Bookstores in Town: Jakarta and Vientiane

A book is every teachers' twin. We are all tasked to be handling books in the most time of the day and even when we reached home. But for me, I do not just dwell on text books and work books. I also read. Mostly fictional and literary books but I am so fond of books and reading of course. In my travels, I have always wandered into different book stores, whether its a major book store or just a small and privately owned shops.

Aksara is one of my favourite bookstores in Jakarta, Indonesia. I like it because they have a nice collection of books that are with different covers unlike in what you see in major book stores. Although they only carry a few collection, the way they have carefully laid down the books on tables and shelves are just terrific. They treated books as if it is a part of decoration of the store.

You can find Aksara at Level 5, Plaza Indonesia, Jalan MH Thamrin Kav, Jakarta Indonesia. You may click the link http://www.aksara.com/index.php to access their main website.

Periplus is probably Indonesia's best and only travel book store that is both helpful to local and foreigners. They carry English books and their selection of travel books, popular best sellers, postcards and travel maps is just amazing. They have a lot of branches in Jakarta, mostly in malls and airports. What I really love with Periplus are their maps. When I travel, I make sure I buy Periplus maps because it is well detailed, printed in English and worth the price. Maps usually costs US$ 8-10.

You can check Periplus online at this link:

http://www.periplus.com/

Monument Bookshop is a small chain of book stores that originally started in Cambodia. They have branches in Laos and Myanmar. When I visited Vientiane, capital city of Laos, I listed it in one of my itineraries. It was not that difficult for me to locate the store as the city centre is quite small. Biking in and around the city was quite easy although the weather is just hot. Monument bookshop is the only book store in Vientiane that sells brand new English language books as well as French language books. They have quite a good collection of mostly novel books and coffee table books as well as travel books about Laos and IndoChina. They also have quite an array of postcards and magnets about Laos for collection.

You can check Monument Books at http://www.monument-books.com/#

Will be posting more pictures of book store I visit and see on my next travels.

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jigomeister

11.13.2013

J Gerald C Legaspi is the Filipino author of pinoyjourneys.blogspot.com and is currently working and travelling in and around South East Asia but spends most of his time in Jakarta, Manila and Singapore.



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