Should have watched the news

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I arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia, to a barrage of tuk tuk drivers, which I've become accustomed to. I've also realised none of them have any regard for road rules. Here was no different my diver swiftly left the bus station through the entrance. His genius maneuver gained us 10 meters, but he was happy.

As per usual I consulted my trusty Lonely Planet (LP) to find a place to stay, but this time I found the author to be extremely negative about all the budget accommodation - I soon realised why. My tuk tuk driver dropped me off in the main tourist street. My first impressions were bad and they got worse. The first place I visited was an overpriced wannabe hotel, so I decided to keep going, the next place my LP lead me to was full of sex tourists and an Indonesian women proudly showing off the worst dreaded hair I've seen. She said it was a Valentine's gift. I didn't have the heart to tell her she'd have to shave her head to get rid of them. Next I went to one of the LP's top choices, which was opposite 'Piss Salon'. Here I was greeted by a friendly chap who took me to a sweaty little room full of half naked Indonesian men. The one only wearing pants introduced himself as the manager, which was enough to send me running back to the wannabe hotel.

After I got settled I headed out for lunch. While sat eating I started to realise how surreal the street felt. It was full of the usual bars, restaurants and travel agents that litter tourist spots, but it was missing one thing: tourists. There was only one other Westerner near me, but he was occupied with his pissed off Indonesian bride.

From the numerous women offering massages (with exploding hands) and screaming 'I love you' right through to the salesmen pushing their bamboo dart pipes on you, the street had an air of desperation about it. Maybe I'm was more aware than I would have been because of my comfortable stay in Malaysia. If that's the case then all travellers need a break to stop them becoming numb to the poverty.

That said, I didn't feel safe and after a poor nights sleep (that might have had something to do with being followed to my bedroom door by a guy) I got up at 5:30am to catch the first train to Yogya. When i wrote this I was sat on the train to Yogya and while looking out of the windows at the acres of rice fields I knew I wasn't heading for another bustling city at the very least.

Oh I realised why Jakarta was so deserted when I watched the news in Yogya, apparently unbeknown to me there had been severe flooding and with that a nice outbreak of dengue fever. The worst thing I saw was a big puddle and I haven't contracted dengue fever so all's good!

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Photos

Horrible Horrible Crocs
Travellers love them. God knows why.

I bet you can't do it!
I gave it a shot, failed, and before I handed them back manged to drop all of them in a bush...

Comments

[ling]

guess where i'm working at now?
are you still in indonesia of have you moved on to australia? lol... was just asking coz i'm now working in Jakarta! i'm stalking you charlie!! =)

[Fenny]

Crocs
I agree. They look horrible, incredibly pricey, but soo comfortable. I guess that's way travellers love them. I prefer crocs flip-flops, they look much better on my feet :)