Jakarta, city of contrasts

Inside our hotel it is really very nice, and the staff can speak plenty of English when I get stuck.  Our hotel is a 3-star, a bit off the beaten path, away from the honkies, away from the terrorist targets.  We taxied by the 5-star jobs today.  Wow, that neighborhood is a world away from where we are.  We saw the Hotel Manderin, where I used to stay on my way in and out of the country.  Then it was the only game in town.  Now it's on the lower end of its 5-star bretheren at 300USD/night.  Jakarta is a city of contrasts.



hotel window view





outside the hotel







hotel makanan (food)

neighbors






dining room

kitty cat (so many)







hotel guests with "i'm his / he's mine t-shirts

local business












our room

local residences













artwork in our room

local mosque














bath in room

removing floating debris from nearby canal (raw sewage)










Pat in our room

happy to show off their canal-side abode

Our visa sponsor explains to us that there is no unemployment insurance, no food stamps, no aid for dependent children, no social security, no nothin'.   We should do some verification, but all indications are he is absolutely correct.

These two guys smiling in their abode invited us to take their photo as we were walking along the drainage canal where everything goes.  This area and parts north, closer to the port, are known to flood.  Water's still pretty high as we are winding down the rainy season.

Heading out tomorrow AM for parts eastward, making our way to Madiun via Purwokerto, Central Java, on the Taksaka Pagi train.  Got the train ticket this afternoon, but no reservations.  Most of the hotels there cannot be booked on the web, although we can find photos in blogs.  It's like improvising a jazz tune ... no sheet music.