Jakarta in bullets

· Jakarta is extremely hot and humid – more so than Atlanta, which is hard to imagine. I've been told that the only city that competes in terms of heat index is Hong Kong. Good luck Aly and Vini!!!

· The traffic has to be experienced to be believed - also worse than Atlanta, which is hard to imagine. And motos are everywhere! It’s common to see a family of four on a 100cc motorcycle while the mother holds onto a bushel of goods from the market and the children desperately cling to any loose clothing to prevent being flung. Britney Spears would find solace in a place like this – no car seats, no problem.

· People here, especially women, wildly laugh at foreigners (me). At first, this upset me. “What the hell are they laughing at?” “Do I have a booger hanging out of my nose, is my fly unzipped?” But apparently, it is customary. Indonesians love to laugh, and generally speaking they laugh out of delight and not mockery. Although I suspect I might have had a loose boog one or two of those times.


· Decaf coffee and drinks without ice cost extra!

· Everybody with a heart beat has a mobile phone (after visiting Bangkok and Hanoi, I realize this is not at all unique to Jakarta)

· Everybody and his dog is an entrepreneur. Traffic is so bad that there are freelance traffic directors. These dudes stand at tricky intersections, waving their arms at traffic, interposing their bodies between vehicles and the oncoming traffic. Also, people double park everywhere, but they leave the car in neutral, permitting the freelance parking dudes to push the cars around to let people in and out. Of course, they expect a small tip in return for the effort.

· Firm handshakes are viewed as aggressive. Everyone shakes hands during an introduction, but in most cases their shake is so wimpy it is more of a hand touch than a shake.

· I learned I love:
Rambutan Fruit
Snake Fruit
Avocado shakes

· I learned I am not fond of:
Fried Cow Skin
Boiled Innards