Settling in step by step

Every day sees an improvement as I gradually settle in to life in Indonesia; be it my first successful laundry collection on Saturday, a new DVD player, or moving the bed to the back room (I can now sleep much better). I think by the time I leave I will having everything sorted perfectly.

One improvement for this week is that everyone should now be able to write comments on the blog. If you've tried previously please give it another go!

The "Bus Way" is one of the few public transport systems in Jakarta that seems to function efficiently and comfortably, and is my preferred choice of transport to work. It operates much like a tram with it's own lane, nicely separated from the other eight lanes of hellish traffic, and runs me smoothly to the stop outside my office for 25p.

I am still in search of someone to polish a shoe and also somewhere where I can get a shave (a new found hobby of mine). In attempting to explain what a barbers I used the words "like a salon for men". Apparently this is something entirely different.

Jakarta Food

Over a relaxed holiday I seem to be on a bliz to try as many new foods as posible, and am feeling a little bit delicate as a result. Wednesday was chicken feet (a less appealing looking snack you are unlikely to find), Thursday fermented sweet potato, Friday durian ice cream. Indonesians seem to share my love of eating, so in that respect I am very at home!

Tomorrow is the weekend and I hope to pick up a few badminton tips from the local experts.

P.S. Well done to the 71% of you who correctly said that Indonesia has it's own language. In fact it has about 100 different dialects, but the official language is Bahasa Indonesia.

Gilies

Thumbling through the seat pocket in front of me I stumbled upon two pamphlets: the customary 'safety onboard' and more novel 'prayer sheet'. Six prayers from six different religions, all in two languages. Lion Air is banned from flying in Europe due to its safety record. I said two.

Idul Fitri is the festival that marks the end of Ramadan, and is marked by a four day holiday weekend, fireworks, celebrations, and loud prayers broadcast from every mosque at all times day and night. I wanted to make the most of some rare free time, And so began my trip to Gili Trawangan, a remote island / travellers paradise off the coast of Lombok.

Gili Trawangan is only reachable by boat, and the only transport on the island is bicycle or horse & cart. It is filled with a mix of happy couples, aging hippies and young travellers; and has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Gili also has excellent diving, and I managed to fit in four dives (keeping me busy during the days). I hope to be able to post some pictures soon as on one dive we were lucky enough to spend ten minutes swimming at 24m with three reef sharks!

After three days relaxation, and a crazy power boat ride back to Lombok. I have returned to a near empty Jakarta ready for the week ahead!

Special Offers

I’m quickly discovering that Indonesian’s are mad for a bargain, highlighted by the opening of a new branch of the well known mini chain “Kantin Wisata”. Throughout September, set seafood lunch, pay what you like. I think a similar offer was run recently somewhere in London and they discovered that customers actually paid more than the listed price; this short anecdote provided great amusement to my team, and after much heated discussion it was agreed that we should pay 10% of full price. A total of $3 was handed over for seven people. The waitress asked if we wanted change.

On the menu: delicious freshwater fish of unknown name cooked in two ways (one fried, two grilled), chili crab, calamari, chilied greens, rice and various sauces. All heartily attacked, eaten with hands and washed down with a vanilla bun.

Welcome to Jakarta!

Wow, I'm here and I have finally made it to an internet cafe! Access is blocked in the office, and I successfully blew two fuses and power to my whole apartment in a dramatic failed attempt to plug in my laptop.

After a smooth flight in a very smart but nonetheless cramped double decker Airbus I successfully made it through immigration on Monday morning, and was welcomed with a delicious Indonesian lunch; this invloved the novel concept of placing the entire menu on the table and only charging for what you ate. Later that evening I was struck with the relisation that I was on my own many many miles from home, and felt sad and homesick.

Jakarta is a lot different from London, humid, smoggy, moving quickly between shacks and stalls to mable halled malls. Having been warned off walking the streets at night (Wayne would no doubt be put off a visit), taxis seem to be the recommended way to get around. Luckily they seem to cost less than a London tube ride home so...

Having received a great and warm welcome from people in my new office I am now feeling better and less on my own. Tonight I am invited to my first bar. Updates to follow.

P.S. Well done to 75% of you who are up to speed on your Indonesian geography and correctly identified it as home to 243 million people. Good luck on the next quiz.

Thamrin Residence

Many of you have expressed concern about my accomodation while I am away and so I thought I would post a few pictures to reassure you.

http://www.thamrinresidences.com/

Flights / visa all sorted to fly out on Sunday!

Making Preparations

Plenty to do before I leave on Sunday - not least collecting my long awaited visa and booking a flight! Have a 52 page document on taxation in Indonesia kindly provided by Graham which will no doubt keep me entertained for the majority of the 18 hour trip.

I'll be posting updates here on my progress in the world's fourth largest country, so those of you keen to know can keep an eye on me.

Very excited but will miss everyone!