While I was writing that piece about visas I came up little more info on Jakarta (I'm currently residing here) and there's so little info here that I figured it can't hurt to share some.
WiFi is available virtually everywhere and it's pretty good too.
It's also included in the rent, even in the cheapest kost's (boarding houses) that I live in.
4g is pretty well covered from my experience and even the times you don't get the 4g the 3g is there.
I'm paying 2mil/month (~130€) for a room in a boarding house.
It comes with AC, en-suite bathroom, bed, desk, closet, wifi and shared kitchen. Kitchen got gas cooker and refrigerator with freezer.
Also laundry and cleaning is included. Electricity is excluded.
These kosts are all around the city with various amenities and prices.
Check here if you're interested:
http://www.kostjakarta.com/
For time being I'm preferring kosts because you get monthly lease without any hassle or extra cost. I'm renewing my visa soon for 6 months and might still just stay in kost, like many people here do. Locals as well as foreigners.
I can't tell much of the apartment leasing, but you can find furnished apartments with monthly lease as well, they just cost more. Usually preferred lease type is 1y minimum.
Traffic is interesting to say the least. I bought a motorbike almost right away when I came here and it's the best way to get around Jakarta, as well as taking touring trips to countryside and smaller cities around Java.
It's also lot of a mental state how you take the traffic. I myself enjoy traffic, I'm not in a rush and just be prepared to take the time if you have appointment or some place you need to be at exact time. Anyways I'm always flying through the traffic with my Bajaj Pulsar 180cc. You don't want to have big bike in Jakarta. Except for the weekends maybe and touring trips. Big bikes are just too heavy and hot for this climate and traffic.
Dating wise Tinder is the nuts. Its the best thing in Jakarta to meet girls (there is other apps too, but you need to know bahasa). It's so easy to meet nice girls that are DTF and are "normal" girls, although there are pros as well as ladyboys, but mostly normals. Usually pros mention that they're pros in the caption and so does ladyboys.
It's so easy for bule to get laid via Tinder that its ******ed. (Bule means white person, but not in a rude way as farang in TL.)
Most of the bules are situated in the South Jakarta and that area is a bit spoiled by them but not that badly as other parts of SE-Asia, and even if you exclude South you still have a **** ton of city left.
I currently live in the West side and there's mostly chinese-indonesian here. No bules.
Language barrier is pretty steep, since not many locals speak English or speak very little of it. That's why I recommend at least learning some basic stuff, but you can do it after coming here, you can manage with English (easily in South Jakarta), but its still advised to learn some bahasa. I always try to learn at least a little bit of the language where ever I'm roaming, you get so much more out of the experience.
Live poker so far is non-existent (for me at least). Like mentioned earlier in this thread online poker sites work, and no tricks are necessary like vpn.
It would be nice to get some small community going, if there's poker players in Jakarta who got some small stakes games going or wants to join to set-up one please share.
Or if you just want to go for a beer or whatever, holler! Always nice to make new friends.
Can't think of anything else for time being, but feel free to ask.
-Andy