HOUSING ESTATE

Wooded and quiet, this area is worth a visit less for its somewhat austere but well-built Dutch houses than for the architectural delusions of the Chinese, who have built houses here of often dubious taste, but with a luxury that would be the envy of Europe. The Parisada Hindu Dharma temple is located at the corner of Jl Teuku Umar and Jl Zainal Arifin.

This district extends around Jl Subrapto. From the Sultan's Palace, return to the city center and cross the first bridge on the left. You pass over the shantytowns where people wash in the river, under the manholes, between banks cluttered with garbage. Luxury is within sight, on the other side of the bridge. An astonishing contrast.

Also worth a visit are the Vihara Borobudur Buddhist temple, where you can take part in group meditations, and the Sri Mariamman Hindu temple, built in 1884 for the gods Mariamman, Ganesh and Murugan, whose architecture is reminiscent of temples in southern India.

Just 500 metres away is the Chinese-Taoist Vihara Gunung Timur temple, built in the 1930s. Covering an area of 5,000 m², it's well worth exploring as the city's largest temple, and because of the dynamic spiritual life that comes alive here every day. Finally, on Jl Teuku Cik Ditiro, you can enjoy a curry and visit Indian grocery stores. Further north, you'll find large, multi-storey shopping malls.