custom truck

It is rare to see any nice cars on the streets of Jakarta---especially during the week.  This morning we passed this nice, custom F-150.  Nice stance and a nice sounding exhaust system.  The pictures don't do the paint job justice.  Well done and a nice color.  Even Gail noticed and commented on the color!

Note the nice roll pan in place of the bumper.  Notice the driver is sitting on the right side.  They drive on the left side of the road.

Buildings in Jakarta

There are many interesting buildings in Jakarta.  Following are some that we can see from our balcony.  There are hundreds of interesting buildings throughout the city!  I enjoy riding downtown at night--the buidlings have some every interesting and colorful lighting.



This is built like an A Frame--the windows all look slanted from the outside.  Would be interesting to see the inside!




 

This is one of my favorite buildings--notice the top.  See the next picture.



This would be interesting to see from the inside!





Many refer to the contruction crane as the "Bird of Jakarta"--you see them everywhere!

 

Christmas 2011

The celebration of Christmas in Indonesia is much different.  There are few decorations in the stores and malls.  In one of the malls we heard some carolers.  No nativity scenes.  You will see a few banners along the streets that say “happy holidays.”  No outside lighting.  But we enjoyed the season by attending some parties/dinners with other members and on Christmas Day a big dinner with about 25 missionaries at the home of a member.  We are thankful to remember the real meaning of Christmas--the birth of the Savior.  We do miss our family and friends.  We trust each of you had a Merry Christmas!

Our "outside" decorations.  This is on our front door.  The only decorations on our floor of the building.

Our Christmas Tree!  Much easier to put up then what I am use to--in fact I let Gail put the tree up this year and do all of the decorating!

This is the entrance to our hotel.  You will see these at hotels and apartments that serve a high percentage of foreigners.

In the lobby of our appartment.

Yesterday I rode a Baji for the first time!  Most are in poor shape.  The one I rode is started by hand with a rope pull for a starter--much like old lawnmowers!  He charged me the equivalent of $1. 

 The driver--he was very happy because I gave him a $4 tip!

 The partition between me and the driver

 The seat I was sitting in

 Steer, accelerate, stops  like a motorcycle

 The floor

The ceiling inside

Some pictures I took while riding in the Baji

 If you look closely you see the lady is wearing high heel shoes!  Great foot protection.

 When riding in a Baji you are right out in the traffic---not behind a door/window!

 Father on the side of the rode using his cell phone---looks like the young lady is ready to take charge!

It is amazing what they carry on motorcycles!

Transportation in Jakarta

In Jakarta, only a small portion of the population have their own cars.  Besides motorcycles, people get around using taxis and various buses and vans.   Many people walk because they can't afford to pay for transportation.

  This is how we get around each day.  My far the majority of the taxis are made by Toyota.  This same model has been manufactered since at least 2004--we rode in a brand new 2011 model recently.  It still had the new car smell!

Used to get to the mini buses.  This is on a Sunday morning before most people are out and about.

This is how the vans look during the day--up to 15 people sitting on small wooden benches or standing in the doorway!

This is one of the mini buses.  Most are very old and covered with dents. 

This is a conductor for one of the mini buses.  Not only does he collect the fares, but he gets out and stops the traffic when the bus is coming to a bus stop or needs to change lanes!  One day we saw a number of the men riding the bus get out and push when it stalled and would not start!

This is one of the large buses that cover specific routes--they have restricted lanes on certain roads thru the city.

Used by those that can't afford the various buses and vans---there is not set fee.  You agree on a fee with the driver before you get in!  These are made in India and have motorcycle motors.

Interesting Vehicles Used In Indonesia

Some interesting vehicles used in Indonesia.

 A motorcycle truck?

 We passed this truck on what we would call the interstate doing about 60 MPH! 

 Used by the police to take officers from place to place.

Non-motorized Transportation

The people of Indonesia that live outside of Jakarta use a number of non-motorized ways to get around.  Below are some examples--

This is near Solo--a city of one million.  The driver is sitting behind the passengers.  Notice the bright colors on the wagon.

Baiceks (baychecks) are very common.  We each rode one for about seven blocks for about $1US each.  Many of these are very old and some with very colorful and unique paint!

Map of Indonesia Overlaid on a Map of the USA

Below is a map of Indonesia (the green area) overlaid on the USA.  The large island to the right is where Bali is located which has one small branch of the church.  About 90% of the church members live on  the island of Java along the bottom   Jakarta is located close at the point where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet.   There is a small branch on the large island to the north and one on the island to the west.
The USA is the 3^rd most populated country in the world and close behind is Indonesia.  We’ve been blessed in the USA with lots of land!

Traffic

All I can say about the traffic is it is bad!  The only time the traffic doesn’t seem to bad is early Sunday morning---like around 8am in the morning on the way to church.  The office where we work is about 3 miles from our apartment.  On a good day, which is not often, it takes about 30-35 minutes, but most of the time it take an hour or more.  In the evening it is usually an hour plus and a few times over two hours!  We sometimes we read or play games on the IPAD.  Most of the time we just sit there watching the traffic and take pictures!