A Bus Story

Acknowledgments first. Thanks to the Treespotter for the photo and pointing me in the direction of this fine piece of journalism.

Having lived in Jakarta for a long time there is nothing that surprises me, or if it does it is not for long. Hence, the above headline does not surprise me and it is about par for the course for "Lampu Merah" which is all about sensationalism in order to keep up circulation numbers.

The headline in essence says, "Boy sees girl in tank top, masturbates, ejaculates in direction of girl, girl screams." Well, there are a couple of extra words in there but they do not change the basic context of what I have translated here.

I guess this headline tells us two things; there are crazy people all over the world who do the weirdest (and perhaps most disgusting things) and that the Indonesian press is far freer than many people have believed it to be.

I gotta say that over the course of 15 years in Indonesia, and particularly Jakarta, I have seen some pretty strange things happen on buses but this indeed takes the cake. It certainly takes the phrase "a happy ending" to an all new level.

Washington DC

It is always nice to come back to Washington DC. I really enjoy the mix of history and the hustle and bustle. Simply, it is a place with a rich history that has made a nation and the hustle and bustle of a place always on the move seeking out the best possible future.

As I was travelling around on buses and trains, I found myself wondering when Jakarta might have a public transportation of some similar kind. I am resigned to the fact that it might be a long time off. Oh well!

Yesterday, I, along with the UPH team, did the standard monument walk-a-round. I could have done more monuments, but the team was hungry and cold so we headed off to find food and ended up in Chinatown. The photos of this little journey will be posted later.

Today, was a long day. It did not start until after midday, which I guess is some consolation, and started with lunch with our gracious host, the Education Attache at the Indonesian Embassy. We were joined by the UI team for the occasion. The lunch was a Chinese buffet and it was pretty good value for money at USD 15 dollars (plus tax).

After lunch we ended up in Georgetown. I really enjoy Georgetown as it has a laid back casual air to it. I also like the mix of branded shops, sole traders, and book and music stores. There is a really good Barnes & Noble Bookstore that I was able to spend a couple of hours wandering around. I bought a few books for Will and myself. I am still looking for the gift that the missus wants and I need to find a good craft shop in order to get it.

The day ended after a good French meal, a bus ride, and a taxi ride back to where we are staying. The french food was exceptional and I am going to write a little review of that part later.

The team as usual has passed out or gone straight to bed. The jet lag seems to be still lingering. Hopefully, they will have that under control sometime tomorrow as the competition starts with the orientation session on Sunday and competition proper on Monday.

Something that I am noticing is that the people I am meeting are so much more friendly and approachable than I remember them of the past. Maybe I have forgotten, but the service that I have received over the past couple of days has been excellent. In Barnes & Noble the service went above and beyond, which is a pleasant change from what I have been used to in other parts of the world.

More updates to follow.