Yesterday evening, we bought our tickets for Rp 190 thousand from Yogyakarta to Jakarta, from the train station in the city center, on the “bisnis” schedule.. We wanted to go to Jakarta by day train. Although our preference is usually economy class, we had to buy a bisnis ticket as it was the only train going during the day.. Whereas, the economy tickets of the train that went to Jakarta with the night journey were Rp 25,000.
There was air conditioning and fans on the Bisnis class train, but it was still hot inside.. We thought there would be no local vendors, but it was no different from economy class. The seats were also narrower. We arrived at Jakarta Bangar Senen station after an uncomfortable 7-hour journey.
Lamia, whom we had corresponded with on the couchsurfing website before, came and picked us up from the station.. He lives with his family and asked for help from his friend Nando as he couldn’t offer us accommodation.. After meeting with Lamia’s friends Monte and Nando in a cafe, we got on the 3-wheeled motorcycle “beçak” and went to Nando’s house.
In a very simple and old building with 2 floors and a narrow long structure, they gave us their own beds. they gave. They stay at home with Nando, his brother and wife and child and his other brother, Elyas.. Lamia is Muslim and fasting, while Nando and her siblings are Christians.
After packing and taking a shower, we went to Jaksa, the famous tourist street and district of Jakarta, and had dinner.. Then we went to a bar. Several other Couchsurfers have come and joined us.. All of them are very interested and friendly with us.. They love to laugh and laugh.
The next day Lamia and Monte came to the house of Nando and Elyas, where we were staying.. Together we went to Kota, the historical city part of Jakarta.. Jakarta has a bus transport called TransJakarta. A system similar to Metrobus in Istanbul. The two lanes in the middle of the double-lane road are reserved for these buses only for arrival and departure.
You buy your ticket at the box office and go inside.. As long as you stay in the system, you have the chance to go anywhere you want with these buses.. Numerous security guards await at every open door to prevent illegal entry.. Also, an attendant at the door of the bus ensures that the people on the bus get off first, and then those who are waiting for the bus get on the bus.. So a lot of unnecessary effort is wasted. Buses, seats worn out and in disrepair. The nice thing was that the air conditioners worked. Otherwise, in that crowded heat, the bus would be no different from a torture place.
After wandering around the streets of Kota adorned with Dutch-style buildings, we went to the museum.. The administration building during the period when Indonesia was a Dutch colony is now organized as a museum.. Of course, as always, both the condition of the building and the artifacts are deplorable.
The walls have crumbled, the original furniture has been damaged, the walls are discolored and dirty.. There are 4-5 dungeons on the ground floor of the building.. Ancient stones, mostly with Hinduism-related motifs, found in the fields by the villagers and bought by the state and placed in the museum are interesting.. Bicycles are from the Dutch era of the 1940s and 50s. We continued our tour first in the streets and then in the old port area.. We toured the old and historical fishing boats in the harbor. When we got back to the square, the evening market was being set up.
After buying and eating something from street restaurants (warung), we hung out in one of the big shopping malls in the city center.. Later, the other Couchsurfer Nanda who joined us came and joined us and then drove us home with her car.
When we got home, I met the elder sister of Couchsurfers Elyas and Nando and his wife, whose house we were staying at.. They were both very sweet and pleasant to talk to.. The next day they invited us to lunch.. Maria works in a real estate sales office, and her husband works in graphic design and design for movie studios, and she mostly has to go to Bangkok for this job.
The house we live in is quite hot, actually like a sauna, and there are a lot of mosquitoes.. I’ve never seen so many mosquitoes anywhere in Indonesia.. The interesting thing is that they didn’t shake my fly guard spray very much either.. That’s why we’ve been having trouble sleeping for 2 nights, of course, who cares about mosquitoes?. The saz is for me!
Day 388, ID:45, Jakarta, Java. Saturday, August 27, 2011
