because the person you are talking to would ask, ‘which part of Mangga Dua?’ When you step into the area you will understand the nature of the question. The Mangga Dua area is suffocating in shopping centers.

There are six large shopping centers in one area, all ridiculously near, sometimes even connected to, each other that you wonder why can’t they just turn it into one gigantic supermall and save the confusion. The six giants to conquer are: the Mangga Dua Mall which is connected via a bridge to The Harco Mas Mangga Dua, the Mangga Dua WTC, the ITC Mangga Dua-there are two of them! The ITC Mangga Dua I and the ITC Mangga II, the Dusit Mangga Dua and the Pasar Pagi Mangga Dua. Forget about luxurious boutiques for a while and go rummage the hectic shops.

Try your skill in bargaining, we bought a batik material for Rph 45k only to find it selling at another shop at Rph 30k. We later found out we could actually buy the same piece for Rph 25k.

A piece of history: Mangga Dua is a famous site for the battle between Prince Jayakarta and Governor JP Coen in 1619, the area is home to the Sion Church which granted freedom for Portugese Slaves