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Jakarta Trip Report - Dec 2003 - Part 1


gobbledonk

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I am going to split this up in an attempt to avoid too many eyes glazing over, although it will still be long and, in places, a bit mundane for the hardcore Sanukers amongst you. This is probably going to be of more interest to those of you who are interested in visiting Jakarta than those who just want to indulge in Indo nightlife - the latter would probably be happier in Bali.

 

Disclaimers

Firstly, a few disclaimers. If anything I write is inaccurate or misleading, I welcome corrections, but I make no apologies for describing Jakarta and its inhabitants 'warts and all',

according to the way in which I perceived the people and places I encountered. Whilst many of my observations are skewed by my own prejudices, I defy anyone to show me a first-person account which does not have some hint of said bias. As we all know from post re the Thai people, many of us are quick to jump to their defence when a newcomer to Thailand criticises some aspect of their culture or business practices, whilst often grudgingly acknowledging that there is more than a grain of truth to the criticism. Please re-read my criticisms before lighting that flamethrower.

 

I suspect that my own experience of Jakarta would have been better if only I were a better human being. I believe the 'perfect' traveller to be easygoing, confident, patient, fit, cheerful, intelligent and adaptable : on a good day, I can display some of these qualities, but most days I'm pretty hard to please, and I want it all my own way. Things like traffic, crowded marketplaces, noise and persistent vendors progressively remove any hint of a smile from my place and have my hand firmly attached to my wallet.

 

Finally, a big city like Jakarta is constantly changing, particularly in relation to prices. A lot of what I am going to write about will probably be out of date within 3 months, so bear that in mind when you are looking at things like 'Lonely Planet' guides. If you have specific queries re prices, locations or whatever, I strongly suggest that you PM someone who *lives* in Jakarta, or at least visits on a regular basis. I would hope that Adik and the others will forgive me for placing an extra burden on their shoulders.

 

Motivation

Given that I am a self-confessed 'crap traveller', and a pretty ordinary human being, why the hell did I choose to visit one of the largest and craziest cities in Asia ? Two reasons - the glowing reports from various Indo regulars and a woman. I had been emailing M for some six months, exchanging photos and trying to get a better idea of what makes an Indonesian woman tick. If you think that I am any closer to finding out what makes ANY woman tick, please read the part about me not being terribly patient, intelligent or adaptable. As to the city, I can only pass on what I saw and heard, and leave it to you to sift through the minutiae for something of value.

 

Players

I met a host of people in Jakarta, including other Australians, but the main players were M, my IG, an ethnic Chinese Indonesian; her brother T and his fiance E : all good people, each with their own quirks and their own way of dealing with my many failings as a human being.

 

The other major group are a loose collaboration I like to term 'Bastards Inc'. BI are an international association, and they do their level best to fuck up peoples lives (mine, mainly). The Jakarta branch of BI is extremely active, and they particularly enjoy taunting foreigners.

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