Well, to cut a very long story short (and believe you me, if you let me ramble I will go on for days till you never want to hear the word Jakarta again), it was a very very interesting trip, for a few reasons:
1) I have not been on an overseas trip for aaaaeeeons. Especially to a city (I mean province... blah no matter city province state land longkang stranger's backyard or outer space, anyone ask me if I want to go, and I will say yes before you finish your question) unfamiliar and waiting for getting-to-knowness. Consider me travel-deprived.
2) It was my first time taking The Two Kids on an overseas trip. Alone, by myself without maid or mother. Yea there was Tony, but he was away at work during the day, and some days he worked late. Meaning I was solo with two young bubbly energetic children. Okay okay okay... I wasn't really solo. There was the entire staff of Hotel Mulia at my beck and call, from the gardener by the kiddy pool to the room service waiter. I actually deserve a good hard kick for being so spoilt! And would you believe that my first Jakarta experience tells me this - Indonesian friendliness does not rival Malaysian. It SURPASSES it big time. They actually seem to genuinely take a liking to your kids, no fake I'm-paid-to-bare-my-teeth-at-you-and-your-annoying-kid sneer, but a lot of walk-out-of-the-way-and-towards-you-to-shake-your-kid's-hand kind of niceness. I thought it was the 5 star hotel treatment, until we walked the streets and I realised that people smiled amicably at Charu and Rohan even though these two goblins trespassed into their shopping paths. They greeted sweaty, fidgety and slightly whiny kids with pleasant smiles despite trying to berdating over their McDonald's lunch at a table half a foot away. I truly appreciate such tolerance!
3) Jakarta itself. Amazing, interesting, city (I do mean province) of contrasts. Rich in history, all of it revealed and displayed in gorgeous detail in the museums, unlike local history as I know it, that reveals only what Malaysia wants its gape-mouthed youth and touristy visitors to know about its past, leaving gaping holes that make Malaysian history a huge crushing bore. Hey don't take my word for gospel truth, maybe I just don't know better; this is from someone who got A2 for Sejarah in Form 3, and thanked goodness that there wasn't more nonsense to memorize in upper secondary forms. There is so much to say about what little I learnt about Indonesia from this little short trip, that I have to create another post, or risk this one extending way waaay to the bottom and leaving no space for photos.
And that reminds me too, I should tell you about my new photo-taking machine - its a MOTO U9 mobile phone :-D It replaces my trusty old Nokia that went bust a few weeks back. I had to get a Motorola phone eventually, or risk being ostracized by my colleagues. So by-the-by, get one that is bundled with camera, video, and lots of features that'll take me years to discover. More on that in another post, I guess.
Darn drat the Dutch (who invaded Jakarta back when it was known as Jayakarta... and occupied it for 350 years after renaming it Batavia). I downloaded my photos to another machine. Oh well maybe I do have a couple left in this one that I can post. At least that would spare you the agony of me spouting awful Jakartaisms like the one I just slipped into this paragraph...
Rohan with Papa on a scary bird ride called "Burung Tempur" ('bird of war'? 'war bird'? 'warbler'? :-P). I don't think scary is the intent, but it wobbled a lot (hey so maybe 'wobbler'...heheh!!) because it was probably not meant to carry an adult of Tony's height. Safety measures on these rides seemed horribly lacking, we realized after a few rounds...
Charu sitting on a stone ball in the courtyard of what used to be the Governor's Office (now a museum). Many similar balls are scattered quite puzzlingly all over the area. I'm sure they aren't really for kids to sit on and flash their innerwear. Oh and in case it isn't obvious, the tall, strapping dude next to Charu, is my little chubbywubby Rohan. Eight years from now he'll hate the word 'chubbywubby'. Heheh..!!
Em. More, loads more photos I will post later! Once I get hold of them.
3 comments:
Hey look, I chanced upon the password of one of my long-lost gmail accounts! Haha! Now can post here eddi!
Malaysians are not that friendly lah. It's all Tourism Board propaganda, like the RIDICULOUS stamps on the aerogramme Ms. Nair sent me (did I tell you she wrote to me?!?) with Malaysians of every colour lined up all in a grinning, national-costumed, flamboyantly-headdressed row, and underneath, the usual bullshit about "the richness and unity prevailing in multiracial Malaysia." SUCH SHAMELESS PROPAGANDA, AITELYU! Even just reading it osso I feel malu, how can they not feel malu writing it?!?
As a whole (although of course there are lots of exceptions) Malaysians are friendly when they can take your money or when you walk in with a White Person. We are just not that friendly or helpful to fellow Malaysians whom we don't know. Asiaweek did a survey to find the least helpful country in Asia and I think Malaysia won it :-) .
Ayyy Preets! THANKS so much for popping by and taking so much effort to log in and post :-D
I agreegreegree about Malaysians and the fake 'friendliness'. I spent four long years at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang where, like all other local universities I'm sure, every effort is made to segregate and separate everyone by race. I am also not surprised that Malaysia won the least helpful city title, she must covet it badly, and my next post on our Jakarta trip will have a little story that proves it :-P
LOVE and HUGS to you!!!
PS - Ms. Nair wrote you? On an aerogramme? Lovely!! She must be over the moon at your well-deserved acknowledgement of her in one of yr interviews... I applaud!!
More more pictures please! I am waiting!
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