my-so-called-scrumptious-life: about Jakarta

Monday, April 21, 2008

about Jakarta

phiew.its been such a long n i mean REALLY loooong week since i got back from jakarta.only now, i found some time to update about the trip.here it goes...

well...jakarta...not much different from KL.except for a few things :

congested traffic - it was ridiculous.i will never ever have the guts to drive there in a million years if the traffic there remains like that.drivers there can squeeze 2 lanes road into 4 lanes!it is so jammed up.motorbikes are everywhere.there are barely any distance between the car to your front, back and even sides.while you're stuck in traffic, you can find the time to chitchat with the person in the vehicle next to yours.hahahaha...
three in one rule - during the rush hour, some central business district apply this rule, prohibiting fewer than three passengers per car.(Spore had this rule too. but now they used the ERP system to control).so when you are about to enter the 'three in one' road, you'll see many people standing by the road side, pointing their index finger(which meant 1). They are called jockey. They stand there puposely to help driver's with less than 3 passengers to enter the 'three in one' road. but of course, all this requires money! you'll have to pay them for giving them a lift!
patient drivers - well, if you've got so used to stuck in a jam almost every day, you will find yourself very immune to it. driver's in Jakarta have one thing in mind, "if i drive carefully, tolerably and patiently, i can get myself and other drivers to their destination a bit faster and safely without any scratch".
polite drivers - drivers there never get mad to each other for overtaking, they always gives way to others especially at U-turns, and the worst thing they did was only give a tiny-winy-little-short honk as a warning.compared to most malaysian driver's, if you ever piss em off, they'll give u a loooooooooooong and high pitch honk, together with a STARE or even fingers! and wind down their windows and scream some bitchy words right straight at you!
unfortunate people - we all know that there are many unfortunate people stuck in many parts of the world, not to forget Indonesia. they are willing to do anything for money. sell toys/foods/accessories at traffic lights (yeah, when you're stuck at red, they'll rush to your cars and sell their stuff).warning:though they are poor, they are smart!if you want to buy their stuff, make sure you have small change (dont expect any changes after any payment), and pay relevantly with the things you bought. if you pay less, they'll tend to scratch your car!another thing, if you ever give away some money to one 'beggar' you should be ready to expect more 'beggars' to come your way coz they'll call their friends along!
tinted screens for vehicles are advised! - unlike malaysia, drivers there are advised to tint their screens for safety concerns.i was told that there was once a driver had put his life in danger when he refused to give some money to the street-'beggar' and instead give them a face(im sure its an annoyed one) which in the end got him being chased by the street-'beggar' gang...scary huh.
way-too-persuasive-promoter - when shopping, especially at a non-classy mall, do not nego the price if you are not sure whether to buy 'em or not. only nego if you really are about to buy 'em. or else just shut the f*ck up. cos if you do so, they'll persuade you till a point when you will get so annoyed.they'll only stop once you get your 'ka-ching' out of your wallet.and if you walk out without doing so, they'll end up bitching things to your face.how rude huh?! (it is so my right whether i want to buy it or not.you dont gimme the price, im not buying it.at the end of the day, its my moolah you're crazy for!)
'pantat' = ass - yeah..they call 'bontot' as 'pantat'. while 'bontot' means 'ekor' (eg: sop bontot)it took me quite some time to digest that cos i got so pissed off when a promoter said something bout 'pantat' to me. after a few explanations, then only i understand what they are trying to say.
things are cheap - trust me.unlike when you're malaysian, trying to shop at spore, you'll fine many things at doubled price from msia.but when you shop at indonesia, you'll find most of the things there are very cheap. almost half the price at msia. i must say the living cost over there are very cheap (only apply if you get your pay in other the Rp).
the national drink - apapun makannya, minumnya teh botol sosro.but it is just not my cup of tea!

i guess that's all bout the differences i discovered between msia(kl) and indonesia(jakarta). there, we stayed at Ucu (my aunt)'s apartment at Kuningan. Real nice place especially the location coz it's above the ambassador's mall..once we feel like we got nothing to do, we head downstairs to the mall. makasih byk2 ya ucu karna bisa bawa kami jalan2 dan pinjamkan supirmu, Pak Bambang...Pak Bambang, makasih ya karna layan karenah kami slama di sana. hahhaha...lihat.gue udah bisa ngomong nih!

we do have lotsa fun...its a short trip, manage to visit just a few places. my fav would be bandung..love the fact that there are lotsa factory outlets selling lotsa branded clothes. i know most people would think that they sell rejected clothes. but actually, its not. its brand new and branded. except that it is made locally (that explains why it is much cheaper).

overall, bout the whole trip, i must say, it had thought me to be thoughtful n grateful for what i have. the rest, i dont feel like writing bout it.just have a look at the pics k...