I have fully understood how heat can drive people insane. Especially for bus drivers on the streets of Jakarta. They drive as if they’re the only ones in the vehicle. They have no concern on the passengers riding in their buses. These passengers are like blocks of ice or logs i guess.
Bus drivers, mostly if I can not say all, spees and speed, stop whenever and wherever they like, they use busway lanes, they smoke while driving (for the non-AC ones), they sometimes yell at the passengers (normally when passengers move too slowly).
I dont mean that heat is the only cause of these bus drivers’ reckless attitude. They behave like they do perhaps because they are so used to it. They need to feed their familie, they need to buy cigarettes, i guess.
Most of them rent a bus daily, and then they have to pay a fixed amount of money to the bus owner. There, to be able to get more money, it means they have to try to get as many passengers as they can. Thats why they speed and stop wherever they like. When they see a passenger ahead, they just stop. Thats it! They dont care if there are other vehicles or motorcycles behind their bus. They just stop. These bus drivers need to learn the Zuhud way of living! Everyone has their own fortune. It will never be confused with somebody else’s. Relax and work hard.
They couldnt care less about other people’s lives. As long as they can get money that is enough.
Another related thing on this lovely (dugh) city is malls. Jakarta is a heaven of malls. True! You see malls on every corner of the city. Small sized malls, medium sized malls, even enormous malls.
You get everything here. What is similar from these malls? You can do everything, from shopping to eating to taking your children for some fun to watching movies to buying souvenirs. for those who are new in Jakarta check this out
For teenagers, i guess malls is a place to hang out and to show off, to drink branded coffee, and to meet up with friends. No specific reason.
You go to malls everytime you want to.
What else can we do here?
We want to visit a park? Hardly any.
Visit relatives? Many Jakartans are very individualistic nowadays. They dont really talk to their cousins anymore. Even to visit a friens, in the past we used to knock on doors; now, we sms or bbm our friend(s) and wait outside. No more excuse me or greeting parents i assume.
Go to museums in Jakarta? Last option.
I, personally, am not a mall-person. I dont hate malls but i dont worship them. I go to a mall when i need to buy something or meet up with a friend or when my brother takes me there for a meal with other family members. Thats it. Oh yep when i do the monthly shopping.
Plaza Senayan, Pacific Place, Grand Indonesia are names of malls selling high quality branded names. I almost never go there. Too expensive. Even for lunch.
Ciputra/Citraland Mall is a mall in west jakarta providing nearly everything, from the cheapest price to the most expensive one. Dont go to this mall during school holidays. Its as crowded as the bus stations
Gorengan/Fried Snacks. Including Tempe Goreng (Fried Soybean Cake), Tahu Goreng (Fried Tofu), Pisang Goreng (Fried Banana), Ubi Goreng (Fried Sweet Potato), Bakwan Goreng (Fried Mixed Veggies). Gorengan is super popular not only in Jakarta. We love to eat these very affordable snacks (except for the fried banana) with raw chillies. Spicy but memorable. Most foreigners refuse to eat gorengan because they are considered dirty.
Are they? Yep. To be frank, the oil these fried food sellers is usually used more than a dozen times i guess. Over and over (thats how they cut down on expenses). Sometimes, rumors say, they also include plastic straws in their oil to make their snacks stay crunchy. I have never seen it myself, but news has it all. With hidden cameras of course.
I was once buying some of these fried snacks nearby my then workplace, then i saw some cut outs of the sweet potato that hadn’t been fried. They were dark and nearly rotten i think. So i was like.. i discarded my snacks after paying.. here's how it normally is sold
People know this fact but still consume it. Because it’s cheap and savory.
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