At some point you think I'd learn. In Spain nothing happens on time. Fifteen minues late is "on time" and half an hour late is still acceptable. It takes some getting used to when you show up fifteen minutes early for class and it's forty minutes before you see your first students in an adult business class. They have a different idea of what's rush-worthy. The last subway train of the night is rush-worthy. The start of the business day not so much. It's the laid back Latin mentality that also allows whole cities to shut after lunch for siesta. The Brits are known for their timeliness, the Spanish, for good reason, are not.
If the Spanish are tardy, I'm not sure what the correct term for Indonesians is. The phrase they use is "rubber time", which really doesn't do justice to their lack of punctuality. It's not just the mentality that it doesn't really matter. It's also that there's always a good excuse - the rain, the traffic, a flat tire on your ojek, no taxis, a protest or road closure. Surprisingly, my business class is always on time but it is an office of just ten people and I teach in their only conference room.
Knowing all of this I still always show up on time. At work we're required to be in at seven. The first class of the school day isn't until 7:20. I turn up between 6:50 and 6:55 every day. I was into my business class five minutes early. I arrive early enough at the radio show that I can squeeze in a sate. My downfall is being on time to social events. My friends never manage to calculate how long trips in this chaotic city will take. I seem to have a better sense about how long it really takes to get somewhere. I consider the time of day, where I'm going to and from, what political issues might affect my trip, and the weather.
Yesterday, for example, I was able to walk down to the street, wait minutes for a taxi and still get to the restaurant five minutes early. My friend was 30-40 minutes late. It was raining, she couldn't get a cab, etc. She's lived in Indonesia ten years but doesn't have a sixth sense about transport I guess. This wasn't my longest wait either! That tops out at an hour and a half. No reason to wonder why I carry a book!
Showing posts with label transportation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label transportation. Show all posts
Monday, November 21, 2011
Random assortment
Things I saw from the back of my ojek last week:
- Another motorbike with FIVE riders. That's a record and the kids weren't even toddlers!
- There's a lumberyard I pass every morning near school that has a big sign with an elephant walking on what looks like corrugated tin. It says "Elephant Fiber Semen" because of course the Indonesian word for cement is semen.
- In 80 degree weather at 3:45pm, a guy with two big rectangle blocks of ice balanced under his knees on his motorbike.
- A big advertising board on the side of the road announcing "Indonesian Submission Championship". From the picture I gather it's something wrestling-esque, but I don't forgive the name. The time was shown as 9-finished and all I could think was that it would be until everyone gave up.
#1 - Divides the absentee report guidance (embassy cooperative request fact) door overseas today. Distributing entrusting gives in the students. If teacher charge will give when the students will bring the application and the passport copy and [ket] [e], will refer with the administrative thread and staring the plan which will send with the embassy from the administrative thread puts on. Teachers the object person draws up and together under submitting becomes hour cotton. Will respect the minute when the declaration is more necessary and, at extra in each school office to furnish will put. (From the Internet knock-down receiving serviceable) Cooperative entrusting gives (I'd love to know what administrative thread looks like)
#2 - Friday is a temporary schedule. The leggings schedule the charge schedule spring to confirm, to inform. Grateful ~
and
#3 - Democratic criticism as a result of commemorated the conference from, unifying composition saying and thanks in No-GO of teachers the rice cake and the fruit neatly with the intention which prepared. Hold tastefully from each school office. (Thanks in No-GO of teachers? was it something we went to or that we didn't go to then?)
In realizing I don't have a lot of time left here in Jakarta I'm going to try to start compiling the things I'll miss. Today's edition:
Jen and I are really close friends. She's the person in Jakarta who's known me the longest and knows me the best. We suffered through EF together, and escaped at the same time. We've been on holiday today and gone hunting together. When we're out and about we people watch and because we don't know them, we make up code names. In the last three months or so we've used a variety including: Roly-poly, The Hat, The Lion, Dutch, Frankenstein, 12 words, British creeper, Pedo, Diva, Julian (who is another friend but this wasn't him), Teeth, Fish, and Shark. I'm going to miss someone that gets all that and helped create it all.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Mekong Delta
After only two plus days in Sai Gon, I was ready to go. Luckily we were on a tight schedule and booked a three-day Mekong Delta tour. It's been said to be a "must do" in Viet Nam.I'm goin to take you flying through our trip.
Bus to My Tho. We saw tropical fruit plants, tried local honey, and hear traditional music. Then took a small boat.
To see coconut candy made. It's really good. Very coconutty and not too sweet. We went on to Ben Tre for a night at a homestay, which was a series of bungalows outside a family house. We made spring rolls with our very animated host.
He showed us how the local people clean the water (it's very dirty as you can see above, but not polluted) and walked through the market in the morning. The next day was a ride through the market with the village people - the group of eight from our original tour who had stayed at the homestay instead of the hotel.
That afternoon was boats and buses to see a crocodile farm then the worlds fastest trip through a temple. The bus stopped and we had fifteen minutes to walk around. I could add some temple photos like the one below but instead I have this other photo:
It's a penguin trashcan. This was a theme in Vietnam. I saw penguin and orca trash bins in a cave on Ha Long Bay. I saw them at the Zoo in Sai Gon. I'd see them again and again. I don't understand but kept an eye out anyway. We headed into Can Tho for night number two on the tour. Can Tho was generally unremarkable. We found more Bia Hoi and got two liters for less than a dollar. Here is the jug being filled.
The next morning was a boat trip to see a fish farm, then the floating villages and a Cham village. The Cham are an ethnic minority group who are Muslim.
The border crossing into Cambodia was one of the easiest customs/visa incidents I've had. We stopped on the river, had lunch, the guide came back out with our visas in passports. Then five minutes more up the river to a stamping station where we had to walk through ourselves. An hour plus to get upriver to our landing location in Cambodia!!! Hurray! We pulled the tarps to see
a green pasture with water buffaloes in the mud. Welcome to Cambodia.
Bus to My Tho. We saw tropical fruit plants, tried local honey, and hear traditional music. Then took a small boat.
To see coconut candy made. It's really good. Very coconutty and not too sweet. We went on to Ben Tre for a night at a homestay, which was a series of bungalows outside a family house. We made spring rolls with our very animated host.
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| Using cute kids as salesmen didn't work on us |
The next morning was a boat trip to see a fish farm, then the floating villages and a Cham village. The Cham are an ethnic minority group who are Muslim.
a green pasture with water buffaloes in the mud. Welcome to Cambodia.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Weekend Recap - and an EP free one
Hello Monday! You've crept up on me once again. I always know you're coming and yet feel shocked (in the least positive sense of the word) when you show up a-knockin'. Why do you continue to torment me so? Can't we reach an agreement about this? I'd be much happier to see you if you rolled up at, say, two o'clock. I'll even greet you warmly at twelve. This six am stuff is a bit ridiculous though, don't you think?
It wasn't even the biggest, epic-est of weekends so I can't blame a hangover for my lack of enthusiasm. Friday brought a nice surprise with it. BoT woke up with a migraine (not the nice surprise) but it meant he was sent home early and made it to my place by about eight (he usually works until ten). We had a chat with Carla and fired friend, then a excellently prepared (by me) dinner of salmon and veg. Half a movie to round out the night and then off to dreamland.
Sunday snuck in like a mouse, which is fine by me. It didn't storm in like you Monday. Sleeping until twelve meant I wasn't obliged greet the day at six am. Even waking at eight for a half hour was acceptable. A call from fired friend roused us and we headed to the pool for several hours of lounging. Episodes of Blue Bloods and a batch of meatballs with pasta wrapped the day in a little bow.
It was a (nearly) drama-free, EP-free, hangover-free weekend. It was not a bruise-free, family in bed-free, hilarity-free weekend, which is as I prefer. My only real requests in retrospect about last weekend are that it lasted longer so I could both continue lounging and get some errands done and that someone's phone wasn't lost/stolen, though I was happy to have her around all weekend as a result. Yes, you hon. ;) I will aim to appreciate you, to look forward to a Monday. Hmmm, how about the eleventh of July? I will enjoy that Monday as it is the first one of summer vacation. Until then, they'll most likely continue to feel like this:
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| Courtesy of sodahead.com |
Saturday isn't always a welcome sight, but a far better one that you Monday. Even with a hangover!! BoT was, quite literally, bouncing around the apartment. He'd forgotten what a Saturday can feel like if the Friday night that preceded it included only a couple beers and a full dinner. Add in seven plus hours of sleep and he had the energy and enthusiasm of a Jack Russell with a coffee problem. The smile on his face meant I couldn't look at him without grinning too. I made a big breakfast, just to give Saturday a running start, and we had a nice relaxed start to the day. The afternoon brought with it a long taxi ride to a football (soccer in American) game where BoT's team won I think. The game also included two of my colleagues, fired friend and a host of other misfits hailing from about the globe. Afternoon gave way to the dusk of evening and a house party/BBQ. The taxi ride there was no less than two hours and we were all in agony when we got there. Graciously, we ushered Saturday into the annals of history with Sam Adams beer (YES!! In Indonesia!!), steak and vodka. I was the only girl in the pool and that was not of my own accord. I am grateful that fired friend let me save my phone by tossing it aside, but not so grateful that I got the shivers while waiting for a taxi home. The end of the night brought about a strange trip home that ended with BoT making a chivalrous and a "more warmly received than he realizes" gesture. He had to explain it but he's right, he walks on the outside and that's all he needed to say.
Sunday snuck in like a mouse, which is fine by me. It didn't storm in like you Monday. Sleeping until twelve meant I wasn't obliged greet the day at six am. Even waking at eight for a half hour was acceptable. A call from fired friend roused us and we headed to the pool for several hours of lounging. Episodes of Blue Bloods and a batch of meatballs with pasta wrapped the day in a little bow.
It was a (nearly) drama-free, EP-free, hangover-free weekend. It was not a bruise-free, family in bed-free, hilarity-free weekend, which is as I prefer. My only real requests in retrospect about last weekend are that it lasted longer so I could both continue lounging and get some errands done and that someone's phone wasn't lost/stolen, though I was happy to have her around all weekend as a result. Yes, you hon. ;) I will aim to appreciate you, to look forward to a Monday. Hmmm, how about the eleventh of July? I will enjoy that Monday as it is the first one of summer vacation. Until then, they'll most likely continue to feel like this:
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Piecemeal notes before the weekend
It's Friday. Thank (insert your divine being of choice here) it's Friday. This was one of those long, dragging weeks. It's not really that anything went so wrong. The kids weren't worse than their norm. I didn't have extra duties. It simply felt like a long week.
I don't think I've mentioned but I'm involved in a radio show here. It's Smartfm and sponsored by the US Embassy. It's a learn English program as part of their "Smart Up Your Life" series. Last year it ran for six months broadcast in Jakarta. This year there is a year contract and we broadcast throughout all of Indonesia. We get calls from Pekan Baru, Surabaya and Medan, all on other islands. Generally, Julia and I alternate weeks with the regular Indonesian host, Eka. Since Julia has headed home for a month, I had this weeks show plus the next four. We broadcast live from 5-6pm on Tuesdays and the station plays a repeat on Saturday. Since I leave work at 3:30, I have to book it straight there for our pre-show rehash. The pay is absolute rubbish, covering transport and a coffee. My reasons are that I enjoy it, hope it will put me in touch with new and different people and finally that it is one more skill I can add to my CV/resume. Its funny that in the last 24 hours I've mentioned it to my business class and a co-worker at school. Both used the word celebrity, which made me cringe. Celebrity, publicity, etc was definitely the last thing I'd want to come from this.
I did the show on Tuesday, and was ready to go to my business class on Wednesday. All I can really say is that it's a small group of lawyers at a prestigious firm in Jakarta. Everything else is teacher-client privilege. I always dread the class until I get there. They have great senses of humor (sense of humors?) and ask poignant questions. The pay is worthwhile, especially since I can get there by bus for 7,000Rp and thirty minutes. My only complaint is that it makes Wednesdays really, really long. This week they asked to move class from Wednesday to Thursday at 4pm on Wednesday. No possibility to take care of things on Wednesday and it ruined Thursdays plans.
Thursday I went to meet Donna as she leaves for summer on Sunday. It took me and hour and a quarter in a taxi to get to her, and another hour and a half to get from her to the lawyers. I was a bit delirious by the time I made it to my lawyers. Throw us in a conference room that was about a thousand degrees and I was toast by the end. I was in bed all of ten minutes before I passed out dead away. I haven't managed to get more than six hours sleep any night this week, and although I've slept like the dead, it hasn't been enough. I complain but feel bad since BoT has gotten even less. His insomnia has kicked in full force. I think, he, I and half of Jakarta are all fighting the same head cold. Bleeeehhhhhh.
It's Friday and I'm not going out. I am really really looking forward to a quiet night in, cooking for BoT and just relaxing. We haven't managed to see each other much lately, definitely not during the week anyway. I am putting my social butterfly self on the shelf for tonight and pulling the cocoon around tight.
As a post script: I am blown away by the number of blog views I've had this week. The last three days individually were 88, 46 and 70. Today, at midday there have already been 24 views. I'm not sure what to attribute the explosion to. I'm not exactly going away free puppies on here. Thanks for sticking around all the same!
I did the show on Tuesday, and was ready to go to my business class on Wednesday. All I can really say is that it's a small group of lawyers at a prestigious firm in Jakarta. Everything else is teacher-client privilege. I always dread the class until I get there. They have great senses of humor (sense of humors?) and ask poignant questions. The pay is worthwhile, especially since I can get there by bus for 7,000Rp and thirty minutes. My only complaint is that it makes Wednesdays really, really long. This week they asked to move class from Wednesday to Thursday at 4pm on Wednesday. No possibility to take care of things on Wednesday and it ruined Thursdays plans.
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| Courtesy of ihes.com. Sort of like this but Indonesian students. Incidentally, this is an academy in Barcelona where a good friend of mine teaches, MWJ!!! |
Thursday I went to meet Donna as she leaves for summer on Sunday. It took me and hour and a quarter in a taxi to get to her, and another hour and a half to get from her to the lawyers. I was a bit delirious by the time I made it to my lawyers. Throw us in a conference room that was about a thousand degrees and I was toast by the end. I was in bed all of ten minutes before I passed out dead away. I haven't managed to get more than six hours sleep any night this week, and although I've slept like the dead, it hasn't been enough. I complain but feel bad since BoT has gotten even less. His insomnia has kicked in full force. I think, he, I and half of Jakarta are all fighting the same head cold. Bleeeehhhhhh.
As a post script: I am blown away by the number of blog views I've had this week. The last three days individually were 88, 46 and 70. Today, at midday there have already been 24 views. I'm not sure what to attribute the explosion to. I'm not exactly going away free puppies on here. Thanks for sticking around all the same!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Updates related to recent blogs
The white diet seems to be working. My stomach is finally settling down and I tried some pasta with tomatoes last night. Keep your fingers crossed that the worst is behind me. If it goes back to being really painful I think I'll finally give in and see a doctor. There are too many parasites, amoebas, worms, etc that can easily be picked up in Indonesia to ignore it much longer.
I saw three other white, foreigners on busway this week. None of them were on my bus, but the were on the gangways that are required to get on a bus. I think we stared at each other with an equal level of disbelief. It wasn't quite as severe as the astonished stare I have when I hit the Seattle Airport and I am no longer in Asia, surrounded by Asians. A second note about busway; No one thought I was pregnant on the bus this week. I was able to get a seat last night simple because it was after rush hour and I was going opposite the tide.
I think I might maybe possibly be rising on the next wave. After spending the better part of the last month or so withdrawn from friends and social life, I feel the shadows lifting and the urge to begin to muster the energy to go out. As that sentence implies, I'm not there yet, but looking at the distinct possibility.
I'm wrenching myself away from the Japan coverage. As tragic as it is, I don't think watching the minute by minute feed on BBC.com is healthy for anyone after a week. I did find this site that is the best thing going. Livingsocial.com is a site like groupon, they offer discount vouchers for restaurants and services. Today they are offering a $5 donation to the Red Cross to help those affected in Japan. The kicker is that they will match your five bucks with another five smackers for a total donation of ten United States greenbacks. I don't care how broke you are, if you have a computer and can read this blog, you are in a position to give five samolians. That's less than two lattes at Starbucks!
Instead of Japan, I shake my head in amazement that people are paying of 65,000 British Pounds for a dress worn in 2002 by Kate Middleton, that all Prince William can do is offer condolence in New Zealand and Japan. No actual, quantifiable help. Sure, the UK has send aid and rescue teams but wouldn't Diana have done more than say "oh, so sad, so sorry"? I am shaking my head in worry about the newly minted no fly zone over Libya and hoping that it won't plunge the world into another decade long Middle East conflict which costs numerous lives and countless dollars.
My final shake of the head is from a forwarded email of Walmartians. I'll let the photo speak for itself.
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| courtesy of gifam.org. These are exactly the ideal lodgers. |
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| courtesy of conceptualist.com. Just like on the bus: nearly the same but not. |
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| courtesy of omiru.com. That split seems about right for now. |
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| courtesy of images.businessweek.com. |
My final shake of the head is from a forwarded email of Walmartians. I'll let the photo speak for itself.
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| courtesy of http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/ |
Monday, March 14, 2011
Bus Bum
Before I launch into today's planned blog, two notes. One: I did change my blog appearance. I just wanted something lighter. Let me know if you have an opinion. Two: I am miserable. Physically miserable. It's been upwards of three weeks now that my stomach has gone from trying it's hand as a trapeeze artist to feeling like it contains a heavy weight boxer throwing punches. I have been reduced to buttered pasta, grilled cheese and white rice with plain chicken as my refuge. Keep your fingers crossed that giving up fruits, veggies, chocolate and anything with much flavor will help. Sprite is my new favorite drink because it seems to help settle my stomach a bit. Stabbing pain, lots of grumbling noises, cramps and pangs of nausea are the main complaints. If you've got suggestions on what to do or what this is, I'm all ears. Now onward to the planned bus bit.
I've recently discovered that my new apartment makes the use of public transportation in Jakarta possible if not always easy. I live on one of the main lines, the bus stop is a mere five minute walk from my house. That walk is along the side of a road with no sidewalk where one has to take their life in their hands, navigate puddles, mudholes, motorbikes, and folks leering and jeering along the way. Yet only five minutes away. A one way trip, where you can transfer at a couple of stops through long over-road pedestrian walk ways that vaguely remind me of airport gangplanks, cost a measly 3,500 Rp (0.40 USD). I do love that it's cheap but the best part is that busway has it's own lane on the road and therefore flies through the traffic in Mampang, the main obstacle between my place and down town, or really any part of town except Kemang. Mampang is notorious for it's traffic jam. I use a singular form of traffic jam because I think this traffic jam started eight years ago and has been there in perpetuity since. There is a traffic jam in Mampang at two am, at two pm and every time in between. I realize it isn't necessarily the best solution to give busway it's own lane; it contributes to the problems for the other cars. Now that I'm on busway, I find I complain about that much less.
Compared to buses in Europe, busway is cheap, cramped and utilitarian. I haven't always thought highly of the public transportation system in Seattle, mostly due to the lack of runs. Once an hour is insufficient by all measures. In comparing the busway to say, buses in Madrid I'm also struck by the difference in riders. Last week, I got on the bus at about quarter to eleven am on a Sunday. The bus was quiet and I found a seat. I recognize that Indonesia is a conservative, Muslim country, but if you saw that what I go out for a night of dancing and drinking in is longer than what most of the Indonesian girls wear, you will soon understand why I took note on Sunday. Mine were the only knees visible on the bus. I was wearing a dress that I wear to teach, it hits my knees. It's sleeveless so I had a shawl on. Yet mine were the only bare knees. I don't know if that's why the three year old sitting across from me was staring. I suspect the "white worship" starts early but who knows.
There's one more story of note from last weeks busing adventures. On Thursday I went in to town to finalize my new second hand blackberry purchase. I took the bus in and was able to WALK to the mall from there. I can't remember the last time I walked outdoors in Jakarta other than from mall Senayan City to mall Plaza Senayan which are across the street from each other. It was a nice walk through Mega Kuningan which may be the sole location in the city with sidewalks, and spacious ones at that. I completed my business at the mall and walked a different but still sidewalked path back to the bus. I made the mistake of wanting to go home (a direction everyone else was going to-out of the city) at about 630 pm. After buying my ticket, it was eight or nine buses before I got on one. The buses were coming by every minute or two tops, but they were packed to the rafters. I finally jammed on to one, and moved away from the door up the aisle. I don't mind standing because at least there is an AC vent blowing directly into you then. I was about three people back from the driver and definitely the only foreigner on the bus. I had my headphones on and was trying to to count the stops until mine because it feels longer. It must have been about seven stops after I got on that I felt a tap on my right arm. I had been holding on with both hands to the hanging rings and kept having to lean forward, towards the seated passengers, to let people by behind me. The tap came from a miniature woman in her mid thirties. She was wearing causal but fashionable closes and a jilbob (Muslim head covering). She tapped me specifically to give me her seat. I was three people to her right, the ones right in front of her were male though the two with their backs to her were female. She was getting off and offered me her seat. I was surprised but tired enough to jump at it. It was mere nanoseconds later that I figured out why. I'm fairly certain she thought I was pregnant. Embarrassed? Check. Laying off the beer? Check. Not too proud to take the seat in a packed bus after a loooong day? Check. I'd like to convince myself that she did it to further Indo-American relations, or because I looked so tired, but I am skeptical at best.
At that, maybe this stomach issue will be a parasite and I'll loose my "baby weight". This is when I laugh to keep from crying and carry on. There will most assuredly be more bus trips in my future, and I'll make up strange stories about the other riders that I'm sure won't come close to the ones they think up about me.
I've recently discovered that my new apartment makes the use of public transportation in Jakarta possible if not always easy. I live on one of the main lines, the bus stop is a mere five minute walk from my house. That walk is along the side of a road with no sidewalk where one has to take their life in their hands, navigate puddles, mudholes, motorbikes, and folks leering and jeering along the way. Yet only five minutes away. A one way trip, where you can transfer at a couple of stops through long over-road pedestrian walk ways that vaguely remind me of airport gangplanks, cost a measly 3,500 Rp (0.40 USD). I do love that it's cheap but the best part is that busway has it's own lane on the road and therefore flies through the traffic in Mampang, the main obstacle between my place and down town, or really any part of town except Kemang. Mampang is notorious for it's traffic jam. I use a singular form of traffic jam because I think this traffic jam started eight years ago and has been there in perpetuity since. There is a traffic jam in Mampang at two am, at two pm and every time in between. I realize it isn't necessarily the best solution to give busway it's own lane; it contributes to the problems for the other cars. Now that I'm on busway, I find I complain about that much less.
Compared to buses in Europe, busway is cheap, cramped and utilitarian. I haven't always thought highly of the public transportation system in Seattle, mostly due to the lack of runs. Once an hour is insufficient by all measures. In comparing the busway to say, buses in Madrid I'm also struck by the difference in riders. Last week, I got on the bus at about quarter to eleven am on a Sunday. The bus was quiet and I found a seat. I recognize that Indonesia is a conservative, Muslim country, but if you saw that what I go out for a night of dancing and drinking in is longer than what most of the Indonesian girls wear, you will soon understand why I took note on Sunday. Mine were the only knees visible on the bus. I was wearing a dress that I wear to teach, it hits my knees. It's sleeveless so I had a shawl on. Yet mine were the only bare knees. I don't know if that's why the three year old sitting across from me was staring. I suspect the "white worship" starts early but who knows.
There's one more story of note from last weeks busing adventures. On Thursday I went in to town to finalize my new second hand blackberry purchase. I took the bus in and was able to WALK to the mall from there. I can't remember the last time I walked outdoors in Jakarta other than from mall Senayan City to mall Plaza Senayan which are across the street from each other. It was a nice walk through Mega Kuningan which may be the sole location in the city with sidewalks, and spacious ones at that. I completed my business at the mall and walked a different but still sidewalked path back to the bus. I made the mistake of wanting to go home (a direction everyone else was going to-out of the city) at about 630 pm. After buying my ticket, it was eight or nine buses before I got on one. The buses were coming by every minute or two tops, but they were packed to the rafters. I finally jammed on to one, and moved away from the door up the aisle. I don't mind standing because at least there is an AC vent blowing directly into you then. I was about three people back from the driver and definitely the only foreigner on the bus. I had my headphones on and was trying to to count the stops until mine because it feels longer. It must have been about seven stops after I got on that I felt a tap on my right arm. I had been holding on with both hands to the hanging rings and kept having to lean forward, towards the seated passengers, to let people by behind me. The tap came from a miniature woman in her mid thirties. She was wearing causal but fashionable closes and a jilbob (Muslim head covering). She tapped me specifically to give me her seat. I was three people to her right, the ones right in front of her were male though the two with their backs to her were female. She was getting off and offered me her seat. I was surprised but tired enough to jump at it. It was mere nanoseconds later that I figured out why. I'm fairly certain she thought I was pregnant. Embarrassed? Check. Laying off the beer? Check. Not too proud to take the seat in a packed bus after a loooong day? Check. I'd like to convince myself that she did it to further Indo-American relations, or because I looked so tired, but I am skeptical at best.
At that, maybe this stomach issue will be a parasite and I'll loose my "baby weight". This is when I laugh to keep from crying and carry on. There will most assuredly be more bus trips in my future, and I'll make up strange stories about the other riders that I'm sure won't come close to the ones they think up about me.
Saturday, December 04, 2010
How a trip home can take 4 buses
Here's what my Friday trip home looked like:
13:28 walked to the security office to ask about angkots
13:29 head out walking to find the intersection with the traffic light. 20 minute walk, I could have taken angkot 2 for 2,000rp and probably will next time. On the walk no less than 15 angkots went by and about 3/4 of them honked or slowed down.
13:50 pick up angkot 40 to go to the KP bus station for 2,000Rp.
13:55 arrived at the bus station. Asked the security guard for angkot 15, got angkot 19 which was supposed to go to angkot 15.
14:00 three minute wait in the angkot until we took off which is relatively short. You can end up sitting and waiting for ages. took angkot 19 to pasar rebo. five minute ride for 2,000Rp.
14:05 got into angkot 15, waited five minutes to take off. Fifteen minute ride with a basket of fruit in the back, but I got the prime seat in the front. 4,000Rp.
14:25 the driver of angkot 15 told me to get angkot 16. I walked over and stopped a #16. They told me I needed metromini bus 75 so I had to walk over and find that.
14:35 caught metromini 75 with promises of my street for 2,000Rp.
14:45 got off the bus on my street. Walked over the pedestrian bridge and home in three minutes.
I made it home for 10,000Rp in about an hour and twenty minutes. By knowing where to catch which buses and angkots I think I can drop it down to about a 45 minute commute for 12,000Rp.
Monday's ride to school will be angkot 15A most of the way to work. Home should be the teachers bus plus one angkot or bus; a whopping 2,000Rp. I'm just happy to have made it all the way home in one piece. Is all this a scam to keep bules (foreigners) in the expensive taxis?
13:28 walked to the security office to ask about angkots
13:29 head out walking to find the intersection with the traffic light. 20 minute walk, I could have taken angkot 2 for 2,000rp and probably will next time. On the walk no less than 15 angkots went by and about 3/4 of them honked or slowed down.
13:50 pick up angkot 40 to go to the KP bus station for 2,000Rp.
13:55 arrived at the bus station. Asked the security guard for angkot 15, got angkot 19 which was supposed to go to angkot 15.
14:00 three minute wait in the angkot until we took off which is relatively short. You can end up sitting and waiting for ages. took angkot 19 to pasar rebo. five minute ride for 2,000Rp.
14:05 got into angkot 15, waited five minutes to take off. Fifteen minute ride with a basket of fruit in the back, but I got the prime seat in the front. 4,000Rp.
14:25 the driver of angkot 15 told me to get angkot 16. I walked over and stopped a #16. They told me I needed metromini bus 75 so I had to walk over and find that.
14:35 caught metromini 75 with promises of my street for 2,000Rp.
14:45 got off the bus on my street. Walked over the pedestrian bridge and home in three minutes.
I made it home for 10,000Rp in about an hour and twenty minutes. By knowing where to catch which buses and angkots I think I can drop it down to about a 45 minute commute for 12,000Rp.
Monday's ride to school will be angkot 15A most of the way to work. Home should be the teachers bus plus one angkot or bus; a whopping 2,000Rp. I'm just happy to have made it all the way home in one piece. Is all this a scam to keep bules (foreigners) in the expensive taxis?
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Adventures in Transportation or 101 ways to get to work
Now that I've moved to a different part of the city I have to reassess and reconfigure my routes and modes of transportation. If you are a regular reader you'll know that I have had many an issue with transport, particularly ojeks, here in Indonesia. The new 'Pejaten era' of my life here is no different. The ride to and from work should be fairly straight forward; go down my street to the next major street, hang a left and go and go and go. At the end of the trip there is a right and then two left turns to get into the school. The key word in that last sentence is should.
The first day (Tuesday) I went from my new home to work by taxi. 7,000Rp for the toll and 40,000Rp for the ride. Ouch! Remember I was paying 65,000Rp round trip for an ojek from my old place which was farther away. I'm a bit stumped about the toll system. I took a toll road on the way to a business class I teach on Wednesdays and that toll was only 2,000Rp. Each toll has it's own amount but I am not privy to why each one is different. The two to the airport are 4,500Rp and 6,500Rp. I found out there's a free teachers bus (aka van) that makes two stops-Citos mall and Blok M. It only runs in the afternoons at 4pm. Citos isn't too far from me so I took the bus there with the intention of getting a kopaja bus or angkot home; ojek was the backup plan. The ojeks wanted 25,000Rp even after Carlas maid said it should be 5-10,000Rp tops. I waited 15 minutes for the appropriate bus or angkot with no luck. Taxi again.
On Wednesday I went looking for an ojek. I walked with Carla to her school, about 12 minutes down the road. No ojeks were to be found. Instead one of the very sweet security guards from her school gave me a ride. I asked him how much twice and he just blushed so I insisted he take 20,000Rp for gas. He said there's no bus or angkot that runs to my school from Carla's school. Hmmmm. I finished work at 3:30pm but was waiting for the teachers bus. At 3:45pm the Korean coordinator in my department, the same one who got the teachers bus info for me the day before, came into the staff room and said "what are you doing here?" I informed her I was waiting for the bus. She said it left at 3:30pm. at 3:30, only on Wednesdays. A small detail she neglected to tell me before 3:30pm on a Wednesday. Taxi again.
Thursday I felt prepared and took a Transjakarta bus down the road to Ragunan. The bus is 2,000Rp, runs constantly is nearly deserted in that direction at that hour and the stop is 2 minutes from my building. My plan was to get an ojek from Ragunan thinking it would be cheaper from there. Of the five ojeks at the stand only one even vaguely knew where it was. He wanted 50,000Rp. I laughed and told him a taxi was cheaper than that. he waved me off so I got a taxi to work. The meter was at 30,000Rp when he made a wrong turn. He said "sorry, sorry, just 30,000Rp, ok?" 15 minutes later I made it to work,. The meter was at 46,000Rp but I gave him 30. I hate it when you tell them where you want to go and they go "ya, ya, ya" and act like they know exactly where it is but they don't know where they're going. I found an ojek here near my school to go home. He wanted 50,000Rp as well. I offered 20,000Rp, we agreed on 30,000Rp. The trip took about 25 minutes and was a straight shot. I'll see how he feels about me today when I ask to go to the bus station.
This morning I woke up at 05:30am. At 05:45am the sky opened and it poured. My plan the night before was to try to catch an angkot, or transjakarta bus and then angkot. This method should cost between three and five thousand Rupiah in all. Opposite to what usually happens, the roads emptied and there were very few angkots or buses to be found. Normally everyone jumps on transport since they don't want to be in the rain. I waited with Carla for her taxi. I still hadn't seen more than one agnkot when it arrived so I went with her. We dropped her off and I carried on to school. 42,000Rp no toll which isn't bad considering the rain induced traffic on the school road.
Taxis are a nice option because you have personal space and no pollution in your face (it rhymes, I could write commercials) but they get expensive and can be slow. Ojeks are quicker and sometimes cheaper but there is lots of gear required (helmet, rain clothes, anti-pollution mask). Buses are usually packed and slow but cheap and out of the rain. I will be leaving school after I finish this. The goal is to find out from the security staff if I can get an angkot to the KP bus station. If I can I'll do that, if not I'll get an ojek there. It should be about 7,000Rp there I'm told. From there I can get an angkot that should take me to my street, a three or four minute walk from there and I'm home. Keep your fingers crossed. I'll let you know!
 |
| I know Jakarta can feel like this. I wonder what it actually looks like from above. Courtesy of marcofolio.net |
The first day (Tuesday) I went from my new home to work by taxi. 7,000Rp for the toll and 40,000Rp for the ride. Ouch! Remember I was paying 65,000Rp round trip for an ojek from my old place which was farther away. I'm a bit stumped about the toll system. I took a toll road on the way to a business class I teach on Wednesdays and that toll was only 2,000Rp. Each toll has it's own amount but I am not privy to why each one is different. The two to the airport are 4,500Rp and 6,500Rp. I found out there's a free teachers bus (aka van) that makes two stops-Citos mall and Blok M. It only runs in the afternoons at 4pm. Citos isn't too far from me so I took the bus there with the intention of getting a kopaja bus or angkot home; ojek was the backup plan. The ojeks wanted 25,000Rp even after Carlas maid said it should be 5-10,000Rp tops. I waited 15 minutes for the appropriate bus or angkot with no luck. Taxi again.
On Wednesday I went looking for an ojek. I walked with Carla to her school, about 12 minutes down the road. No ojeks were to be found. Instead one of the very sweet security guards from her school gave me a ride. I asked him how much twice and he just blushed so I insisted he take 20,000Rp for gas. He said there's no bus or angkot that runs to my school from Carla's school. Hmmmm. I finished work at 3:30pm but was waiting for the teachers bus. At 3:45pm the Korean coordinator in my department, the same one who got the teachers bus info for me the day before, came into the staff room and said "what are you doing here?" I informed her I was waiting for the bus. She said it left at 3:30pm. at 3:30, only on Wednesdays. A small detail she neglected to tell me before 3:30pm on a Wednesday. Taxi again.
Thursday I felt prepared and took a Transjakarta bus down the road to Ragunan. The bus is 2,000Rp, runs constantly is nearly deserted in that direction at that hour and the stop is 2 minutes from my building. My plan was to get an ojek from Ragunan thinking it would be cheaper from there. Of the five ojeks at the stand only one even vaguely knew where it was. He wanted 50,000Rp. I laughed and told him a taxi was cheaper than that. he waved me off so I got a taxi to work. The meter was at 30,000Rp when he made a wrong turn. He said "sorry, sorry, just 30,000Rp, ok?" 15 minutes later I made it to work,. The meter was at 46,000Rp but I gave him 30. I hate it when you tell them where you want to go and they go "ya, ya, ya" and act like they know exactly where it is but they don't know where they're going. I found an ojek here near my school to go home. He wanted 50,000Rp as well. I offered 20,000Rp, we agreed on 30,000Rp. The trip took about 25 minutes and was a straight shot. I'll see how he feels about me today when I ask to go to the bus station.
 |
| Busway even has their own driving lane. Most stops are accessible by an overhead bridge. Courtesy of m.kompas.com |
This morning I woke up at 05:30am. At 05:45am the sky opened and it poured. My plan the night before was to try to catch an angkot, or transjakarta bus and then angkot. This method should cost between three and five thousand Rupiah in all. Opposite to what usually happens, the roads emptied and there were very few angkots or buses to be found. Normally everyone jumps on transport since they don't want to be in the rain. I waited with Carla for her taxi. I still hadn't seen more than one agnkot when it arrived so I went with her. We dropped her off and I carried on to school. 42,000Rp no toll which isn't bad considering the rain induced traffic on the school road.
 |
| Angkot! I need red #S15A. Courtesy of Lifeportraitsofme.blogspot.com |
Taxis are a nice option because you have personal space and no pollution in your face (it rhymes, I could write commercials) but they get expensive and can be slow. Ojeks are quicker and sometimes cheaper but there is lots of gear required (helmet, rain clothes, anti-pollution mask). Buses are usually packed and slow but cheap and out of the rain. I will be leaving school after I finish this. The goal is to find out from the security staff if I can get an angkot to the KP bus station. If I can I'll do that, if not I'll get an ojek there. It should be about 7,000Rp there I'm told. From there I can get an angkot that should take me to my street, a three or four minute walk from there and I'm home. Keep your fingers crossed. I'll let you know!
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Is life a matter of luck?
If you've met me you're probably heard about my luck. I say in honesty and with humor that if it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all. Take a breath before we move on. You might fall into group A: those who think I'm a horrible pessimist and immediately try to convince me otherwise. Group B are those folks who just flat out don't believe I have bad luck.
I to refer to my luck with tongue planted firmly in cheek. I use the work 'luck' to refer to the huge number of bizarre things that tend to happen to me than I also don't particularly see happening to others. A great example from two weeks ago was a taxi ride. I'd jumped in the taxi about 12 seconds before it started raining. That meant my normally 8 minute taxi ride was 20, still not bad and only about 20,000Rp. In that twenty minutes the taxi I was in was hit not once but twice. Once hit in the rear driver side door and then again from behind. They were fairly minor, the bus causing a bit of damage to the car. The taxi driver and I had a good laugh about it, lots of "really?" and head shaking. It adds to the story of my life with question marks and exclamation points.
Maybe what I call luck is what others call fate. To find someone (i.e. boyfriend, girlfriend) it has to be the right person AND the right time. I prefer to think of it as luck rather than fate since fate sounds like I no longer have a choice in the matter, like it's been decided already. Are the ideas, at least my versions, really so different? Don't we all sort of make our own definitions of fate and luck, and decide how much we give credence to any of it?
I'm not a pessimist. I'm a realist. If there is 'luck' then I'm definitely not blessed with it (I chuckle as I write this). My nickname in Spain with 'death' and I was deemed to have a bad luck angel, or BLA, that follows me. I've been trying to reconcile this recently with the giant abacus idea. I use this as opposed to karma because it's a less religious idea. If there is a giant abacus, then is there a point when the minuses, the bad luck adds up on one side and there must be a showering of good luck to even things out, right? Life is about balance. too many lions and all the deer disappear. Too many deer and the grass disappears. Too much bad luck and Melissa goes crazy? If there is an abacus, then I'm wracking up lots of bad now for the good later. In this vein I wonder if there is often a much faster trade of good for bad luck. I had my phone stolen last Friday, but had a fantastic weekend with new people. Maybe it was one for the other.
AGAIN, I'm not serious about this, don't lecture me about being negative because I'm not. Its more of a fun theoretical/mental exercise.
P.S. Bad luck? I thought I had ants in my room and one bit me. I realized they are actually baby scorpions and I got stung. "LUCKY" for me their tiny!
"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect" -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Maybe what I call luck is what others call fate. To find someone (i.e. boyfriend, girlfriend) it has to be the right person AND the right time. I prefer to think of it as luck rather than fate since fate sounds like I no longer have a choice in the matter, like it's been decided already. Are the ideas, at least my versions, really so different? Don't we all sort of make our own definitions of fate and luck, and decide how much we give credence to any of it?
I'm not a pessimist. I'm a realist. If there is 'luck' then I'm definitely not blessed with it (I chuckle as I write this). My nickname in Spain with 'death' and I was deemed to have a bad luck angel, or BLA, that follows me. I've been trying to reconcile this recently with the giant abacus idea. I use this as opposed to karma because it's a less religious idea. If there is a giant abacus, then is there a point when the minuses, the bad luck adds up on one side and there must be a showering of good luck to even things out, right? Life is about balance. too many lions and all the deer disappear. Too many deer and the grass disappears. Too much bad luck and Melissa goes crazy? If there is an abacus, then I'm wracking up lots of bad now for the good later. In this vein I wonder if there is often a much faster trade of good for bad luck. I had my phone stolen last Friday, but had a fantastic weekend with new people. Maybe it was one for the other.
AGAIN, I'm not serious about this, don't lecture me about being negative because I'm not. Its more of a fun theoretical/mental exercise.
P.S. Bad luck? I thought I had ants in my room and one bit me. I realized they are actually baby scorpions and I got stung. "LUCKY" for me their tiny!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
adendum to transportation
Today was day 5 of riding with my new ojek and he didn't show to pick me up from school. I sms'd. I called. He said he was on his way but there was traffic. I waited 40 minutes (45 if you count the 5 minutes I was out there early). then I gave up and got another ojek. Ojeks are usually faster and cheaper than taxis. They do subject you to the elements and pollution. Perhaps the biggest drawback of ojeks is that they are generally used for a certain area. Therefore an ojek from Ceger (East Jakarta) where my school is doesn't necessarily know Kuningan (Central/South Jakarta) where my place is. In fact I find this more and more often to be the case. After waiting 10 minutes for a security guard (very sweet of him actually) to get a local ojek willing to make the trek, i sat on the bike through rain and traffic only to have him totally blow not one but two turns, have to turn around northbound where the traffic was even worse and go back. My original destination was Plaza Indonesia mall. I gave up. I got off the bike and walked 10 minutes home. From here I will have to take another ojek to the mall.
I have tomorrow off work and have to do a bunch of errands. When my ojek Sokardi comes in the morning to drop my helmet off I'll offer him the work tomorrow. If not then at least we should be set for Thursday to work again. It's sad that even after a crash and being late once in 5 days, he's still better than the last guy. And to my estimation about par for the ojek course. All in all about two and half irretrievable hours of my life gone between the wait and the ride. Not to mention the aching back and worn patience.
As an aside, I think I have a new mission. The buses and angkots here have names on the back, everything from Barcelona to Marie. I am going to attempt to document as many of them as I can from the back of my ojek to and from school, especially the bizarre ones. They remind me of chicken buses in Guatemala, almost as colorful too.
I just realized that in my intial catalog of transportation I forgot one. It's not transportation in that it doesn't move people from one place to another, but it does hold up traffic. These are the push carts. They can be a "restaurant" on wheels or just a vendor but they find a place on the road too.
I have tomorrow off work and have to do a bunch of errands. When my ojek Sokardi comes in the morning to drop my helmet off I'll offer him the work tomorrow. If not then at least we should be set for Thursday to work again. It's sad that even after a crash and being late once in 5 days, he's still better than the last guy. And to my estimation about par for the ojek course. All in all about two and half irretrievable hours of my life gone between the wait and the ride. Not to mention the aching back and worn patience.
As an aside, I think I have a new mission. The buses and angkots here have names on the back, everything from Barcelona to Marie. I am going to attempt to document as many of them as I can from the back of my ojek to and from school, especially the bizarre ones. They remind me of chicken buses in Guatemala, almost as colorful too.
I just realized that in my intial catalog of transportation I forgot one. It's not transportation in that it doesn't move people from one place to another, but it does hold up traffic. These are the push carts. They can be a "restaurant" on wheels or just a vendor but they find a place on the road too.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Transportation is a right (as you have the right to be frustrated)
Jakarta give the word traffic an entirely new meaning. If you can visualize any traffic jam in the States or Greater Europe you may think of lines of cars on a highway, not moving. There might be a horn or two. It generally happens on holiday weekends. Labor Day or Independence Day in the States is the best example. In Jakarta, the traffic is worse than Labor Day all year round. Traffic doesn't line up in nice, neat rows. I have been at round-abouts with cars at 90 degree angles to each other. A road that you'd think in the US could accommodate 3 perpendicular lanes of travel can be seem with cars 5 or 6 across, easily!
A secondary problem (or possibly the root of the problem) might be the variety of modes of transport. There are cars in small, medium and Hummer size. The most prevalent option is the motorbike/ojek. Ojeks are like a taxi, they can be hired to go from point A to point B, but they are motorbikes. The price is set before hand so it's advisable if you only take ojeks on routes where you know the price.
There is a small van who's door has been removed that runs like a short route bus. A set route to help people get around the neighborhood.
Or this kind:
There are large old smelly buses. Not generally entirely road worthy but they run town to town, or suburb to suburb and they are cheap. There is busway, a government run bus systems that connects SOME parts of the city with SOME other parts of the city. It was intended to be a very available option for the masses, until the government ran out of money after building many of the stops. Now there are lots of vacant stops without buses.
This one is not a government busway bus.
In some parts of Indonesia you can also find becaks (be-chaK). They are a three wheeled bicycle, two in the front and one in the back.
There's a bench seat in the front for passengers and the driver is in the back. Let's not forget the noisiest option-bajaj. And the pronunciation for that is Ba-jai. Don't ask me how it ends up with two j's instead. it's like the motorized version of a becak, the mufflers are loud enough to permanently damage your hearing, the pollution may give you immediate asthma and the shocks (or lack there of) are enough to ruin your rump. They are big enough for two foreigners or 6 Indonesians and have the benefit of being covered. They top out at about 20 mph and are for short distances only.
As I have taken up a new job and new residence, I had to also find a means of transport between the two. Before I was talking 10 minutes to work. Now I have to travel from South-central Jakarta to East Jakarta. Don't ask me to estimate the distance because I haven't the slightest. I decided that an ojek would be my preferred method of transport to and from work. It it much quicker than the bus, though slightly more expensive. It's lots quicker and cheaper than a taxi. Plus, by having my own ojek guy, he will be at my door for pick up in the morning and at my school for a ride home. I'll have his cell number and he's basically on call for me. It's beneficial for him too because they don't usually know how much they'll make in a month. With me, they'll have a fixed minimum and then can do other running about while I'm at work. This was a great plan in theory. IN THEORY.
My ojek guy turned out to be a whopping nightmare. He was alright the first week. Within the next three weeks we had the following incidents:
a) he couldn't pick me up because water in the muffler rendered his bike disabled.
b) he couldn't take me out because of a broken headlight and it was after dark
c) he was late on 3 out of 4 pick ups over 2 days
d) his phone, on different occasions, both ran out of battery and credit
e) he show up at the wrong place to meet me, without his phone, so after waiting an hour I gave up.
f) he show up 20 minutes late, then stopped for gas on the way to the airport. After which I had to sprint 300m to and through the airport to avoid missing my flight check in by only 3 minutes. All of this after I told him the day before that I had to go to the airport, to make sure he had gas and it was important he was on time.
g) he requested a loan on Friday after receiving his pay for the week on Thursday.
h) Final straw was finding a new guy yesterday for this morning. The previous guy messaged me this morning telling me I could come pick up my helmet and rain suit (that I paid for and tried to get the night before) and asked to be paid. I told him that I had not only paid him what I owed him, but he's walked off with over 500,000 Rp in gas and mechanic money from the month. He proceeded to message me 5 times over the next 20 minutes insisting that I owed him more money. I would have hit him if he'd been in range.
I'm being the better, bigger and calmer person by letting it go. i have found a new guy who will hopefully prove to be more trustworthy and have a bit more forethought than the last guy. Sokardi, new driver, also has a newer bike with a slightly softer seat. Yes, seat cushion makes a difference during 40 minutes rides.
Keep your fingers crossed just the same.
A secondary problem (or possibly the root of the problem) might be the variety of modes of transport. There are cars in small, medium and Hummer size. The most prevalent option is the motorbike/ojek. Ojeks are like a taxi, they can be hired to go from point A to point B, but they are motorbikes. The price is set before hand so it's advisable if you only take ojeks on routes where you know the price.
There is a small van who's door has been removed that runs like a short route bus. A set route to help people get around the neighborhood.
There are large old smelly buses. Not generally entirely road worthy but they run town to town, or suburb to suburb and they are cheap. There is busway, a government run bus systems that connects SOME parts of the city with SOME other parts of the city. It was intended to be a very available option for the masses, until the government ran out of money after building many of the stops. Now there are lots of vacant stops without buses.
This one is not a government busway bus.
In some parts of Indonesia you can also find becaks (be-chaK). They are a three wheeled bicycle, two in the front and one in the back.
There's a bench seat in the front for passengers and the driver is in the back. Let's not forget the noisiest option-bajaj. And the pronunciation for that is Ba-jai. Don't ask me how it ends up with two j's instead. it's like the motorized version of a becak, the mufflers are loud enough to permanently damage your hearing, the pollution may give you immediate asthma and the shocks (or lack there of) are enough to ruin your rump. They are big enough for two foreigners or 6 Indonesians and have the benefit of being covered. They top out at about 20 mph and are for short distances only.
As I have taken up a new job and new residence, I had to also find a means of transport between the two. Before I was talking 10 minutes to work. Now I have to travel from South-central Jakarta to East Jakarta. Don't ask me to estimate the distance because I haven't the slightest. I decided that an ojek would be my preferred method of transport to and from work. It it much quicker than the bus, though slightly more expensive. It's lots quicker and cheaper than a taxi. Plus, by having my own ojek guy, he will be at my door for pick up in the morning and at my school for a ride home. I'll have his cell number and he's basically on call for me. It's beneficial for him too because they don't usually know how much they'll make in a month. With me, they'll have a fixed minimum and then can do other running about while I'm at work. This was a great plan in theory. IN THEORY.
My ojek guy turned out to be a whopping nightmare. He was alright the first week. Within the next three weeks we had the following incidents:
a) he couldn't pick me up because water in the muffler rendered his bike disabled.
b) he couldn't take me out because of a broken headlight and it was after dark
c) he was late on 3 out of 4 pick ups over 2 days
d) his phone, on different occasions, both ran out of battery and credit
e) he show up at the wrong place to meet me, without his phone, so after waiting an hour I gave up.
f) he show up 20 minutes late, then stopped for gas on the way to the airport. After which I had to sprint 300m to and through the airport to avoid missing my flight check in by only 3 minutes. All of this after I told him the day before that I had to go to the airport, to make sure he had gas and it was important he was on time.
g) he requested a loan on Friday after receiving his pay for the week on Thursday.
h) Final straw was finding a new guy yesterday for this morning. The previous guy messaged me this morning telling me I could come pick up my helmet and rain suit (that I paid for and tried to get the night before) and asked to be paid. I told him that I had not only paid him what I owed him, but he's walked off with over 500,000 Rp in gas and mechanic money from the month. He proceeded to message me 5 times over the next 20 minutes insisting that I owed him more money. I would have hit him if he'd been in range.
I'm being the better, bigger and calmer person by letting it go. i have found a new guy who will hopefully prove to be more trustworthy and have a bit more forethought than the last guy. Sokardi, new driver, also has a newer bike with a slightly softer seat. Yes, seat cushion makes a difference during 40 minutes rides.
Keep your fingers crossed just the same.
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