After almost three years living in Vietnam, spotting a pho shop abroad feels oddly like running into an old friend. This one's at Jakarta airport. The prices, though, are easily 3 to 5 times what I'd pay for a bowl back in Ho Chi Minh City.
Last lunch at Jakarta airport before flying back to Vietnam: Japanese-style hamburg curry and a salad, from a brand that started in Singapore. Really good. I ordered a "spicy ginger" drink and wow, it's genuinely fiery ginger. But after the curry it cleared my palate completely.
A familiar face at Jakarta airport: Tous les Jours. I see it in Vietnam too, so I looked it up. The Korean bakery has about 580 stores in nine countries, with 70+ in Indonesia alone since 2011, plus Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia. K-bread is quietly doing well in Southeast Asia.
EVs on display right in the terminal at Jakarta airport. On my last trip I was surprised by how many electric cars were on the streets here, and the numbers back it up: battery EVs went from 0.1% of new car sales in 2021 to 12.9% in 2025, and 15.6% by March 2026 (Gaikindo). Add hybrids and it's over 1 in 5 new cars.
On the way to the airport after wrapping up in Surabaya. Blue sky and real clouds up top, but the haze is still hanging low on the horizon. Clearing for good, or just a lucky afternoon?
Spotted this sign in Surabaya. "Gadai Elektronik" is a pawnshop for phones, laptops, PlayStations and TVs, and "Bunga 5% per bulan" means 5% interest a month. Indonesian uses the Latin alphabet, so even without knowing the language you can half-read it. Makes me appreciate Hangul even more: an alphabet built so Korean can be written exactly as it sounds.
A simple breakfast at my hotel in Surabaya, and I'm grateful for it. Thank God for mornings like this.
In an office in Indonesia, I used a bathroom where you flush by scooping water from the tub beside it. It took me straight back to my grandfather's house. Some things feel warm just because they're old.
Smash burger and an iced latte for lunch in Indonesia. Really good.
If you're new to smash burgers: the patty is pressed hard and thin onto a very hot griddle. That gives you crispy, caramelized edges and a juicy center, which is why the flavor hits harder than a thick patty. Simple idea, big result.
Surabaya sky this morning. Is it just me, or is the air a bit clearer than when I first came here? Hoping this haze clears out for good soon.
Stepped out to a mall near the hotel for lunch, and wow, the scale of this place. LG and Samsung were running big appliance promos, and seeing Korean brands front and center here made me genuinely proud.
Came back to my hotel room on a work trip and found… this. Giraffe or dinosaur? Either way, housekeeping made my day.
There's no Krispy Kreme in Vietnam, so people flying back from Jakarta often carry these boxes home. At the airport you spot them everywhere. They're delicious, but I'm holding back this time.
Hotel life on business trips has its small rewards. Walking into a room and seeing a bed made this clean and crisp just puts my mind at ease.
Jakarta traffic is famous for a reason. But maybe it's just me, it actually felt a bit better than I remember from past trips.
A simple breakfast. One of the quiet perks of business travel is starting the day with a clean, light plate like this.
Ordered a bottle of water and they brought me this.
As a kid, I half-heard someone say, "One day, we'll all be buying water." I remember thinking, really? Now it's just normal. Funny how a glass bottle on a table can bring that memory right back.
