Ask the Locals

Often times, I'm still a tourist in my home country. Hence, I usually ask the locals: neighbours, family members, travel guides, front desks of hotels, and street vendors. We were at my uncle's place in Sentul City, a few km outside of the city centre. I've never been to this part of Jakarta and fairly so, this was a new development that boomed in the last few years. We had less than USD $50 in our pockets and wanted to do something fun but cheap. My uncle and his neighbour suggested taking a hike up one section of the housing development, and we'd get a view of the township. 

We walked about 5 km from the house to a different section of the gated community, and realized it was a steep hill we needed to go up to reach the highest point. A street vendor selling water and snacks by some houses attracted our attention so we bought 3 bags of chips and 2 water. We walked up the streets, stopping at guard houses to ask for directions, and eventually made it to a clearing where rock steps led to this...

Untouched land with wild grass reaching past ankles, the "Sentul City" sign and an unobstructed view of houses in gated communities and rivers and trees. The air was cooler and the sun blistering hot...and the experience priceless. Thanks to my uncle and his friend, the security officers giving directions, and the street vendor for our nourishments.