Ok, I admit, Jakarta is a very exhausting city. No way to get around as pedestrian, you don’t even manage to cross the street or walk 50 to 100 meters on a side-walk. There are just no traffic lights foreseen for pedestrians and side-walk end after a few meters, leaving you the choice to continue walking directly on a street with very dense traffic (without any traffic breaks) or calling a vehicle to transport you. Its hard to breath, the fumes from the traffic are heavy.
Problems to adapt physically
After 3 days, my body has still problems adapting to the time difference, the very different daily rhythm (people get up very early in the morning, often after the morning prayer at 4am and go to bed early) the heat and steamy air (it´s about 36 C), the constant quick changes between heat outside and air-conditioning inside buildings and cars, the air pollution (my nose is running non-stop), the food (tummy revolting)…I write these lines at midnight, being happy that I have been able to sleep a few hours between 20h and 23:30h, knowing that the muezzin will wake me up at 4h again, if I manage to sleep until then…
Kind, open people
There are hardly any foreigners in Jakarta. People look at me with curiosity, children and adults alike. Some try to enter into contact, in Bahasa Indonesian (it´s indeed very difficult to get along without the language, even drivers of the reputed bluebird taxis, recommended by tourist guides, don’t speak a word of English nor do they necessary know to read an address or a map) or English. The percentage of women wearing the Indonesian-style head-scarf which leaves the face free, but not a glimpse if hair is about 50% I guess in Jakarta, and it starts already in very early childhood.
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