Whacky Races, Jakarta style

Driving through Jakarta feels a lot like Whacky Races. It's all about weaving and dodging, and has a jerking stop start quality that is bound to induce whiplash. It also echoes that feeling of never really getting anywhere despite continually moving.

Despite this, and a general perception of there not really being anything to do in Jakarta, my first impressions of Indonesia are highly positive. The immigration queue was efficient, the visa sticker was small (my passport pages are becoming increasingly precious), the airport staff were friendly and the bus into town was straightforward (having had clear instructions from my hostel). I even managed a little banter with the tuk tuk driver having spent the flight learning the numbers. The hostel was lovely, and a real step up from the hovel I ended up in on my previous night in Bangkok, which was a windowless box, with dirty sheets and had an ingrained smell of cigarette smoke. That Indonesian food is delicious also helps: yesterday I enjoyed a healthy and filling meal of veg and chicken in a soupy garlic sauce (cap cai ayam), and made a very slight dent into a 4-inch thick sweet crumpet-like pancake, stuffed with melted chocolate, nuts and condensed milk. I got about a quarter through it before being overwhelmed and handing out little bites of diabetes inducing sweetness to fellow travellers. Way to make friends as well as quench my chocolate cravings.

There are also some similarities with Malaysia which is somehow comforting and familiar, namely in language and in some of the food. I'm making a conscious effort to learn some Bahasa Indonesian, not least because the Latin script makes it easier to decipher and a few weeks in Malaysia gave me some simple words (like thank you and deciphering some foods on the menu). It has been well received so far even I get the words wrong or my pronunciation is off. I feel that I have been very lazy to date in only getting as far as "thank you" in most countries so far, though no amount of effort will make Australian make sense ("goon" for box wine, schooner as a measure of alcohol... Crazy talk!)

I'm excited to be in Indo though. Two weeks on the Thai islands were certainly fun, soaking up the beautiful beach scenery, interspersed with plenty of dancing, neon paint and enjoying the novelty of drinking from a bucket. As beautiful as the sunrises were however, it's nice to be awake during the daytime again! And to be interacting a bit more with residents, rather than shouting over trance beats.

Now, I'd better get back to holding on to my seat. I don't think "drive to arrive" is a well known concept here... And my latest host includes "don't drive fast, I don't want to die" as an essential Bahasa phrase. Safety first!