Streets of Jakarta

When in Jakarta you inevitably will spend countless hours on the road. Firstly because this sprawling city was not planned well. Actually, let me re-phrase, was not planned at all. There is no (longer a) proper downtown, so traffic goes every which way and is heavy at most hours. Secondly, there is just too many people - and I would bet unemployment rate is high. The census number fails to present the immensity of this place. Officially Jakarta is at 9 point something million but this number doesn't account for those who commute to the city from nearby 'burbs and certainly not those who build their homes under bridges or by the river tributaries. So, unofficially, the number easily doubles.

While driving on the road you might see:

Street vendors: Lots of 'em. They sell magazines, water, snacks, trash cans with Disney characters on 'em. They come up to your car and show you this stuff. There are street vendors of other kinds: with tents or carts, also selling aforementioned items and more.

Pengamen: That's what we call buskers. Although, they are hardly musicians. They are a girl, carrying a baby in one hand and a tambourine in the other, inching up to your window and bleating out a song until you wave your hand, or you roll down your window and hand out some change. Either way she'll go away.

Piles of trash being burned, pushing up billows of black smoke into the atmosphere. Piles of trash sitting there. Trash floating on sewers or rivers.

One too many malls. Aduh. Seriously. Of the 20 million that live/work here - very few of us can afford to shop at a mall anyway. Can we make parks? Okay, okay, how about a smaaaaall mall with a HUGE park nearby.

Minibuses tilting to one side with people literally spilling out the doors. This one is classic.

Very few decipherable street signs.

Colonial structures from the Dutch imperial days. While some retain their original grand appearance and capacity (as a government or otherwise official building), others are helpless and dilapidated with not even an ounce of dignity left. We think these ones host a lot of criminal activities, though, I'm not about to verify our theory.

A lot of roundabouts with fountains (large and small) and sculptures. I've thought about taking photos of 'em for a series... buuuut... it's still a thought.

And of course, many many cars and many many motorcycles, driven by many many skilled city drivers. Amazing how close these vehicles go beside one another yet - no scratch.

So, after all that, what is salvageable from the streets of Jakarta?

Not much.

But there's the food. And that - is worth braving the streets in the first place. Or at least maybe when the traffic lets up a little bit.

To be continued.