My Indonesian language teacher, Mbak Agnes, asked me last week where I felt most at home. Given that I have moved around so much in the past and recently, I answered,"On the seat of my scooter." And so it has been........ Horses used to mean freedom for the cowboy and later cars for the middle class......in America. In Java, the scooter, or motorbike, usually of Japanese origins is in my opinion the undisputed leader of similar free-spiritedness. The horse like the car at present has always been more of a status symbol, although not totally without practicality for a growing middle class....if only Java's roads had room for them. Although there are many cars in Java, the majority of people cannot afford them. I am quite certain that if they could, nearly every Indonesian would own
... read more
