23-271009 D'jakarta Bandung

Sunda Kelapa (397–1527) or formerly known as Jayakarta (1527–1619), Batavia (1619–1942), and Djakarta (1942–1972). Also DKI Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. It also has a greater population than any other city in Southeast Asia. Sunda Kelapa is the old port of Jakarta located on the estuarine of Ciliwung River. "Sunda Kalapa" (Sundanese: "Coconut of Sunda") is the original name, and it was the main port of Sunda Kingdom of Pajajaran. The port is situated in Penjaringan sub-district, of North Jakarta, Indonesia. Today the old port only accommodate "Pinisi", a traditional two masted wooden sailing ship serving inter-island freight service in the archipelago. Although it is now only a minor port, Jakarta had its origins in Sunda Kelapa and it played a significant role in the city's development.

I never did like flying in the first place. Not becoz I'm afraid of heights or claustrophobic but the feeling of being tied down by the safety belt puts me off. A Sagittarius trots along all day, never shackled no matter what. A Half Human Half Horse can never be cooped up in a corral. One hour flight is all I can take. I'm one restless stud. Can't expect much from a cheapo flight. Delay, delay & further delay lah...

"As long as I get from point A to point B, is good enough for me.

5:30pm it's already dark & so gloomy.

Concrete jungle excreting homo sapient heading for their pods.

Made worse by the bumper to bumper crawl of mods,
The out of sync blinding-blinking almost like a red raya light spots".

Rice fried by loonies.

After the horrendous maze, we dumped our gear & headed to the nearest glutton hole. We were starving as if we haven't eaten for days. Lunacy was the order of the nite & the minute we came across a stall full of hungry souls, like madmen we are we took in the weirdest fried rice ever - Nasi Goreng Gila!...topped with the exclusive "Live" entertainment courtesy of Batavia. Where else in the world would you have buskers at your side serenading "Dangdut" tunes with "Artificial Girls" gyrating their hips to the disco beat??!!! Lucky we were still sane after all the sudden rush of mind boggling load of information.

Jakarta is the twelfth-largest city in the world; One of the most populous cities in the world, Motorised bajaj - Auto rickshaws, called bajaj (pronounced badge-eye) run by smoke belching Vespa engines, provide local transportation in the back streets of some parts of the city. They added spice to the already delicious dancers.

I wouldn't want this thing appearing at nite.

Unregistered traffic police.

I was munching away my sandwich & all of the sudden my sharp bionic 2020 vision noticed a group of riders 100 meters beyond me. Raced towards them & one rider said "Bapak pasti sering bersepeda ya?" Stripped & flaunted my tanned hips...Whoa!!! Agus, family & friends then obliged with a group shot. 1300 cyclists took over the streets, the municipal blocked some main roads for the roadies. Jakarta’s first Car Free Day started way back in 2002.

Along Jalan General Sudirman Jakarta, community play soccer, cycling and other activities in the road. At that time, local, national and international NGO’s joined forces to call attention to more environmental modes of transport and to create awareness about the advantages of a car-free environment. Air quality was so poor that emissions regularly exceeded the international Ambient Air Quality Standard. The event’s organizers aimed to link improving air quality with reducing motorized traffic.

I dunno when this gonna happen in KL...dream on. At least we have PCM.

Car Free Day & "Dangdut" Bikes were the King of the Road!




Or not we can ride up the sky.

Another thing about this place, every time you'd cross a road you gotta extend IDR500 or any small change not exceeding IDR1000 (35 sen) to the unofficial traffic attendant. Be thankful, without these guys you'll be stuck in a maze of "Macet" (Traffic Jam). You could also be mobbed by the ever increasing swarm of metropolitan beggars you had ever seen. They come in all spectrum, shapes & colours of the rainbow. The poor from every corner of the island of Java gravitate here to the capital to beg. They wander in between cars stuck at traffic corners, in the shadows of the city’s skyscrapers and gigantic shopping malls. I feel sad but that's life.

Everybody wants the piece of pie but not anyone can have it. You might end up with crumbs...if you're lucky enough. Most of the time you are not even allowed to touch, let alone smell it. Life sucks...

Jakarta officials want images like this to become a thing of the past. The Indonesian authorities have approved a new law banning people from giving money to buskers, beggars and hawkers in Jakarta. Offenders could face up to six months in jail and IDR39,379,451 = Thirty Nine Million (RM14,000) fines! Allowing beggars to operate freely would lead to increased criminality and, eventually, political instability. A city official said “If we allow them here,” he said, “Jakarta will become the center for Indonesia’s poor”. “We don’t want to be mean to these people, but national security and safety are at stake.”

Tangkuban Parahu (Perahu Tertangkup). The name translates roughly to "upturning of (a) boat" or "upturned boat" or "Terlangkup/Terbalik" in Sundanese, referring to the local legend of its creation. The story tells of "Dayang Sumbi", a beauty who lived in West Java. She cast away her son "Sangkuriang" for disobedience, and in her sadness was granted the power of eternal youth by the gods. After many years in exile, Sangkuriang decided to return to his home, long after the two had forgotten and failed to recognize each other. Sangkuriang fell in love with Dayang Sumbi and planned to marry her, only for Dayang Sumbi to recognize his birthmark just as he was about to go hunting. In order to prevent the marriage from taking place, Dayang Sumbi asked Sangkuriang to (1) build a dam on the river Citarum and (2) build a large boat to cross the river, both before the sunrise. Sangkuriang meditated and summoned mythical ogre-like creatures -Buta Hejo or green giant(s)- to do his bidding. Dayang Sumbi saw that the tasks were almost completed and called on her workers to spread red silk cloths east of the city, to give the impression of impending sunrise. Sangkuriang was fooled, and upon believing that he had failed, kicked the dam and the unfinished boat, resulting in severe flooding and the creation of Tangkuban Parahu from the hull of the boat.

T-shirts are cheap IDR20,000 = RM7. Fridge magnet IDR50,000 for 3 pcs but u better haggle or it'll cost you a bomb.There's this one lonely rider who rode up this 2km sandy tarred road. One slip you'll tumble into the molten lava. I dunno why they don't sweep this road properly. They charge IDR50,000 per head for those who want to view & smell rotten sulfuric odor. Other than that it's rather well kept & clean as a whistle.

3 Hantu Raya bodyguards tagged along too.

If you're in Bandung & you don't go shopping, that's unusual = go see a psychiatrist! Bandung is a shoppers paradise...don't bring your wife, girlfriend, lover or concubines here. And the bike shops in Jalan Veteran, Bandung is like a museum!

MOSSO 7005 Alloy RB, 48cm - IDR1.5 Million=RM540

Millionaire I am, in Rupiah la...Agus was again shocked to see me in one of the bike shops yet again.

]

"Land of the Mystique & Traditionalist"