I’ve wanted to go to Tanah Abang for the longest time. I heard it was like Mangga Dua but much nearer (Near Grand Indonesia Mall) so having Ambeth Ocampo was the perfect excuse to go out and explore with Tita Noreen! She took us to the newer mall – the green building is hard to miss!
We went on a weekday (I heard Monday is the best) because traffic is really bad in this area. Weekends are near impossible! Since we went after rush hour we grabbed a quick bite at A&W in the 5th floor. Best fast food burger for me in Jakarta: The Mozza Burger – it’s a cheeseburger with beef bacon (it exactly like crispy spam!).
When we went down to the lower floors there was a dizzying array of merchandise!
We particularly liked 2 stores. I took a picture of the store numbers below in case you guys wanna check it out. I am not a fan of super crazy prints so for batiks I looks for more simple designs. (Yes it exists!)
Check out the cloth that Ambeth O. was holding. It’s a native weave – but it looks like pinstripes!
These would make awesome accent pieces in the home that has an ethnic inspired theme.
The haggling continues!
Tita Noreen modeling a beautiful bold print.
We ended up buying only batiks since we didn’t want to stay long (God forbid we reach 4pm – rush hour!). It was more of an exploratory visit to Tanah Abang so that when I know what I need and want I can come back. They have so much stuff here when it comes to garments, accessories, etc. (even children’s’ strollers!)
I’m glad we visited Tanah Abang. It is less stressful than going all the way to Mangga Dua and it is less crowded and smokey for sure. Till next time Tanah Abang!
I bought 2 cotton batik prints to make into caftans for lounging around at home! Each 2 meter fabric cost me IDR 40,000 or USD 4.
Looks like you had the best time! Love your photos. You went there on a beautiful day! The first photo of the Tanah Abang is beautiful. The green building with blue sky and a guy sitting at the stop light is like a painting! Great job! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Did you figure out how to do the collage? Are you using Picasa or Picnik? Sorry I wasn’t much of a help… Great reporting!
Hi Kaho, Thank you so much! I’m glad you love the photos! I haven’t been using picassa and picnik yet. I had to come up with these posts for some visitors so just had to churn them out quickly! Do you mind if we meet up, I’ve a few more questions for you on picassa! Melany is doing so great already!!! I’m so impressed!