Police encounter in Jakarta

After eight months traveling it had to happen…My first police check-up.
I came back with Dimas and Epong from a night out pooling, it was around 4am. We came all the way from South Jakarta and when we almost reached Galur, the district I’m staying, police routine control took us aside.  To check who’s still on the streets that late, drugs trafficking, alcohol etc etc.

“ID sir, passport”… Uh oh… I didn’t had it with me. It was still in my small backpack. Dimas told me to give anything that could prove some identity. Meanwhile they talked to the police to explain my doings here, that I was a guest with them etc…Hmmm…I did carry my driving license with me (there’s not much left of it as this was never plastified). I gave it to the policeman. Shit…right, I forgot, that license has such a crook picture of me inside, from me early 20’s. All my hair up, looking angry. Aaargh. “What’s this sir?” asked the officer while looking a bit awkward to my mugshot picture. “Well, my driving license, as I don’t carry my ID for safety purposes I can give this to you to prove some identity, sir. I do know my ID number by head, I can give it to you sir so you can track it down maybe?”. “No no, we need to see it.” Ok, after some chatting around Epong said I needed to stay with the police and he would go get my passport from the home. Luckily it wasn’t that far. While Epong was out to get it, the policeman started to ask me annoying questions. Dimas covered me a bit up. Luckily those guys were with me!
The questions I really hate are (certainly from the police): “How much do you earn, sir?” I thought it was none of his business, but as these guys can do anything with you they want, I thought it was better to answer something.
I said it was better for me to travel as my country is so expensive to live in, I can travel and do a crazy lot of things in these areas for the same total expenses and meanwhile experience new cultures, people and the rich nature.

Dimas was chatting him further up, Epong was back with my passport. Of course everything ok, I applied for two month visa back in Malaysia. Ok, ooof, we were free to go.

Later Dimas told me that police officer was very interested by the concept ‘backpacking’ and the way I travelled and worked. He never heard of that way of traveling and was going to look it up. Thats why he was asking me lots of questions. He was going to study webdesign, resign as police officer and start traveling.
*big laugh*

Arrival in Jakarta

And what kind of…Again a story to tell.

I was going to meet up Bert and Silke in the airport who arrived from Kuala Lumpur at the same time as me from Kota Kinabalu.
I had a bit delay, so we met each other around 11pm. Funny thing Bert mentioned was: “I see you’re quite used to this already”. At first I didn’t know what he meant, but it seemed about the touts. Oh yeah, I hardly see them anymore. (Touts are persons that come to you, you can say harass you, when you arrive at a busy place, like an airport, to convince you to step into their taxi, take their boatride, take them as a guide, whatever).
Just smile, keep your head up undisturbed and don’t give them too much attention. Believe me, a smile brings you far and you never hurt or annoy people with it, even if you think inside yourself “fucking leave me alone”.

But we had a slight problem. The taxi that should have been there for us, with a signboard “TOM”, wasn’t there! I saw the TV screens listed my flight arrival as 22.20pm, while it was at least 40 minutes later. I think that taxidriver ‘touted’ someone else. Ok, the touts noticed we had a problem as we were looking for a phantom, so they kept swirling around us. Hmm…I couldn’t reach my hosts phone as I still hadn’t an Indonesian simcard.Luckily I printed nicely the address and directions.

Ahaa…there’s a taxi stand. When the touts saw we headed to the taxi stand, they all followed us and there we were, showing the map to about 20 taxi drivers haha. Thing is, they already feel that way you don’t want any bullshit and since we don’t stay in a hotel, but with local people…No cheating so and accompanied by a complaint card.

In the taxi…When arrived close to my hosts home, the driver stopped and asked for the map I printed. I said: “you have it sir. I gave it to you before we entered the car”. He a bit surprised:”you write address sir”. I again: “but no, you have it, come on sir. I don’t know the address by head” He stepped out of the car and opened the trunk. Silke feared he was gonna kick us and all the bags out haha. Nah, it was a good guy and he got some paper and pen.
Aaah…I was starting to lose my temper also, but as last checkup I went into all my pockets and oh…GULPS “good one Tom. It’s been all the time in your pocket. He just gave it back to you.”

Ok, so far so good, I excused, he went on driving. It was a gated quarter. And all the ways going into the quarter seemed closed. We kept on driving around…I saw mr. taxi driver was losing now his temper, while I was putting up big smiles to cover up my mistake. After asking few blokes around some gates, we finally found that one open gate! Welll…we were not in the street to be yet! Seemed that in the quarter there were also gates! To keep it short: we drove around as long in and around the quarter as the whole end from the airport to find my hosts home.

We dropped out, give him a lot of thanks and tip. But now…it was already way past midnight…Nancy and Ash, our hosts names didn’t seem to open. There was light inside though. Three dogs barked few times and kept an eye on us. Damn damn, why do these bloody simcards don’t work when you’re in another country. Couldn’t call them. Ok, I climbed over the fence…the dogs…well, they started playing with me instead of attacking, oof. I’m screaming into the house :”anybody home??” No answer. Meanwhile Bert and Silke tried to stop people to use their mobile. It seemed that people were scared of us. Fcuk…what are we gonna do? Here we are in the middle of the night.

Aha…there was a car arriving and he stopped at a home nearby. I decided to approach him carefully, not with three at one time or he would run away.
“Sir, how are you? Can I ask you for a small favour?” He answered and walked towards me. Yes, finally! I explained our problem and asked if I could call Nancy from the home I showed. “Sure, sure!” Aaah, things got cleared up. I said Nancy that we were at her home, but nobody seemed to open the door. “Ah, I’m out but I told my partner you guys would arrive” Well, her partner Ash was having a damn good sleep I must say (later I found out why. Ash loved Bintang, the local brew, haha).
All good, Nancy drove back to her home, we awaited her with the dogs and all the pups her arrival. Wew. A good can of local brew and some good laughs washed away all dusty feelings and yep, feet are set on Indonesian ground. When in bed I start realizing…Hmm, yea, I’m in Jakarta now. Indonesia. Waha! New adventures are awaiting.

Oh yes, they were. It’s everywhere, those small ones. The next day Bert and Silke left for Bandung, I left Nancy’s and Ash’s home later on to go bit deeper into central Jakarta and stay over with a group of locals sharing a home in Galur quarter. Fully loaded I went to the busway with a ‘majaj’, a motorized threeweeler. Once there I crawled into the bus to Galur. When at Galur a local said: “here you jump out”. Wohwoh, the driver didn’t realize I had to take a lot of bags with me and he already started driving again before I managed to get out. Stop! Stop! Thing is: the doors of the bus need to match the doors of the busstop. So when he stopped I had to wrestle myself through the doors of the bus, having like 30cm space. Then those automatic doors didnt open anymore and a guy needed to open manually. (take into account there’s a shitload of traffic going on) Aargh. haha. I learned to laugh with all that stuff.

Ok, now I need to find the home. I asked the guy at the busstop. “Go right he said”. I was already wet of sweat. Ok. I go over the bridge. Once down I asked for Jalan Tempaga. “Oh sir, hahaha, it’s the other side” Shit. Laugh Tom, laugh! I go over the bridge again. There I asked again for Jalan Tempaga. “That way sir” I’m going that way…But things start to get dark and obscure. Nah, can’t be here. motorcycle stops. “sir, where you need to be?” “Jalan Tempaga!” “Hop on sir, I bring you.” Nah, I carry too much stuff for your motorcycle and I have slight feeling you don’t know the place also. I return and ask another local walking on the street. “Aaah, come sir, come” Sweet! He walked me into the street to the corner I needed to be. I got alreadylot of attention and few people joined me in the search, curious about the place I needed to be. I showed the address again. one guy: “I live there man, that’s my place” I asked if he knew Monika, who invited me to stay there. “I live there sir, my address” I started laughing again. There I was, so close, a handfull of locals sticking on me, drenged in sweat. Aaah, there comes a mama. Who you know sir? “Monika” Her laugh was so funny. “aaaaaaaah, Moooonikaaaaa, come come.”
She walked me and yes, finally, the fence, the brown fence. Arrived! Smelly, tired, backaches from carrying all my stuff all the time, but so reliefed. We chatted a bit, I met some people living in the house and went for a great nightrest.

So far, Jakarta…surprisingly nice. Helpfull people. And now here I am, sitting at their kitchen table, typing these words.

But now…I have to finish a new job, a nice job, couldn’t refuse it, website for a new movie, being shooted in Bejing. So I stay a while in Jakarta or around and finish it up first. Meanwhile I can sense a bit the way of life in this metropole and meet up with locals.

Congrats if you managed to read till this line.

Laters ;

A relax end of the Borneo adventure: Pulau Tiga (version 2)

My last days in Borneo arrived. Last weekend I went with Bert and Silke to Pulau Tiga. For me it was, just as Mount Kinabalu and Bako, the second time. A bit expensive, but I like the island so much that I couldn’t resist. Especially the mudvolcano is a special you can’t find that easily. Nothing more fun and relaxing: floating in a mudbath, hiking back to the sea fully covered in the mud, getting dried up and then dive into the sea. We had a great laugh with an older Chinese lady who panicked in the mud…She screamed she couldn’t swim while moving wildly with all her bodieparts…uhm, no need to swim in mud, you float like a cork. Then we pushed her out of the mud, like a fish getting on dry land and splashing around. Funny sight. wahaa.

The next morning, while my friends went for a boatride to Snake island and the sandbank, I discovered the eastern part of the island, which was a lot more difficult then the western part I went to the first time. Swamps with muddy water that masked the trails, trails that got blocked by huge trees that felt down, annoying green flies that bite you instantly,…but it was fun!

Furthermore we just relaxed, hiked to the rocky beach, played pool and zipped beers. Yes, you have all reasons to get jealous.*grin*

When we got back to KK last sunday, I introduced Bert and Silke to the lovely Kadazan family who hosted me for several months. We played cards & gambled a bit (we will create a new hype in Belgium soon hehe), enjoyed bbq and seafood, chatted around and…uhm…zipped beers of course.

It was an awesome awesome 3 days!

The first night there was a heavy thunderstorm. I tried to catch the lightning… unfortunately he was covered by the clouds.

one of my better fly-shots.

mushrooms

detail of leaf eaten away by insects

the beach on the eastern part with all those green flies…

reflection…the swamp starts

uh oh…I needed a stick to feel the bottom and where to set my feet. All roots  on the bottom and hard to estimate the depth.

I never saw this before! I found a crab who traded her shell for a plastic cup!
She probably took from the shores where often stuff arrives with the high tide.

rocky beach

mad mudfun!

The end…

Next destination is Jakarta, Indonesia!