Editor’s Note:
This article reflects one expatriate’s humorous observations of Jakarta during an earlier period of Indonesia’s development. While some scenes and experiences described have changed over the years, the story captures the spirit, surprises and everyday charm that many newcomers still encounter when living in Indonesia.
There are many fascinating things you will encounter when you come to Jakarta, and many questions will go through your mind for which you can think of no answer. Examples of these may be “how do the children all fly kites in the dry season when the wind speed is zero?”, “how come your plane flies through clouds of them when landing at Soekarno-Hatta Airport and never crashes?”, “where do the ever-diligent meatball-and-noodle soup trolley owners go to make their delicious wares?”, and “how come there are 50 million cars in Jakarta, but only three gasoline stations?” The answer to the last one may have something to do with the fact that gasoline was once widely available for purchase from used soft drink bottles on countless street corners, but generally there is only one answer that can explain questions of this type: “This is Indonesia!”
But the most fascinating thing about Jakarta, once you’ve got used to using the statutory answer above, is its people. After being here for quite a while, I have grown to love them, and I’m aware that many individuals (who are often polite but wary at first if not used to mixing with Westerners) that have got to know me have grown to love me too. And one of the most fascinating things about these crazy, inquisitive, gentle people is their uncanny sense of balance.
Indonesians don’t need a chair to sit down; they can sit on their heels for hours, and frequently do. I’ve tried it, and I get cramp in three seconds, and that is on the ground. In Jakarta, they do it on any flat, rounded, pointed or irregular surface, especially the men. They do it on kerbs, on walls, poles, crane jibs, bridges, bits of homemade wooden scaffolding—anything. I’ve seen them do it with their toes hanging off the edge of a 30-storey building, just watching the world go by.
Perhaps this remarkable sense of balance also explains why so many Indonesians appear completely at ease in places that would make many visitors distinctly uncomfortable. At home, it takes nerves of steel to be a steeplejack or a tower crane driver. Here, it sometimes seems like almost anyone could do it.
Consequently, sissy things like handrails are as redundant as the car heater. Footbridges over the freeways have them, but not everyone seems inclined to use them. Many shopping malls and office buildings with long flights of steps once dispensed with handrails altogether. I’ve even seen a 30-foot-high diving board with 18-inch-wide concrete stairs and no handrail. The unfortunate thing for a Westerner, with his or her underdeveloped ability to stand on anything not perfectly flat, is that Indonesians tend to have smaller feet, so the steps are proportionately smaller too. It is always amusing to see the giant Westerner with size-14 feet hanging over the edge of the steps, gingerly picking his way down whilst ready to grab the nearest passer-by at the first sign of toppling.
But the most awesome display of balance comes from the girls travelling to work.
In Jakarta there seem to be motorbikes everywhere, swarming around the cars like flies around a dead rabbit during rush hour (actually, there is only one rush hour a week in Jakarta, which lasts from 4.30 a.m. on Monday until 10.15 p.m. on the following Sunday).
For many years, motorcycle taxis—known locally as ojek—have been one of the quickest ways to navigate Jakarta’s notorious traffic. Today, app-based services have largely replaced the informal motorcycle taxis of the past, and helmet use is now the norm. Yet one sight that still amazes newcomers is seeing women riding side-saddle on the back of motorcycles.
For reasons of modesty, many women still sit sideways, facing completely perpendicular to the direction of travel. Despite the improvements in road safety, the sight of a smartly dressed office worker sitting gracefully side-saddle, handbag in hand, while weaving effortlessly through Jakarta traffic remains one that seems to defy all the laws of physics.
But then…
This is Indonesia!
© David Cook
