My favourite thing to do when I travel

When I'm visiting a new place, I like to wander around by myself and soak it all in. It's my favourite way to see a city. I particularly like visiting local supermarkets. It might seem like a mundane thing to do when you're in a new country but I quite like it. I like to see what it would be like to live in whatever country I'm in and to try whatever random stuff is around. Tonight I tried a "grass jelly" drink that did not taste like grass but didn't taste like much else either. I also tried tempeh and something else that was black and crunchy (who knows - I don't even know if it was meat, bread or vegetable) and I can't say that either was my cup of tea but I just love trying new things anyway. I get a little thrill from it.

The ice cream section of the supermarket. They like their Magnums over here.

Some of the random things I got from the supermarket - date and longan flavoured green tea, bottled milk tea, (I'm in iced tea heaven over here), some of the local sweets, and a Ritter Sport sampler pack that seems to be very common over here

I'm having trouble capturing what Jakarta is like in photos - everything is just so big and new to me. This photo was taken in the Grand Indonesia mall - that's right - this thing was in a mall. There is also a mini Moulin Rouge and Times Square.

View from work where I am helping out with a workshop this week. Skyscrapers in every direction as far as the eye can see.

Before leaving the hotel I added a cardie to this ensemble - I'm playing it safe in this majority-Muslim country

Yummy Sushi Groove in the Grand Indonesia mall - a must-try.

I have to say, I am loving Jakarta. To be honest, I thought I would hate it as I love wide open spaces and greenery and don't enjoy pollution and being in huge crowds of people, but it's fun.