During my first trip to Jakarta back in 2013, I was unable to enter the park around MONAS. I only had a quick picture with MONAS at the background and that was just it. So during my second time, my uncle and aunt made sure that my sister and I would be able to at least see the park or enter the MONAS. Too bad the lines were quite long that day because there was a field trip going on. (We went on a Saturday, by the way.) 

I read online that it's not advisable to go to MONAS on a weekend because the tendency is that much more people would visit the park compared on weekdays. But we went there on a Saturday anyway. Good thing it wasn't that crowded that day despite it being a Saturday. The odds were in our favor since it was also our last day in Indonesia and I really really wanted to go. Ha ha!

Monumen Nasional (MONAS) is a tower located at Merdeka Square in Central Jakarta. It was built to commemorate the struggle for Indonesian Independence. Aside from the monument, it also has a museum inside, which we weren't able to go. Maybe next time! Hehehehe. Oh and it has a park around the monument that has a lot of souvenir vendors, bike rentals, mascots, etc.

The view of MONAS at the Entrance/Exit Gate

My sister and I

Selfie with this Mascot - okay so for every picture with a mascot, a donation in a must. I think any amount would do. I guess this is to compensate for the hotness the people inside the mascot feel every time they wear this.

okay so I obviously loved taking selfies with the MONAS

Cute Strawberry trashcans. Makes throwing trash more encouraging

stairs that lead to the entrance to the museum

Big park around MONAS

Souvenirs! they allow haggling just as long as you're nice =)

Shirts for sale too!

Hats for those who want their crowning glory to be protected on a Sunny day. I hope the seller had sales that day... it was cloudy all over Jakarta that particular day.

Bike rentals! my sister and I rented this bike for Rp 30,000. At first the one in charge priced us Rp 70,000 then we haggled it down to 30,000 with the help of my Aunt and Uncle who were both fluent in Bahasa Indonesia. Yeay!

We just had to take a picture with these two mascots. They were both so cute! Love their headdress =)

So I always make it a point to visit MONAS whenever I'm in Jakarta. I'll probably go back next year if my aunt and uncle will not be busy. Plus I'll tag along my husband with me for sure so he could enjoy Jakarta as well.

So whenever you're in Jakarta, don't forget to drop by at MONAS. All the taxi drivers know where it is. Oh, and it's located at Central Jakarta =)