The Grand Indonesia Mall, one of the country’s largest, is an expansive shopping complex the size of a small city. Escalators stretch upward, almost into the clouds, as endless storefronts continue as far as the eye can see. It is pleasant, to be sure, with wine bars and quaint bistros that you might expect to find in Europe—except their patios open not to cobblestone streets, but the mall’s interior hallways.

Looking outside at Jakarta’s streets, it isn’t hard to imagine why this came to be. Indonesia’s capital city is a megalopolis in every sense of the word, and clouds of smog enshroud its skyscrapers. Noise pollution from a near-constant stream of horns blaring and motorbikes revving adds to the chaos, and it seems that much of life here has moved inside.

At the very least, notions like convenience and luxury are directly associated with avoiding the outdoors. You could spend an entire day—multiple, even—inside of just the Grand Indonesia, not to mention countless other malls that dot the cityscape. It is an interesting situation, and I am not quite sure what to make of it.

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