GoJek

There is a new thing happening in the city at the moment and it is spreading across Indonesia at quite a rate.

The arrival of paid / uniformed Motorbike taxi riders or Gojeks (Ojeks is the common name for all motorbike taxis) is a new service being offered.

Still an Ojek but in a green coat

Basically, you book a bike to pick you up from your phone (its an app, they love apps here) and then a man arrives on a bike. He gives you a helmet a face mask and a hairnet and then takes you to wear you want to go for a fixed fee. Tip him or don't, its OK he gets paid by the company to take you.

For a distance of up to 25km its 15,000 rupiah fixed fee. So from my house to work its 15,000 in total. If I compare:

A Taxi - 80,000

Ojek, Bus, Taxi - 55,000

Ojek normal - 50,000

My own bike - Free (except, fuel, service and parts, and the chance of being stopped by the police)

So its pretty good value and there is insurance too. 

Map of the route to the destination

I took my first Gojek  recently. However, the GPS on my photo for some reason was not operating properly so the man thought I had cancelled when he called. Then he did not know where I wanted to go so I had to direct him all the way. It was however still 15,000 and with a tip of 10,000 it'd still easier.

On the way back, I could not get a phone signal so a colleague ordered me one. He arrived and took me pretty much straight back home; 15,000 rupiah plus tip and no issues.

We rode through 2 police stops as well which was good as I am sure I would have been stopped had I been riding alone.

However, I can't take them everyday as the cost is still high over the month and the guarantee that there are some Gojeks waiting about is not always there but I will use them more now I understand how to. 

They also offer the following but I cant say if I will use them yet

Go Send - Parcel delivery

Go Ride - Motorbike taxi

Go Food - Man picks up food from selected restaurants

Go Mart - Man goes shopping and brings it to you

Go Busway - Live busway showing where the buses are

Go Box - Large parcels delivered 

Go Clean - Cleaner comes and cleans the house

Go Glam - Hair and Makeup on your doorstep

Go Massage - Someone comes round and gives you a massage but its not a happy ending service

GO - HOE has not been created yet and probably wont be (not legally) but I am sure there is a service out there already, its just I am not aware of it. Although it happens in Kuta, Bali!

So they have a lot of different services and they are expanding. 

There are other players out there now, namely Grab Bike but they are more expensive but maybe I will try them. They also have Grab Taxi which is slightly cheaper than normal taxis and Grab Cars which are private cars for hire and they are far cheaper. And apparently you can hire a Ferrari or something through them as well if you want to show off. I don't.

Jeremy in October

Its been a while since I have written about my son so here is an update. Jeremy is two and a half next month and his recent language acquisition has been staggering as are his motor skills.
We have been teaching him words and sentences and he is able to repeat and use quite successfully what he hears and sees to great almost too good effect.

Reasons to be cheerful

He can give direction (come, sit, go, up, down) and describe things around him using colours (the car is black or the wheels dirty) for example.
He seems to be obsessed with Monster Trucks and to 'crash' the car, subsequently everything that touches is 'crashed' then 'oh no its broken' to 'oh its fixed' in a matter of seconds. He is obsessed with cleaning things and will clean his toys 'toys are dirty' and my bike, the window, me anything he deems not clean. I told him the other day that a taxi we were in was dirty and for the next 35 minutes that all he said 'taxi is dirty' so that was good.

Crane Dada crane!

He likes tower cranes, can't say why but there is one we can see from our house and is gets higher he can watch it grow. He will spend a lot of time pointing at it saying 'crane is moving/broken/fix' to help describe it and if he can go upstairs he will run to the balcony and point at any thing and call it a crane, unless however it is a radio mast and then he thinks it is a mast. We are working on trying to convince him otherwise.

Jeremy enjoys the bus and will sit quite still and quiet until he sees another bus/taxi/truck/tower crane or if he is with Yovita and if I am away from her (Yovita is given a seat in the female only part of the bus because of Jeremy) he will call for me until he sees me.

Through my tab he watches a considerable amount of You tube in the morning before work and then on the weekend. I am careful as to what and he mainly watches Donald Duck, Thomas and Friends, Wheels on the Bus videos and lots and lots of vocabulary videos where he will sit and watch and repeat the words said to him as they are spoken. He will sing Incy Wincy spider and Twinkle Twinkle little star, and whilst its not good. He is 2. So what to expect. Last night he repeated the alphabet until P then he was confused for the right reasons.  I am banning Monster Truck videos now!

You tube with me, not that I can see

He can also switch on my Tab, find You Tube, turn the volume and brightness us, as well as turn on the WiFi and has learnt to scroll and press the button to skip ads.

Some of the recent history from my You Tube account

With Jeremy being Indonesian, he also uses the language and it is mixed with English. 'Duduk' means to sit and so he will tell me that when he needs me to sit. 'Tolong bikin susu' tells me he wants me to make milk and 'mimi' is short for drink or water. He understands Indonesian language and how to use it. There might be however, a gap in his knowledge as he is currently being exposed to far more English than Indonesian which could slow him down a little later. I will need to research more materials for him to see and listen which are in Indonesian to help balance his language because he will need, probably, to speak more Indonesian than English as soon as he starts school.

He is very very active and will run about all day and if we let him run about in a mall then he will just run everywhere. It is hard to find him a safe place to run and play everyday as there really are not any areas for a child to play near us and its also too hot to be out running about for too long. There is a local children play area but its not really very child friendly. Happily we have a car port he can run around in and he does and also the balcony upstairs has enough space for this as well. Jeremy is watched like a hawk so he is safe and he will run and run and jump as much as we let him.

Jeremy is also getting bigger and heavier. We are already on XXL nappy pants with the intention he will be toilet trained before he is 3 and we are putting him in clothing for 3 or 4 year old. He must get the size from me as well as eating like a horse when he can. All of which is good. There are plenty of choices for clothing so that helps him here at the moment.

He also likes to have his teeth cleaned and this is helping him grow and learn routines. We need to be more routine with this but he happily sits while we brush and he knows or is beginning to know why and when we do this. He knows when bed time is now and will almost willingly go bed and lie down and eventually sleep. He still sleeps for around 9 hours a night, dropping off before 9 and awaking before 6 and waking everyone with him.

He will eat anything we give him and drink more or less the same. He does not eat too much sweet stuff as he is full of energy already but he does eat ice cream with his dad now and then and is partial to a milk chocolate digestive! If we are out and about he will eat what we eat and can drink most types of milk and does not refuse now, plain white milk instead of his vanilla flabvoured baby milk. i make him drink fresh cows milk through the week and UHT milk as well but its all white, no chocolate or added sweetener. Yovita makes him drink water and juice and his gran here, feeds him all sorts of Javanese food and stuff. Our housekeeper cooks up soups and food for him, all of which probably explains why he is so bloody heavy!!! But when he is sick he does seem to drop weight quickly and from a recent bout of diarrhoea  he became dehydrated quickly and that was a concern. He was fixed 2 days later but only after a course of anti-biotics.

Pretty good Milk

Vanilla is better than the Honey one

With his language and motorskills developing, we are now encouraging numbers and the alphabet as well as more Indonesian language and we are doing this through play and constant talking. He favourite toys are die cast cars so for some reason he now has over 50 of them (most of which are Matchbox because I like Matchbox) and this number is growning. Thomas is fun for him as any bus but he likes to choose his toy and most of them are trucks or vans. The reason I choose Matchbox over hotwheels is to help him identify quicker with the vehicles around him as they are more realistic. He also likes trains and planes and in time he will be given Duplo lego or Playmobile (do you know how much this stuff costs??) to help grow and develop further but that can wait until he is 3.

Fire Truck and its great

He has just found out about the shopping cars in Carrefour, The little tikes car with a shopping trolley bolted to it so next week will be far more fun for us shopping what with 'car is dirty, beep beep, oh no car has crashed / fixed' or 'the wheel is broken' the shopping time won't increase in time at all.

Getting him out of this will be a challenge

So thats Jeremy today. A handful. He seems to be far more active than a lot of children I see but I dont really know. I know that its fun and everyday I am kept on my toes and thats great.

Jeremy

Things that are happening in Jakarta

Here is a short list of things that are happening in the city which are good bad indifferent all at the same time and some nationwide ones. Its been a while since I have compiled a list of stuff.

• There is a new Terminal being built at at the airport Terminal 4) which is all modern and things
• If you are flying international with Lion Air, you still need to check in at T2 and then they bus you half way around the airport to get on a plane outside T3
• The rail link proposed has been shelved for now or if it is still going to be built is being delayed.
• The rail network is expanding throughout the country and Jakarta with new stations and longer platforms in the city and and railways being built across the country
• There will be a higher speed rail link between Jakarta and Bandung to be built
• Uber Taxis are not really welcome here
• GoJek, Grab Bike and Blu Jek are the latest mobile app for ordering motorbike taxis, good for short distances, expensive for long. But its not rained yet so lets see what happens
• The police are concerned about these groups delivering drugs unawares as its seems to have started
• Bajais (blue ones) with have their own app soon.
• There are new Scania buses on the busway now but not all over the busway
• The police have commented that there are 420 traffic blackspots through the city and it will get worse
• There are currently many major infrastructure developments across the city including the MRT (overground and underground) elevated Bus lanes, Flyovers which are on most of the major routes through the city which are causing huge issues.
• The extra lane on the toll from Tangerang into Grogol has been closed making morning trips into the city from work so much longer.
• The Rupiah is currently struggling against the dollar and once it reaches 15,000 then it will make it even harder for everyone as things are becoming expensive. 
• If you are English, then fly to Indonesia as the rate is a fantastic 1gbp = 22,000 rupiah (at this moment in time) which means I cant afford to fly home for a holiday as I am paid in Rupiah
• The Dollar is currently $1 = 14475
• There will a shift in fuel price downward at some point this week
• Hero Supermarkets are closing stores both Hero and Giant brands
• The Giant at Semanggi has closed for good
• Alcohol sales are being reviewed in the city with the hope that Beer can be sold again in mini markets and stores
• The price of beer has not really moved since it has been banned in nearly all stores
• There was a 150% increase in tax on imported clothing and goods which was helpful
• There is a desire to close clubs and bars here at midnight instead of 2am to help reduce drug useage
• There will be an increase in taxation of cigarettes but its still OK to sell them to anyone who wants them
• Nappies have become more expensive now Jeremy is XXL but milk gets cheaper
• The small shopping plaza thing called Tebet Green closed down as there was an issue with the tax payments
• It has not rained for 3 months now and its just dry and dusty with more of this to come
• The fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan are made worse because of the dry season, El Nino is to blame
• There was no blood moon as the optical effect does not happen here
• Mobile phone manufactures have to make products here. The Galaxy note 5 is made here
• Samsung is not the most popular make of phone here any more due to local or region made phones being more affordable and offer the same Android stuff
• The phone networks are planning 4G through Jakarta. I am waiting for 3G still for my area
• I still cant get Internet cable to my house
• The internet at work is transmitted over the air rather than through cables
• There are now 3 fully functional huge shopping malls 5 minutes from work that I still don't need to visit
• US size 13 trainers here are impossible to find unless they are bright red or something equally abhorrent
• After surveying many students, nearly all said that they would never date in a Cemetery and this was their top or second from top answer, fast food outlets were also a no no
• Car Free Sundays are now almost impossible to walk or enjoy due to the amount of push bikes and sponsored runs along the route so I have to stay in bed now
• If I take Jeremy on the bus I am given a seat by the conductor whether I want one or not (transjakarta)
• Visas to other countries become easier to obtain once an initial visa to somewhere has been approved (not including ASEAN countries)
• There is a big Samsung repair centre at ITC Ambasador with the one at Pacific place being closed
• With all the issues and publicity concerning air pollution there is no actual measurements of the air quality in Jakarta that I am aware of
• Riding your bike on a scalped tarmac road is no fun and you really shouldn't go above 35kph 
• Dog is a popular food in Jakarta but it is unregulated but the rest is too unsettling
• 70% of all public spaces do not follow the no smoking bans in place mainly through fear of telling someone not to smoke because that person is probably a moron who cant read the no smoking signs

All information is from news sources such as the Jakarta Post, Jakarta Globe, Jakarta Coconuts and from my own experience. 

If this stuff is not quite right, well its what I know at the moment.

Days trips overseas

I have just returned from another trip out the country and I went to Singapore for the day. I did not really do anything as I had a very short time there, however it was nice to fly and visit somewhere different for a change.

As many people know, Singapore is currently suffering from the haze and smoke from Indonesia, where land is being burned to make way for more palm nut trees or something. So I was expecting lots of smog and grey skies. I am sure it was there. As I said it was a short trip out and I really could not be bothered to leave the airport. There is enough to do there, so I never really saw any smog or haze.

Actually, I have been to Singapore at least 20 times since 2006 and I have seen most of the sights to see and visited most of the city at some point. I have flown in and out of it. Took the train to Kuala Lumpur from it and had many a cold beer say waiting for visas etc so unless I am there for a weekend then I am not really fussed. I know there is a lot to do when you get there but my budget often wont allow me to do everything.  So this time I sat about the airport.

Flying at 8am in the morning gave me a on time, third full Lion Air flight which was predictably non eventful and there were no issues with immigration on the trip out both here and there.  Changi was emptier than I have ever seen it, maybe because of the low season, maybe because of the smog but it was quiet.

Plenty of empty seats on this flight

 

My plane was the same as that one

   

So, wandering around time to eat at McD (they do 1/4 pounders) and then surf the world through the free wifi. However, McD and BK at the airport stop serving breakfast at 12 so it was McMuffins and coffee instead.

Changi Airport Saturday Morning

Shiny floors are the order of the day

Changi Airport offers many things and in Terminal 3, it offers loads of things. Quiet areas for sleeping,showers,  a Cinema, A pool, a butterfly enclosure, bars and shops and free Wifi. You can get access to the free wifi in Arrivals by going to an information desk and the helpful people will type in your passport details and then give you a slip of paper. You follow the instructions and you have pretty good connection all around the airport. Once you have checked in, then you need to do the same thing again. Find a customer service desk and ask for free wifi. They will also give you a piece of paper with instructions and ask how many devices you need it for and then again, follow the instructions and you are off.

Departure lounge T3

Place was pretty empty for a Saturday

Now, what else was there? Oh nothing. I didn't anything else. I took a plane back at 5pm and was  home with the wife and kids by 8pm. A small adventure even if it was not the most exciting of one, but not many can say that they popped to Singapore for a few hours for something do.

Old Friends

Another week gone and more or less as tired as normal. I am currently teaching mornings and then doing my day job later in the day. The early morning teaching is still hard work but not as bad as last year because I am now used to being awake and moving about from 5.30am so being ready to teach at 8.30am is not so bad.

I am still there at St.Ursula, in the middle of the city but I have changed from elementary school to senior high school and this is for girls only aged from 15 to 18. Its a new challenge for me and less noisy so thats a good thing.  The views of the school as well are good. I am sure to post more pictures over the weeks of my time there but here are some shots from last week.

In the corridor outside a class

Looking towards the Cathedral

The class rooms themselves are still very traditional wooden desks and chairs and the most alarming the floor tiles (photos to come) remind me of the floors at Safeway where I once worked, as it they are I believe, the same pattern.

However much fun it is there, when my classes are cancelled its equally as great as I found out on Friday and as luck would have it, this allowed me to meet an old friend and colleague.

Back in the day when I first started with EF I was a teacher and I lived in a teachers house with everyone else. It was fun. The number of teachers grew and so a second house was called on and so I moved. It was far nicer. Teachers come and go and you have fun along the way. From the original western teachers that I worked with between 2007 and 2008 in Cengkareng; 5 of us remain in Jakarta as far as I know. Everyone else either moved on to somewhere new or went home after doing their year.  Keeping in touch with those I worked with is probably almost the same in number, be it through Instragram, Facebook, Whatsapp but some you still keep in contact with and some I still meet on occasion.

Class of 2008 EF Cenkareng Kartini Day

So hearing that an old colleague was returning for a holiday as part of his honeymoon was great news, especially as he was coming from Canada.

Dagan with my then girlfriend, now wife, Yovita

Just a typical day in West Jakarta

It was good to meet Dagan and his wife and we spent some time catching up over coffee and cake on Friday morning. Its good to see people move and develop and know that life goes on. Sadly Dagan lost his hair along the way, but his vests are the building blocks of legends!

Now Married

I forgot how short he is, but still just in a vest

Hopefully before he returns west again we can meet up and he can say hi to Yovita and Jeremy as we could not do that Friday. If not then again in another 7 or 8 years!

No Internet

I have been in Indonesia now for many years and for a few of them I had an Internet connection to the place I was staying. Since 2000 I have been connected to the web and probably at some point became hugely dependent on it for entertainment and knowledge, so much so, sleep and getting things done became harder to achieve. Then I moved to Indonesia.

For the past 8 years an Internet connection in my home has been a dream. I did have internet at the apartment I was in but it was slow and limited but I could open things like HTML pages and maybe browse the web early morning or late at night, otherwise it was not great. Apart from than that I have made use of free WiFi and the crappy inconsistent 3G signal the country has to offer.

So many networks, so many deals, but all suffer from coverage issues

I have bought into Bolt the 4G/3G OTA provider and its actually very good as there is a constant signal in the house. 3G on all networks where I am is patchy and unhelpful and frustrating. Real connected Internet is not possible currently due to the place I live and the distance from the nearest connection box. If I rented a telephone line then I could have the Internet via that option, but the service is lacklustre and not reliable. Our laptops remain closed and not able to be used, which is a great shame to me.

My phone and tab both are therefore used heavily to help meet the needs of the family for searching and browsing. Jeremy uses my tab for watching stuff on YouTube and I like to browse and chat and read through the net. If I had a real connection then I am sure that I would not even want to watch TV (which I dont really want to do now) instead use the net for shows and things as it is more preferred. As it is I have Indovision with extra channels and of the 200+ I watch about 10 (3 of them are for children under 6).

Happily/Luckily work is a wifi zone and the internet is great as it works most of the time so I can, should I choose to, connect and browse when not researching materials from there. The places I eat and visit with the wife and kids are always WiFi areas so that is also good, but that does not help at home. Bolt is as I have said a great provider and has good speeds but it is overall expensive especially for a family which are on line a lot.

100k (rupiah) gets you 5gb and 8gb free. The free stuff is used between 1am and 8am, which however stupid that sounds is great as I am awake before 6 most days and so all browsing and time Jeremy spent watching videos, should want that, is done for free. So is downloading offline YouTube content for viewing later, another useful idea for spending the free allowance. But then at 8am things have to be shut down so that the data is not all gone in a day otherwise the data cost will be too high. 

Network Tri (3) is pretty good at 30,000 for 1.25gb but I dont have a signal but outside the house, it is often very good.

But again it needs to be controlled.

Gone are the days of SMS whereby should you send 4 SMS to the same number on the same network as yours you would get another 20 free, nope we are all using Whatsapp or Line or something that needs to have at least Edge as the carrier.

Living out in Jakarta has its high points and its plus points but the Internet is definitely not one of them. However, the fact remains that without a decent signal I cant just sit there and scroll through the pages of the world all day, I can actually do things I enjoy more and spend time in conversation with those around me. Something in this day and age which is getting harder to do.