Our reporter digs deep into his charity, his imagination, his experience and ultimately his dreams to figure out what Jakarta really is to him.

A few weeks ago the travel editor at the Financial Times, my main employer, asked me to write an article entitled "What I love about living in Jakarta".

My initial response was: "Can I not do Bali, it's a much nicer place?" "No," was the firm reply. "This column is all about what correspondents like about their base city."

Ho hum, I thought. I'd better start writing a list. Pollution, traffic, creaking infrastructure, few parks and corrupt cops quickly went on to the "con" side of the list. Alas, "roads out of the city" and "its proximity to many stunning places in Indonesia" were the only entries - facetious but for many people not entirely unfair - that, for the first five minutes, stared up at me from the "pro" side.

But as minutes turned into hours, or that's how it felt, I started to think a bit harder and the "pro" side of the list gathered length with additions such as the availability of affordable domestic help. Eventually it dawned on me that, Jakarta, while being burdened by myriad problems such as those listed above, does have its fair share of redeeming features; it's just that they are more often than not hidden from view.

Yes I'm lucky I don't suffer from asthma and yes I have mobile internet access so can use the hours stuck in traffic each week constructively. But - and I'm wondering here if perhaps I've been in Indonesia too long (you know the list: "You've been in Indonesia too long when.") - I'm beginning to think Jakarta really is improving.

I must stress that I am not being sponsored by the Jakarta tourist board to write this article. And, to be honest, Jakarta would not make my list of 10 favourite cities in the world to live in. But if you can find a decent place to live, and there are plenty of those, and you're willing to get off your backside, I believe there's no reason not to have a great time in Indonesia's capital.

My standard response when people ask me what living in Jakarta is like is: "It's a cesspit of life but once you get to know it, it's a great cesspit." Or, like any new appliance, you need to know how it functions to get the most out of it. Alas, unlike an IPod, there's no instruction manual for thriving in Jakarta.

For example, five years ago it was hard to go out for a decent meal in Jakarta without venturing into a hotel. I knew this was changing when I cancelled my dining card at a five-star hotel a couple of years ago; the amount I was saving no longer matched the annual subscription fee because I was eating there far less often. Now I rarely eat in hotels except for the odd I've-forgotten-what-it's-like-to-feel-like-a-forcefed-veal-calf Sunday brunch.