Questions about Indonesia

I think therefore I am - Thank you Descartes. It could not be put any simpler. I wonder what was he was thinking about when he said that. Travelling around the city gets you thinking and so here are some more thoughts or things to challenge the brain.

1. Why are all trucks either Yellow, Brown or Lime gree?

2 Why are old Kijangs blue?

3. Why are those little pickup trucks black?

4. How come you never see a frozen or refridgerated truck yet Ice cream is always frozen

5. Why are lots of buildings the same shade of blue?

6. Whats with just grey as waterproof paint?

7. Why are my rugs full of dust (looks like volcanic dust to me) when there is never a window open?

8. How come the island of Banka has motorbikes from Taiwan?

9. The man carrying the portable scales around the place, does he make any money?

10. Why are 5 year old kids given black berries?

11. Why do Indonesians never stop eating?

12. Why do motorcyclists smoke while riding?

13. Why does 'opening soon' mean at least a year?

14. How come, every time you go to a Permata Bank ATM in a mall it is out of order?

15. Who is in charge of the bemos, angkoks, buses and why are there so many always riding around empty?

16. How deep does a pot hole need to be, before it is filled?

17. If there are 2 different rates of postage stamp, how come post arrives at the same time?

18. How can HBO justify showing Pacific on HBO, HBO signature and Max at the same time?

19. Does the man in the basement handing out parking tickets for motorbikes ever sweat?

20. How does the man cleaning the swimming pool at 2am see, when there are no lights?

Some musings from the week.

Other highlights.....

There is a parkir in Tanjung Duren who wears sunglasses and huge headphones and moves cars in and out of a car park in the dark who always waves hello to me every thime I go past him. Which is astonishing. I also enjoyed the synchronised fuel attendants at the local pertamina working in unison and in almost perfect timing, watching that was amazing.

The security guard who got upset when I got out of a taxi in a huge queue of traffic outside the apartment as he would not let the taxi turn into the street outside it. He did not like the fact the taxi stopped and I got out. He probably did not like what I told him either!!! Serves him right.

The parking people where I park my bike at work also seem to be full of rules. I finish at 9pm and that means someone has to sit and wait for me to finish at my bike and hand him the ticket before he can leave. When I tried to move my bike and park it next to the school 5 minutes to 5 they got very angry. 

(its free after 5)  And then at 9pm when I tried to leave they wanted me to pay. Middle fingers whilst rude helped me that time.

Then there were the 2 boys in the elevator both playing psp's,  stood next to each other and both got out on the wrong floor as they were playing their game and had no idea what was happening around them.

The overly helpful girl at the pizza counter in Carrefour who just blushed her time away with me and then the cashier in Carrefour who spoke just Indonesian at me all the way through scanning my goods and then anything that did not scan, putting to one side and not letting me have it. I must have saved 100k and had to go else where!

Everyone in Central Park stood in the way of everyone else while waiting for a new restaurant to open and then looking confused when you have to push through to get out of there.

I decided taking the bike from home to Puri then from Puri to Cengkareng and onwards to Sunda Kelapa via PIK and Pluit was not the best idea so I went back via Kota, Monas and Tanjung Duren. How sweaty, smokey and smelly. Taxi next time. Sod the cost.

I read somewhere riding around Jakarta is the same as smoking 40 marlborough a day. I am going to get me a cowboy hat. *cough* my lungs, I apologise.

The general election in the UK was exciting. I missed the right to vote as no-one knows where I am so I never had the chance. Its a hung parliament. 

The TV stations here told me the results before the government knew them .Good old news channel Asia.

What's with the stories that there will be a huge earthquake on the 13th of May? Rune stones and chicken bones cant predict the future can they?

Bottles of Carlsberg (small) cost the same as Bintang now in the local Hero. The pricing on beer has gone crazy. 

My students are great. One said, I was too tired to go to school so my mum said I could stay home? what? Mind he brought a pen with him finally after 5 weeks so that was something.

Another was told off for taking photos of the teachers from the windows, Immigration spy maybe?

And my best thing from the students is this phrase... 'Its a Jesus day' - referring to the 13th May. Love it.