Report Aria Danaparamita – The doors to the airport open and the heat hits you in the face. As your eyes adjust to the light, you are bombarded by men offering to carry your luggage, followed by the incessant shouts of cab drivers. Welcome to Jakarta.

Indonesia's capital is home to about 9 million people in the city proper, while the population of Greater Jakarta is about 22 million, most of whom have never left the mega-metropolis.

As such, most Jakartans are used to the skyscrapers, slums and smog. But how do people see the Big Durian – which today celebrates its 483rd anniversary – through fresh eyes?

Thousands of Jakartans return to the city each year after time abroad. Jakarta is also home to a sizeable expatriate community. New arrivals and returning residents share their thoughts about the city.

"There are just small things that I have always known but didn't really register initially," said Satrio Wicaksono, 21, who has just returned after completing his undergraduate degree in the United States.

"For example, driving down from the airport, you see a lot of slums right next to expensive apartments. I always knew that they were there, but it only just struck me how sad and strange it is."

Peter Riddell-Carre, 31, a British national, said: "What surprised me was the amount of people who could fit onto one ojek [motorcycle taxi]. A whole family, on one ojek, without helmets!"

Some people find driving on Jakarta's streets to be a perplexing experience. "I got confused about the exhaust from the buses. I thought, 'What is that? Why is it black? Why are these buses even still allowed to run?'?" said Bevina D Handari, 48.

The University of Indonesia math professor felt this way after spending four years in Australia. "Then, go around Jakarta and you see a lot of people, mostly men, just sitting on sidewalks or at kiosks. What are they doing, just sitting there, smoking and talking? I just couldn't understand it. But I guess that this is a big problem for Jakarta – the overpopulation and unemployment," Handari added.

The consensus on the most frustrating aspect of the city? "Traffic. Always the traffic," Riddell-Carre said. "The key to working in Jakarta is to live near your office. Saves me from a lot of headaches."

Bureaucracy is a close runner-up when it comes to frustrating experiences. "Oh, don't even get me started," Handari said. "You can never get anything done. There are never any clear rules, and when there are, they are never obeyed."

Cuk Imawan, 48, who spent a few years living in Germany, said: "Here, you try going into any office and you end up being ping-ponged back and forth."

Then, there are the public utilities. "What is that? Water? Coming out in little droplets like that even though it's so expensive?" Handari said. "And the electricity, it just dies all of the sudden, without warning. Plus, the price keeps increasing."

So the city's management may be questionable. But what about the people of Jakarta? Ridell-Carre is of the opinion that "people here are very warm and engaging."

Handari, however, begs to differ. "Here, people don't know how to say hi. In fact, if someone even approaches you for a bit, you immediately think they're trying to rob you," she said.

Wicaksono said: "Jakarta's public buses are infamous for pickpockets. I've lived in Cairo and Beijing, places that aren't safe either. But here, in my own city, I don't feel safe. Isn't that a pity?"

Imawan finds that in Jakarta, there always seems to be a lack of order. "People just don't know how to queue," Imawan said. "When I first came back here, I always waited nicely in line. It was awhile before I thought, 'Hey, when's my turn?'?"

But there is always a silver lining, even in Jakarta's smog-covered skies.

For Riddell-Carre, it's rendang. While the dish, which usually involves beef cooked in coconut milk and spices, is originally from West Sumatra, for Riddell-Carre it represents what is great about the city.

Food from all over Indonesia and the world can be found here and is available at all times.

Handari said: "Here, at 11 p.m., when my stomach starts rumbling, I can hear the ting ting ting and then there's mie ayam, ketoprak, sekoteng, all complete."

Imawan agrees that Jakarta is a foodie town. "When I was in Germany, shops closed on weekends," he said. "Once, I forgot that my fridge was empty so I starved on Saturday and Sunday. That would never happen in Jakarta."

One also rarely runs out of things to do in the Big Durian. "It's a really lively city, that's what I love most about it. Even at two in the morning, there are still activities going on and people moving about," said Rey Royono, 29, who has spent a year in Thailand.

"Outsiders always think that their malls are better. That's just not true," Rey added.

And for those who aren't exactly mall rats? "The museums are really nice, like the new wing of the National Museum, where the displays are just as good as at the Smithsonian [in Washington]," Wicaksono said.

What is the final verdict then? Love it or hate it? "Objectively speaking, there isn't really much to like, is there?" Imawan said, laughing. "But I don't know, there's just that something that draws you. I guess that's why people always come back."

It is, after all, one gigantic, congested, exciting mess of a city. Some like it, some don't. But for most people, as much as they complain about how things are in Jakarta, they keep coming back for more.