Meeting Lururaruacu

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After the best sleep I've had in quite some time I slowly drag myself out of bed. I have arranged to meet with my friend Vanessa in the afternoon and spend the time up until then by doing the laundry and catching up on my journal. I cast an eye at the traffic below from time to time, at one point I see a funeral cortege led by a yellow truck with blaring loudspeakers pass by. The regular calls to prayer from the many nearby mosques also add to the exotic flavour.

As Vanessa arrives at the hotel around 2 pm she asks me where to go. For some reason I always seem to be attracted by a city's waterfront so we get in a taxi and head north towards Ancol and the Sea World aquarium. Comparatively small it still has lots of interesting species on display, including a very cool reef with Moray Eels and a shallow tank where you can go give some sea cucumbers, starfish and small manta rays a pat on the back. They also have some very fine specimen of my favourite the Red Tail Catfish (Phractocephalus hemioliopterus) and the gigantic freshwater Piracucu (Arapaima gigas). Speaking about catfish, this is something you will come across a lot in Indonesia, it being one of the mainstays at many of the streetside foodstalls (warungs). Just look around for the word uduk. As for the Piracucu it is a centerpiece in Amazonian mythology about the warrior Piracucu transformed into a gigantic fish by the goddess of torrent, Lururaruacu. I'm sorry, it's just the fact that the time I spent on trying to pronounce this name makes me want to use it whenever I can...

Exiting Sea World we go up to the waterfront where there is a peculiar concrete monument sitting on a little islet. While we sit there and chat we suddenly notice that the tide is sneaking in and starting to cover the little footpath and we have to wade back ashore. As the sky is turning dark the threat of rain has us seeking shelter in a little Japanese eatery crowded with those little small beige lizards I have become so used to seeing here and in East Timor. This time I can count six of them on the wall behind the counter. As evening comes we head back to jalan Kramat Raya and a small but crowded restaurant near my hotel. Vanessa invites me to try the fried chicken with coconut rice and I also have some quite spicy vegetable soup with pumpkin and corn. Very delicious!

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Photos

Busy intersection outside my hotel
jl. Kramat Raya and jl. Raden Saleh if you really have to know...

A word on local taxis
There are plenty of companies operating taxi services in Jakarta. Some of them are less honest than the other. If you are unsure, the Blue Bird Group is generally regarded as the most reliable one. You will need a sharp eye though, as many companies operate similar cars with a similar blue body finish and typography.

Comments

[Carl Kirk]

Short and Sweet
Quality shots and good narrative. Could use a lot more. Think in terms of those of us who plan to be there soon. Name of the restaurant and such. We plan to be there in July. Trying to collect personal experiences to avoid problems and enjoy the success of others. We also plan to visit Palembang and Medan. Thanks and Cheers, Anneke and Carl