Enjoying Jakarta!

We have been in Jakarta for about 36 hours now after our long Singapore Airlines flight that brought us to Seoul via the Bering Strait, and then on to Singapore to wait 5-6 hours at the airport after arriving around 2 am local time. We were up most of this time and the homeopathic meds for jet lag seem to have helped.

Arriving in Jakarta around 7:30 am (Jakarta time--our bodies were 15 hours behind), we proceeded through customs, secured a 30-day visa that will need to be extended, and then rounded up our luggage before finding Nana, Reza, and Iin waiting for us. The humidity was potent upon arrival but the frequent afternoon rains have moderated it and we are adapting. Our hosts are so kind and tolerant and continue to show us a great time in the midst of preparing for what will be a very large family wedding in 2 days. We are enjoying meals out, and seeing Jakarta from the seats of a mini-van where Reza dances through what can only be described as a video game experience. He takes the narrow back streets along with many other autos and even more scooters, which seem to stream in all directions and merge together to occupy the same space without contact. All of this while forward motion is maintained at all costs. I have never experienced anything like it. (Note: there is quite a bit of video capturing action in Jakarta like this "traffic  lesson"). Here's a look at some of the "help" that is available to keep everybody moving too. 

Laurie's princess shoes.

We went out shopping for produce, shoes, and more at a typical shopping center. The shoe shopping was challenging, but we came up with something for Laurie that matches the beautiful costume that has been tailor-made for her. I didn't do as well but have a back-up plan for shoes.

We also attempted to add local micro-sims to our iPhones to take advantage of the wide range of inexpensive telecomm services in Indonesia. We were unable to defeat the protection locked in by ATT so we purchased a cheap phone for $25 and put one of the new micro-sims inside that. The phone has an antenna for TV & radio (which work), a small camera for vid/photos, and many other features that are beyond what would be available in the US. We are still having some trouble sending text msgs but expect this phone to be a big help during our travels. Smart phones are a way of life here with most people seeming to have one or two at all times.

This little phone was a
life-saver throughout Indonesia.

We crashed early last night after dinner and slept through the rest of the night in a room meant for others. A slow start to the morning today included green bread and fruits like snakefruit and dragonfruit and others that we've never seen.

Snakefruit (salak)--yum!!

Dragonfruit--also yum.

Iin and Reza took us to the National Museum where we missed the regular tour in English but saw many exhibits that clearly show the diversity of rich cultures that make up this amazing country and region. Afterwards we crossed town again to arrive at the airport in time to greet Nana's parents for the first time. A brief but very friendly exchange has made us feel even more welcome despite our language barrier. Things will continue to get more busy as the wedding approaches.

Iin and Reza at the National Museum.

Our plans are still fluid after the wedding but will likely include heading across Java towards Bali with a number of stops along the way.

I'm beginning to spot a number of birds unknown to me in spite of being in the middle of a sprawling city with very little green space remaining.