I had a chance today to wander around some of Jakarta’s more “gritty” areas. Raw, visceral, and brimming with textures, I rarely tire of simply hitting the streets with my camera. I do, however, grow increasingly annoyed with the act of getting to these places. Since I don’t use a driver, I punish myself with the traffic on a daily basis. There’s hardly a day that passes when I truly believe my chances of getting hit and/or hitting someone elseRead more
Posts filed in: Culture Clash
Becoming An Outcast
Who would have thought that painting my gate would bring such looks of pity? In a country with extremely cheap manual labor, apparently anyone who brings such a task upon themselves is in a new class of oddness. The complex I live in is monitored by 24 hour security guards, and yet every single home has its very own 8 foot gaudy gate protecting the inhabitants from everything but tailless stray cats and the raunchy smell of the weekly, toxicRead more
Random Thoughts
This post is going to be all over the place, as I’ve had enough caffeine to make a cappuccino nervous. As I was strolling through the insanity of one Jakarta’s mega-malls this afternoon, two completely different thoughts crossed my cortex. One – Being an expat (or tourist, traveller) staying in a country that speaks something other than your first language, you tend to have much more time to think while in public. Instead of picking up on the conversations ofRead more
R.I.P. Kitten
It was a sad, sad day. Today I had to put my cat to sleep, and she was just a kitten. About two months ago, as I was walking out of work I saw a kitten near our security guard’s desk. I’m a sucker for little animals, so I took the street kitten home. I’ve been watching her grow for the past 8 weeks into a ball of fur and energy. She’s been getting adventurous lately, playing in front ofRead more
In the Corner
Along one of my walks, I came across a housing development built upon stilts. They were raised 3 meters over the swamp below. The homes weaved intricately through a maze of wood and life. One hallway led to a gang of children playing and laughing in spirits light as helium. All but this one little girl. Clutching her belongings. Not laughing. Not smiling. Alone in the corner. Alone.Read more