We went to Cikarang, which is where Janna lives on the other side of Jakarta from where I live. It's a more rural area, and is home to some attractions that aren't in the big city. Attractions such as this alligator farm, home to hundreds of alligators, unfortunately overcrowded, underfed, and missing parts of their bodies. Our group of 5 was probably about a third of all the people who came during the day. So... it's no wonder that, with the entry fee being almost nothing, the alligators are suffering. Not that it makes it alright, because it's not okay, but it's pretty common to see things like this. So, welcome to Atraksi, home of lots of alligators, and creepy coin-operated cars that look like they belong in an 80's horror film.
Sometimes, the roads that we drive really make me remember that I don't live in the West. The little shops, the motorcycles, other "old-fashioned" means of transportation, the street vendors, and the friendly passer-byers who stare at us because we're bule (white foreigner).
And then you get back into the city, and you see the other traffic... comprised of hundreds of blue taxis and crosses between SUVs and mini-vans. Massive shopping malls. On every corner. Or more than one on a corner. How they manage to stay in business is beyond me. Actually, I do understand. There's not much else to do in Jakarta. As Rachel said, she's excited to tell people about her trip to Malldonesia. Pretty much our whole lives comes out of the mall. Clothes, food, entertainment, toilet paper, laundry detergent. It's no wonder they need so many. With 22,000,000 people in Jakarta, they need something to do with their time.
Jakarta is home to three good Mexican restaurants. One, is similar to Chipotle, though it is nowhere near as fabulous. The second makes an appearance at most school bazaars and has free guacamole. The third, Hascienda, is the best. And here, we got to experience the benefits of being bule. Everyone is very friendly when you're friendly with them, even if you're crazy. So, when we started roasting marshmallows over the candle, our waiter brought us the creme brulee torch. And then left it at our table for us to use. Such a nice guy, though he didn't seem too impressed by the roasted marshmallow when we gave him one to try.
A few of us at SPH have gotten into salsa dancing. There's a couple restaurants that offer it on different nights of the week, and I've gone quite a few times this semester. You get to know the people there, which ones are creepy, and which ones are friendly. And it's fun to go and have some friends outside of SPH, even if I only see them once a month... and I would never give them my number.
One of the few touristy things to do in Jakarta is visit Monas, the national monument. It's nothing that special. Just a big tower with a museum below that gives a very censored version of Indonesia's history. But I live here, so it's something I had to do at some point, right?
Across the street is the national museum... home to all things art and music and historical through the centuries of Indonesia's existence.
Just suddenly read your blog. Love it.. the way you express your feeling through your exciting journey especially in Indonesia...
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