Jakarta Update

Hey everyone! I am about to go and eat a totally delicious Indonesian breakfast. It will be my last breakfast here in Indonesia.

Instead of give a blow-by-blow update of what I've done here in Jakarta (which would probably be pretty horribly dull for any reader), I'd rather share my impressions of Jakarta and Indonesia.

Jakarta--apparently known as the "big durian"--is actually a pretty lovely city. It may be partially that I'm coming from a totally cold and rotten winter, but I am so enjoying the warmth and do not mind the humidity (or the mosquitos, at least until someone explained what it's like to get Dengue Fever!). The city is green. That always goes a long way for me. Not green in the sense that there are lots and lots of parks or squares (not at all...in fact there are barely even any sidewalks!), but in that the lushness and the tropical-ness and jungle cannot be kept down! Furthermore, it's often quite sunny with a beautiful open blue sky. Of course as I flew in I saw the stunning and spectacular beaches, as well as some lush islands. Well I of course never left Jakarta, but I can imagine!

The food is delicious. I can't say I believe it's better than Vietnamese....or Thai, which I find to both be fresher (with lots of herbs), and a little less heavy (though Thai has tons of coconut milk, like Indonesian). I tend to eat huge breakfasts and medium lunches and small dinners. Some tastes that are common are FISH (we're on the ocean, afterall), PEANUTS (bumbu kacang), FRIED GARLIC, FRESH CHILI/CURRY, and LIME. Things all that I enjoy! One "classic" dish is nasi goreng (fried rice with chicken/tofu/veggies). No gado gado yet, but I've had lots of noodle dishes in the vein of pad thai, do-it-yourself style soups (they provide the broth...you add seeweed, coriandar, tofu, greens, fried garlic, etc). My favorite thing I've eaten was an incredible thin layer of egg that covered an "eggroll" of stick rice with a delicious lemongrass and coconut flavor, which protected shredded chicken that had been stewed in amazing spices. That dish was the best. What was it called? No idea. Not quite as much fresh fruit as I'd like, but have had my share of pineapple, avocado shakes (mmm, they love sweets here, including black rice pudding!), and rambutan/lychee. Finally, I've had many an incredible cup of coffee. (Bad thing is today is a national holiday and I haven't bought any yet...so sorry to my friends!).

The people here are very friendly. They enjoy having fun and letting go. There is much less formality than in other cultures I work in, and while they are hard workers, they enjoy life and enjoy themselves.

It's cheap. Food, lodging, transit is all unbelievably cheap! My hotel is very comfortable and has all the ammenties and is cheap as can be. I'm quite impressed. I want more!

But it ain't all perfect! The traffic is hell, and I've heard again and again that it's the worst in the world. Case study from yesterday: one colleague took her 15 minutes to get to the office, and 2 hours to get home. Why? It was raining, and that made traffic crazy. Tuktuks zipping in and out, drivers with their hands on the horn, motocyclists disobeying every conceivable law, and the sidewalks being used for driving.

Of course, the one national beer I've had (Bingtang) is totally mediocre. It's a pilsner. But I will admit to have enjoyed one a few nights in the humidity and heat here.

That aside, I'm ready to come to Indonesia for a vacation. Or I'd go anywhere in SE Asia! :)