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Can’t let this anniversary go by without exulting.
It’s been a great chunk of years, near enough a quarter of my life.
I’m crazy about Jakarta and, honestly, although it was a leap in the dark, it was undoubtedly the best move I ever made.
No regrets.
vojo are discussing. 
vojo 10:28 am on January 24, 2013 Permalink |
What year did you arrive there, Ross? I spent almost 10 years of my life in Jakarta, but I think my best move was back to Canada! Living in that place made me appreciate my country more than ever.
What makes you like it so much? What got to me were the pollution, dirt, traffic jams, the grinding poverty alongside ostentatious wealth, floods, lack of defined seasons, never ending heat and humidity, too many motorcycles, too much noise, always being stared at as if an Alien, warm Bintang beer, and God knows what else I’m forgetting right now. It’s -14C here right now and my brain freezes around -10C. I still like my life a lot better here in this place, the Great White North.
ross1948 10:56 am on January 24, 2013 Permalink |
The Bintang is rarely served warm, vojo.
You seemed to enjoy it the last time you were here!
Add to that the most beautiful women in the world, and the constant knowledge that when you arise from your slumbers each day, you have never the faintest idea what’s going to happen next.
And despite the chaos, you soon learn to get on with your day’s duties – indeed, the chaos, and its concomitant freedom, not least the relative absence of silly anti-smoking rules, hey, it’s an echo of the good old days of pre-regulated Western lands.
Sure, people stare, discomfiting at first, but when you get on the bus, most will be ready to chat, which was not always the case in the Old Country.
If you are raising small kids, I agree, it might not be the wisest choice, but when you have done all that, and want to savour the joys of life in a decent climate, that maybe leaves you wet sometimes but doesn’t freeze your bones to the marrow, Jakarta’s tops!
vojo 10:27 am on January 25, 2013 Permalink
You didn’t mention what year you arrived. I once knew, but I’ve forgotten. Bintang is often served what I call “warm”, in many restaurants where westerners aren’t so common, but also in places on Jaksa which should know better. One “enjoys” Bintang or its rival Anker because they’re pretty much the only two choices! They’re both crap beers, but they taste good enough when cold, and that’s all there is in a stinking hot climate.
I don’t agree that it’s a “decent climate” in Jakarta; I found it oppressive and boring the latter because there are no distinctive seasons. The cold I can handle. You can dress for it, and deal with it. We have the heating systems for it.
Back to you, Ross. You like Jakarta, it seems, for the women, you can smoke (almost) anywhere, and “freedom”, the latter of which is only an expat’s freedom. The average Indonesians are not so free, bound by the constraints of their society, as you would be in your own.
In my mind freeze of yesterday I neglected the other annoyances of Jakarta: year round mosquitoes, 4am mosque calls, “hey mister”, and people trying to rip you off all the time!
Anyone else who’s been in both Canada and Indonesia, it would be interesting to get your comments about where it’s better to live.
ross1948 11:56 pm on January 25, 2013 Permalink
Good grief, vojo, as that abominable ping-pong champ John McEnrage used to say, “I can’t believe you’re serious!”
I saw you being thoroughly happy here a zillion times, but given your epiphany as it appears, I suppose I should be glad you don’t now deny the loveliness of Indonesia’s womenfolk.
The weather is great (not the current rainy season!) and one can sit out front most days enjoying good hot sunshine. There are plenty of pools where for a pittance you can swim or splash around all day.
Granted, in North America it is possible to build snowmen and ride skidoos, but you are welcome to that. I prefer shirt-sleeves and shorts to being embedded in layers of clothing.
Your internal consistency seems in need of anti-freeze treatment too. You appeal to other foreigners to debate the merits of life here, then leap illogically to how locals live within the ‘constraints of their society.’
Yes. there are problems due to the imbecilic shariah mind-set which afflicts this country badly, but Indonesians do have a healthy disregard for the inanities Western lands put up with, eg the childish anti-smoker rules, which according to our mutual friend Mr.Tbone, now stop Calgarians lighting up on the public sidewalk. True north strong and free? Hahahaha. PC subjugation.
Mosque noise, yes, but I sleep though it – you learn to, and I’m sure you did too.people calling ‘Hay Mister’ as you pass – is it so much worse than people back home who can walk past a thousnad fellow-citizens without a friendly nod or even acknowledgement of their existence?
As to rip-offs, the people here are poor and try to make the most of your perceived wealth. Not an excuse but a reason, and there are heaps of rip-off artists in Canada with no such excuse.
God preserve me from ever having to return to the decling West except, for those rare visits when I always look forward to getting back to Jakarta.
vojo 2:56 am on January 26, 2013 Permalink |
I think my last post raised your blood pressure, Ross. Take a pill and chill.
If you think you saw me “being thoroughly happy here a zillion times” in Jakarta, I think you’re confusing happy with drunk. I hated it there, but I had my reasons for spending as much time there as I did.
We agree on the women, I guess, for I married an Indonesian woman. She by the way is very happy in Canada, much happier than she ever was in Indonesia.
As for the rest of what you say, I do not agree at all. One freedom that exists here, but certainly not over there is the freedom from cigarette smoke. Bars, restaurants, all public places, and even many outdoor areas like bus terminals are all smoke free, as they should be. Why should you smokers have the right to pollute the air that non-smokers breathe? The best thing that ever happened here in my opinion was when smoking was outlawed in bars and restaurants. It’s still allowed on outdoor patios but I hope that changes soon.
Indonesia is what I call a f**k you society. The rich don’t care about the poor, and neighbours don’t care about neighbours, unless their neighbours are doing something wrong and they can condemn them. It has a health care system that no one trusts, and of course the rich fly off to Singapore or some other place where they can trust the competence and integrity of the doctors. “Customer service” is an oxymoron in Indonesia, and consumers have few to no rights.
I guess in my wildest imagination I could be happy somewhere in Indonesia, but not Jakarta, if I were a carefree, single, smoking retiree trying to stretch funds.
ross1948 7:24 am on January 26, 2013 Permalink |
I never take pills, vojo. Pilsner, yes.
You are certainly a Canuck Pimpernel, for you disguised your misery well.
We must agree to differ. I have been very happy here since the morning after i arrived in ’99.(I had been in Indonesia before, but only briefly)
The first night was hell, but I get over culture shock fairly fast.