Jakarta - First Impressions

A very different feel. First impressions: a dirty, smelly, ugly city, a city without a centre, quite devoid of charm and incredibly noisy and congested. The second storm of the day poured out of a truly 'lowering' sky at 3:30. It had been great to sleep in a bed after 36 hours with virtually no sleep. Sahm had met me at the airport and looked very well, very much at ease with his easy manner and good command of the language. His apartment was a good size and he gave me his big bed; we talked about home and our itinerary and I insisted on calling Dad that we were all good. The complex he lives in consists of about six staggered towers 24 storeys high, with a pool, exercise room, convenience store and an army of staff - door guards in dapper uniforms and cleaners and repairmen. Opposite the complex is a mall, everything is over-scale on a level that is truly bizarre. Sahm pointed out a street of fancy townhouses with lawns and parking, and then had me note that it was standing on TOP of a seven storey shopping complex.
In the morning I was introduced to some of the staff as 'ibu' (mother) and we went for coffee with one of his colleagues, the affable Adam. It had been a trip to wake up before sunrise to the sound of the azan (call to prayer) rising above the din of the traffic. Sahm had to work from 2-9, and I was dismayed to realize that I would not even be able to walk around beyond the complex because of the impossible traffic: no pedestrian crossings. When I finally ventured out and went to buy dinner at the mall, I was floored, actually horrified, at what I found inside - a bizarre palace of consumerism dressed up like a giant amusement park - and virtually empty. Huge figures and rides in a vast interior where staff outnumbered customers 10 to 1. I was daunted by my inability to communicated and ordered by pointing at Sahm's paper list of menu items, got my takeout food and escaped, feeling profoundly shocked.

October 5 2010 Hong Kong

Travel is always exhilarating, and my first day in the 'Far East' was quite overwhelming. I arrived in Hong Kong after a direct flight that took 15 hours. With a 14 hour stop-over I was determined to see what I could of HK, depending on my energy. With a few suggestions from Sahm and tips gathered along the way from tourists and locals, I started out on the speedy MTR train to Hong Kong island. The landscape was astonishing; forested mountains with amazing trees alternated with thickets of narrow and extremely tall apartment towers. I was quite overcome by the strangeness of it all, the combined awe and exhaustion bringing tears to my eyes. I was on the other side of the world! On a fresh lead from an Aussie couple, I boarded a No. 6 city bus for Stanley Market - not knowing much more than that it would go 'over the mountain' and offer some great views. I took a seat top front on the double decker bus that wound around a steep, curving narrow road. The lurching ride was a bit hair-raising as the bus was on the left side of the road hugging the mountain, and tree branches were at eye level. As we ascended, a great view widened on the city's clumps of thin towers, including a newer one perched precariously on the highest slope and easily more than 50 storeys high, thin as a space needle. It felt a bit like Blade Runner meets Predator! The bus eventually did start its descent past Repulse Bay, with views of open water, beaches and humpbacked islands. When I saw a sign for Stanley Market I got off. It was about 7 AM - I had landed at 5:00 - and the market was not yet open. But there were charming spots to visit in easy walking distance and a modern shopping complex with WC and a supermarket where I bought fruit and soy milk for breakfast. The sea was right there, mountains, temples, a couple of colonial buildings, exotic birds singing in exotic trees, street sweepers (all older women) in straw hats stopping to rest and chat. A handsome policeman smiled, probably amused at the look of awe and delight in my face as I took in all this wonderful news stuff.
The ride back didn't seem as long, and I followed Sahm's list and got back on the MTR to Causeway Bay (he had suggested taking a ferry but the train was faster). Finding the busy streets a bit too congested, I sought refuge in lovely Victoria Park. A bronze seated statue of 'Old Vic' presided. The park in the morning was both an arboretum and a community fitness centre. People congregated to jog, do tai chi or walk among the amazing trees (many labelled for identification). I recall a 'Horsetail cypress' with long feathery needles and stringy red bark, a 'Cuban Basswood', India rubber trees with those strange roots that go down from above into the ground, and lots of healthy palm trees of many kinds. A chat with two women who spoke English got me directions to the Public Library nearby, where I signed in to the internet and sent messages to Sahm and Mohammad that I was safe and well. I wandered further and did the touristy tram-ride to 'The Peak' but my energy was flagging and finally I got back on the Airport Express a little early and got horizontal in the waiting area for the connecting flight to Jakarta. Overall impression of HK: a fascinating city, much more pleasing and rather less grungy than I had expected, with a mix of affluence and decay that were really engaging.