Have been coming to Jakarta since 2003 and it is one of those places that seem to have got time wrapped. The greyness of the city as one enter from the airport is too obvious inspite of the Benzs and the Silverbirds wizing past at not that great speed, for the traiffic is bad.
Its bit funny that at airport, for visa on arrival, $25 is collected but if one given $100, the change will be given in Rupiah, offcourse not at the most favourable rate know and comes with no receipt. Hence, it would be prudent to carry exactly $25 if one wants a visa on arrival.
Security is tensed everywhere, yet it is lax. The gates are manned by young people, hunger and poverty written on their faces, who are entrusted with the task of keeping the malls and hotels safe. From the cursory work they do, it wouldnt be impossible for anyone determined to breach the secuiry in most of the places.
Hotel Mulya is where I would stay for for the next four days (12-16th Sept). The CJ bar has a good band playing everyday and was no different today. It also has plenty of girls of the night plying their trade. Being a conservative country, it doesnt have it on your face like in Bangkok but somethings are eternal and so one can do pretty much everything one desires here too.
Seneyan Mall is posh. The food court is upmarket. Amoung the 15 different stall, only one sells authentic Indo dishes. It is a sign of the changing taste and desire of urban Jakarta. This is true allmost everywhere too.
The palate of Indonesian food is varried and diverse. The ones that are grilled in leaves with spice marinated fish or meat inside leaves lingering tanginess on the toung. Eating out is as popular as anywhere else in SEA.
We tend to generalise people in any country. The fact remains each human being is unique and that uniqueness can be subdued but not elliminated entirely. Hence, the 37 year old mother of three, doing fabulous business from home earning more than $2000 a month, told that while washing cloths, at the last stage she gets naked since she has washed the cloths she was wearing and this provides ideas to her husband. She also said that she sometimes washes with her husband to which one of the lady around wondered aloud, ' dont wer know what you wash with him!!'. Then we met another 43 year old lady who is using all the products her mother used to use and no advertisement induces her to buy anything knew and she disbelieves all advertisements. It is also evident that people make home and we went to a home to talk to the young mother whose husband was resting since he works nights in a cll centre. There was a air of melancholiness, sadness, a gloom hanging over the house. This inspite of her naughty 2 year old child being around. We will never know the reasons for this but seemed she was bound to a life that was not meant for her and she was trying to do as best as she could made out from her given situation.
Conman's are there everywhere. So we booked a car for airport drop. We still was chagred a lot by the driver of the car who claimed that he didnt work for the hotel! Fat chance that we will recover the money paid to the hotel.
Its bit funny that at airport, for visa on arrival, $25 is collected but if one given $100, the change will be given in Rupiah, offcourse not at the most favourable rate know and comes with no receipt. Hence, it would be prudent to carry exactly $25 if one wants a visa on arrival.
Security is tensed everywhere, yet it is lax. The gates are manned by young people, hunger and poverty written on their faces, who are entrusted with the task of keeping the malls and hotels safe. From the cursory work they do, it wouldnt be impossible for anyone determined to breach the secuiry in most of the places.
Hotel Mulya is where I would stay for for the next four days (12-16th Sept). The CJ bar has a good band playing everyday and was no different today. It also has plenty of girls of the night plying their trade. Being a conservative country, it doesnt have it on your face like in Bangkok but somethings are eternal and so one can do pretty much everything one desires here too.
Seneyan Mall is posh. The food court is upmarket. Amoung the 15 different stall, only one sells authentic Indo dishes. It is a sign of the changing taste and desire of urban Jakarta. This is true allmost everywhere too.
The palate of Indonesian food is varried and diverse. The ones that are grilled in leaves with spice marinated fish or meat inside leaves lingering tanginess on the toung. Eating out is as popular as anywhere else in SEA.
We tend to generalise people in any country. The fact remains each human being is unique and that uniqueness can be subdued but not elliminated entirely. Hence, the 37 year old mother of three, doing fabulous business from home earning more than $2000 a month, told that while washing cloths, at the last stage she gets naked since she has washed the cloths she was wearing and this provides ideas to her husband. She also said that she sometimes washes with her husband to which one of the lady around wondered aloud, ' dont wer know what you wash with him!!'. Then we met another 43 year old lady who is using all the products her mother used to use and no advertisement induces her to buy anything knew and she disbelieves all advertisements. It is also evident that people make home and we went to a home to talk to the young mother whose husband was resting since he works nights in a cll centre. There was a air of melancholiness, sadness, a gloom hanging over the house. This inspite of her naughty 2 year old child being around. We will never know the reasons for this but seemed she was bound to a life that was not meant for her and she was trying to do as best as she could made out from her given situation.
Conman's are there everywhere. So we booked a car for airport drop. We still was chagred a lot by the driver of the car who claimed that he didnt work for the hotel! Fat chance that we will recover the money paid to the hotel.
No comments:
Post a Comment