Sixteen years can bring a lot of change to the look of a city. Only a few familiar buildings could be seen from the vantage point of the sixth floor deck where we were staying.
![Cell phones were a new thing when I left Indonesia in 1996. They are everywhere now with good service from a number of competitors.](http://bamiyan.us/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Jakarta-04-Jan-13-61-1024x767.jpg)
Cell phones were a new thing when I left Indonesia in 1997. They are everywhere now with good service from a number of competitors.
![Most of the buildings along Thamrin and Sudirman are new and taller than the buildings we remembered which are hidden behind them.](http://bamiyan.us/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Jakarta-04-Jan-13-71-1024x767.jpg)
Most of the buildings along Thamrin and Sudirman are new and taller than the buildings we remembered. The buildings we recalled are hidden behind the new buildings.
![We got to see wedding preparations down the street with the landmarks Monas and Mesjid Istiqlal visible in the background.](http://bamiyan.us/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Jakarta-05-Jan-13-354-1024x768.jpg)
We got to see wedding preparations down the street with the landmarks Monas and Mesjid Istiqlal visible in the background.