The Big Durian

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  Jakarta, Java, Indonesia
Tuesday, June 3, 2008

The title of this entry is "The Big Durian," which refers to Jakarta. I asked Travis why it was called the big durian and he said it's like the Big Apple - Jakarta's a big city and it smells. So now you know why this entry is called "The Big Durian."

We arrived in Jakarta's busy and not entirely safe bus station 12 km out of town at 5 a.m. Of course our bus was not dropping us off at the terminal. Very few bus stations are so orderly. We ended up in a parking lot full of people either selling food or transport. No choice but to head for the terminal, wherever that was, because Lonely Planet italicized its advice not to take any taxi other than a Bluebird taxi. Taxi muggings are common in Jakarta, you see, and in the dark in the middle of nowhere it's not hard to get a couple foreigners. But where in the mess of taxis could we possibly find a Bluebird and what if we didn't at all? It's a little annoying when they say not to do something but they don't give an alternative except calling for a taxi, which is rather impossible when there's no phone.

A questionable taxi driver and a helpful food seller managed to get us to the terminal, and from there we didn't know what to do. We at least had to wait until sunrise. Everyone asks all the time where you're going, to which I have taken to responding one of two ways: "That way," or "Nowhere." In this instance it was "nowhere," which certain people were annoyed with. But there was no way we could let down our guard in such a dodgy spot.

Soekarno's last erection

As we entered the terminal we'd spotted two terminals for city transport buses - TransJakarta. But the only bus advice LP has (if it has any) is to get bus schedules at information centers. These are obviously in the city, so this was not helpful. We decided that I should go and discover what I could discover and see about taking a bus.

I went to the first terminal first and asked if I could get a bus to Jalan Jaksa, the tourist street. I would call it the tourist ghetto, but it really is one street - not even the whole street at that. The woman didn't have great English, but she managed to tell me that I couldn't get there from that particular terminal and she pointed across the way. I said thank you and moved on.

The other terminal also didn't really have any English speakers, but "Jalan Jaksa" got the message across and they pointed to a stop on a little card, which I got to keep. Very handy. So I learned that we could get to where we wanted to go on the bus. Excellent.

Back with Travis we scoured the LP map (one of the best uses for a LP is its maps) to see if we could figure out exactly where we'd be dropped. We couldn't find the spot the woman pointed out, so we went with another stop next to Freedom Square. Gambir is not only a city bus stop - it's also a train station and the place to catch buses and taxis to the airport. Thus it was a good choice for us, since we'd need to go back to get to the airport. Then we walked maybe a kilometer and down a couple random streets until we found Jalan Jaksa. It wasn't hard to find, really, and the walk wasn't unpleasant. Then the hotel checks. I'll spare you the details - it's dives for more dollars than we like to spend. We chose the least grotty one, also cheapest.

In the evening we meandered over to the next street to sample some famous Jakarta satay, and I must say it was worth it. Some may shirk at eating from food stalls, but they're really not bad. This satay was also much better than the stuff we had in some other country, so we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. I fed a couple bits to kittens who chilled by our table. They were really cute but Travis said I shouldn't touch them, so I didn't. Sad. Also the fresh juice at the juice carts was super tasty. Highly recommended.

In the morning it was raining, but it cleared up early enough for us to go up to Freedom Square and see Soekarno's Last Erection. Or so the monument is derogatorily called by Jakartans. It's a tower with a square viewing station and a gold flame on top. Not the prettiest of phallic towers, but they certainly made it their own. We didn't go up, but wandered around Freedom Square a little while. It's a lovely place, but all fenced in. I can't figure out why you'd fence in a public square. Travis says it's all about control. He's been saying this a lot lately, and you can't really blame him, since we've been through some formerly oppressed areas in the recent past. Anyway, a protest can't get away if the square is fenced in, and they seem to have issues with protests in Indonesia.

Finally we found the bus to the airport and were soon on our way back to Thailand. Before we left, though, we ate lunch, and I must warn you that if you ask for ice with your drink you'll get charged extra for it. You've been warned.

Erin

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