Jakarta VS Bangkok VS Manila (international, crime, life, place)
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Bangkok is indeed the winner for most tourist and expat living. But far ahead is exaggeration. The train and bus system in Jakarta cover huge area of the capital and is pretty reliable by today's standard. The bus in Jakarta is far faaar ahead than Manila's confusing bus transit system (especially for foreigner). The trains in Manila are joke. The LRT system are ancient and in need of dire modernization. Also when I went there I have to literary queue for more than half an hour and it was extremely chaotic inside, when in Jakarta I have no issue with trains or busses, unless its the rush hour. After that I just used grab, never again.
Also public transportation in Jakarta is subsidized and is dirt cheap compared to Bangkok. KRL Jabodetabek suburban railway and Transjakarta Busway is 20-30 US cent per trip.
I think Bangkok has some pretty cool new buildings, sadly most of the city's skyscraper are just old. On street level the city center of Bangkok is indeed superior, and of course have more things offered for tourist. The street food are better than those in Malaysia.
In Jakarta people used grab because they're affordable and make life much easier. The CBD stretch along major road, which are equipped with Transjakarta busway making travel easy, especially if you go home after rush hour. After work they can go to food sellers on the street in place like Sarinah or Kebon Sirih, the many cafe/restaurant in South Jakarta, or casually go to the shopping malls nextdoor to have dinner. Those who lived in satelite cities like Bogor and Bekasi need to take grab or angkot to go to Sudirman station to go home.
A squeaky clean district with people living on the streets on the next neighborhood, is not a sign of better city. I mean there are homeless and beggars in Jakarta, but Manila literary took it to another level.
And also its funny that you're enforcing this idea, when in Manila most people ended up in the mall themself in those CBDs. Why would tourist or visitor specifically go to Makati to see office buildings? I found the old American building near Binondo far more interesting, but apparently they've been actively demolished.
What makes you think that on ground level Jakarta is carcentric and lifeless? you can see this park as an example, on the morning people doing sports, while in the afternoon its couple hotspot.
I went to Bangkok that I felt there was very similar to Jakarta, the difference between Jakarta is more modern city while Bangkok is very classic and the transportation system is almost similar
I didn't say tourists should visit Makati and BGC, but that's where expats end up living. Old Manila is nice to visit, but who would want to live there?
And when I bring up the CBD areas, it's only in response to Jakarta's CBD. As if SCBD or Mega Kuningan are places where people would actually want to live.
Which place looks like a better place to live?
SCBD
This place looks like it's strictly a place to go to work and then go home. Sure, there are sidewalks, but people only use them to go home. This is not the type of place people want to stick around after work because there's nothing there.
BGC
The first part is kinda an outdoor mall area, but starting around 6:10 you can see what the rest of BGC looks like. People are out and about everywhere. It's not just people leaving work. People actually want to be there. There are green spaces and parks all over the place. Not to mention all the restaurants and stores accessed from outside.
The area is also full of outdoor art and murals. This website shows all the different murals in BGC. Some are small while some are huge and cover the whole side of a building
Most new skyscrapers are built with a dedicated blank canvas on the side for future murals.
That same website also lists the many different art instalations and sculptures throughout BGC
So it's not just a bunch of office buildings like SCBD. There's art and green space integrated into the city and people actually want to live there, not just commute into for work.
Makati is older- though there are still new skyscrapers being built all over. But it's not just a bunch of office buildings. The neighborhoods are quiet places where people actually live. Lots of hole-in-the-wall restaurants and coffee shops, and parks too
This video is taken during Covid times btw, so a lot of things are closed. But you can see it's just a nice neighborhood to live and walk around.
SCBD and MK lack actual neighborhoods. They seem like places where you go to work and then go home.
As for old Manila- The new mayor of Manila is trying to restore old Manila and make it more of a tourist city
Like this bridge that connects Chinatown and Intramuros
Lots of projects like that are popping up in old Manila. And yeah. I agree with you about the museums. In Rizal Park alone there's the Museum of Natural History, The National Museum of Anthropology, and the National Art Museum. They're all top-notch, beautifully built, and FREE.
SCBD is actually located right next to Senayan and Kebayoran Baru, there are plenty of commercial area like shops, Restaurant and Cafes the further south you go. There are food street seller called "Angkringan" where the young people gather. There are plenty of the rich who owned apartment and big houses in and around SCBD, they're exclusive. There are also bars and nightclub there. Most expat live in Kuningan, as its close to embassies, entertainment and shopping district. There are many people who want to live there, lol but they're really REALLY expensive.
If we are talking about housings they're mostly around Kebayoran or historic Menteng, complete with parks.
Old Jakarta is also nice but who wants to live there? most of the expat lived in South Jakarta. There are quiet a few in Ancol, but most lived far south. Old Manila lost its feel already, even if they restored the old wall. There are areas like Binondo which was damaged but not completely toppled during the war, yet they demolish the old buildings there. like this:
And also I've been to museum in London and Paris, Manila isn't top notch. They're adequate by regional standard, probably only Singapore and Malaysia have better ones. Maybe Thailand too but I can't comment since I didn't went to one back then.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michiko_shanyang
I went to Bangkok that I felt there was very similar to Jakarta, the difference between Jakarta is more modern city while Bangkok is very classic and the transportation system is almost similar
It does feel similar to Jakarta but have more tall buildings, since Jakarta have more people prefering landed housings. There are some run down areas, but not as bad as Jakarta. Bangkok also have an old city and several "Westernized" historical buildings. Pretty cool to see.
SCBD is actually located right next to Senayan and Kebayoran Baru, there are plenty of commercial area like shops, Restaurant and Cafes the further south you go. There are food street seller called "Angkringan" where the young people gather. There are plenty of the rich who owned apartment and big houses in and around SCBD, they're exclusive. There are also bars and nightclub there. Most expat live in Kuningan, as its close to embassies, entertainment and shopping district. There are many people who want to live there, lol but they're really REALLY expensive.
If we are talking about housings they're mostly around Kebayoran or historic Menteng, complete with parks.
Old Jakarta is also nice but who wants to live there? most of the expat lived in South Jakarta. There are quiet a few in Ancol, but most lived far south. Old Manila lost its feel already, even if they restored the old wall. There are areas like Binondo which was damaged but not completely toppled during the war, yet they demolish the old buildings there. like this:
And also I've been to museum in London and Paris, Manila isn't top notch. They're adequate by regional standard, probably only Singapore and Malaysia have better ones. Maybe Thailand too but I can't comment since I didn't went to one back then.
It does feel similar to Jakarta but have more tall buildings, since Jakarta have more people prefering landed housings. There are some run down areas, but not as bad as Jakarta. Bangkok also have an old city and several "Westernized" historical buildings. Pretty cool to see.
Post a video of someone walking around those areas
@ manolopo this SCBD and Area outside SCBD Jakarta
So many skyscrapers looks modern & glassy
SCBD JKT
Funny you brag about SCBD and Mega Kuningan when they’re tiny areas. But you get mad when we talk about BGC. Mega Kuningan and SCBD combined are only 100 hectares. BGC is 240 hectares, so more than double the size of both of those CBDs COMBINED. And that 240 only includes the actual CBD area, not the wealthy neighborhoods surrounding the CBD
BGC during quarantine has more like that MK or SCBD even on a regular day
Notice the murals on buildings, people walking around. Not having to cross huge highways. Next time you get mad about us talking about BGC, remember it’s a much bigger area than the areas you talk about all the time
Funny you brag about SCBD and Mega Kuningan when they’re tiny areas. But you get mad when we talk about BGC. Mega Kuningan and SCBD combined are only 100 hectares. BGC is 240 hectares, so more than double the size of both of those CBDs COMBINED. And that 240 only includes the actual CBD area, not the wealthy neighborhoods surrounding the CBD
BGC during quarantine has more like that MK or SCBD even on a regular day
Notice the murals on buildings, people walking around. Not having to cross huge highways. Next time you get mad about us talking about BGC, remember it’s a much bigger area than the areas you talk about all the time
Yea that's not apple to apple comparison however looking at it, the large cemetary covers quiet large chunk of those hectare in Bonifacio. Most people still got to BGC by car and go to shopping malls. And in comparison the buildings in Senayan and Kuningan is taller, than in BGC. Both metropolis develop differently, and have different visions.
Oh should I include the sport complex and wealthy Kebayoran Baru next to SCBD?
SCBD is actually located right next to Senayan and Kebayoran Baru, there are plenty of commercial area like shops, Restaurant and Cafes the further south you go. There are food street seller called "Angkringan" where the young people gather. There are plenty of the rich who owned apartment and big houses in and around SCBD, they're exclusive. There are also bars and nightclub there. Most expat live in Kuningan, as its close to embassies, entertainment and shopping district. There are many people who want to live there, lol but they're really REALLY expensive.
If we are talking about housings they're mostly around Kebayoran or historic Menteng, complete with parks.
Old Jakarta is also nice but who wants to live there? most of the expat lived in South Jakarta. There are quiet a few in Ancol, but most lived far south. Old Manila lost its feel already, even if they restored the old wall. There are areas like Binondo which was damaged but not completely toppled during the war, yet they demolish the old buildings there. like this:
And also I've been to museum in London and Paris, Manila isn't top notch. They're adequate by regional standard, probably only Singapore and Malaysia have better ones. Maybe Thailand too but I can't comment since I didn't went to one back then.
It does feel similar to Jakarta but have more tall buildings, since Jakarta have more people prefering landed housings. There are some run down areas, but not as bad as Jakarta. Bangkok also have an old city and several "Westernized" historical buildings. Pretty cool to see.
Is the beer garden supposed to be impressive? Look at the area where it is. It's just a small patch of grass surrounded by a suburban office park (a nice one, but still an office park none the less) https://goo.gl/maps/zqLf4CxhV7brubdT9
Most of the life of SCBD is contained inside Pacific Place Mall. That's why hardly anyone walks around outside unless they're commuting.
Here's a similar area in BGC to make a comparison. It's not a beer garden, but it's where they have a night market https://goo.gl/maps/ZkAWF35XhoX17qNx8
Notice the grid system. An actual place where people walk around. It's not just a circle road surrounding a mall (like SCBD)
Another part of BGC. Notice how there are pedestrians all over the place. And this is in the middle of the day. Not rush hour https://goo.gl/maps/QLwB48gBTwTykb4B8
Then there's Uptown BGC which is another area. Still developing, but still has a much better urban feel than SCBD or MK
Yea that's not apple to apple comparison however looking at it, the large cemetary covers quiet large chunk of those hectare in Bonifacio. Most people still got to BGC by car and go to shopping malls. And in comparison the buildings in Senayan and Kuningan is taller, than in BGC. Both metropolis develop differently, and have different visions.
Oh should I include the sport complex and wealthy Kebayoran Baru next to SCBD?
Use an area calculator, exclude the cemetery and only include the developed CBD area. It's still 209 hectares. More than double the size of MK and SCBD combined
And that doesn't even include McKinley Hill, which is a separate part of BGC- which is another 50 hectares. It's about the size of MK and SCBD separate, but you don't hear me talking about it all day because it's a small area.
And we're comparing CBD areas, not residential neighborhoods. I could include the wealthy neighborhoods around BGC, which are Forbes Park, Dasmarinas Village, Bel-Air, Urdaneta Village. Excluding the golf course, they're around 700 hectares, which is around the size of Kebayoran Baru. So even if you include it, you still have a smaller CBD area. And I haven't even included Makati CBD, which is another 175 hectares and much more dense and urban than SCBD or MK. I mean just look at an aerial of Makati (this pic is actually pretty old)
And that's not even including the newly developing areas in northern Makati which are Rockwell and Century City. They're their own mini CBD areas
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however looking at it, the large cemetary covers quiet large chunk of those hectare in Bonifacio. Most people still got to BGC by car and go to shopping malls. And in comparison the buildings in Senayan and Kuningan is taller, than in BGC. Both metropolis develop differently, and have different visions. 
