Waiting in Kuta

Incomplete thoughts can get one into hot water sometimes... thus I should say... My last blog entry should not be construed to mean that I don't enjoy Kuala Lumpur. On the contrary, I enjoy visiting Jakarta, but I love returning home to KL. Which is good, because tomorrow I'll be headed back after 10 days in the archipelago that is Indonesia... Today is kind of a limbo day, which makes me lucky (depending on how you look at it I suppose) to be able to bring my work everywhere I go... I flew into Bali from Lombok early this morning and will fly off to Jakarta later this evening... thus it's just a day in Kuta beach. (Trust me, if I had time to go elsewhere, I would, but it's close and there are lots of cafes where I can spread out and work uninterrupted.) In the meantime, I sweet talked the bellboys at the Hotel Mercure into keeping my suitcase for a couple hours despite not being a hotel guest. Trust me, there are many benefits to learning the language of the country you're traveling it. :-)

This trip overall has been really productive. I have alot of incomplete blogs that I've started about things I've seen, people I've met, and the like, but as I think I've said once or twice before, the longer I'm in a place, and the more I know about it, the harder it becomes to make generalizations. Because by now I know that while a situation may look that way through one lens, it will look completely different through another. Nonetheless, I have to write and I have to talk, it's as necessary as breathing for me to process the world around me, so I'll ramble on for a bit before I head back to the thesis.

Traveling through Indonesia is a little like moving through Europe in the sense that it is so different from one place to the next, that I really feel as if every island is a different country. Many moons ago, it more or less was (though this was in the days before political boundaries existed in the sense that they do today). Jakarta is like many developing Asian cities (more like Bangkok, Saigon, or Manila vs. KL or Singapore). It's daytime population is a whopping 12 mil and growing. It too suffers from the urban sprawl syndrome and very little on the planning side of things with regards to it's layout. But it moves with that sort of zen of chaos that characterizes the other cities like it that I have visited. Uncontrolled intersections (and there are many) are mostly controlled by the traffic that is stopped gathering enough vehicles to reach a critical mass that then basically edges out into the oncoming traffic and says, ha, now we are big enough to stop you, so, our turn. So then the same process starts in the other direction. Failing that there are volunteer traffic boys who stand in the middle of intersections and help the traffic through the blind curves. I don't know why they do it, or if maybe they do get paid to do it. Whatever the reason or the modus operandi, without them the city would be even more clogged than it already is...

Then, over the weekend we took a little break in Bali. At one time rated the best island in the world. Bali does appear a paradise at times. The scenery, smiling people, amazing food, and always nice weather. But these days, the signs of economic depression are clear. Too many villages and towns full of shops and void of customers. This island has built it's entire economy on the backs of glow in the dark people who come here with money to burn. Unfortunately as many Asain economies are learning in the wake of SARS and various other incidents that keep tourists away, Bali is learning too that it needs to return to it's roots and find alternate sources of income. My friends from here tell me it's gotten quite bad after the second bombing. Most say that the effect wasn't really apparent until a couple months after, but now, it's all too clear. Nonetheless, the people and the island remain beautiful, welcoming, and hospitable so if you have a chance to visit, I highly recommend it...

Then I moved onto to Lombok to visit a friend and find a quiet (and cheap) place to work while I sorted through my research. Lombok is another country again. I like it there because it feels more authentic, less like a tourist haven, and because my friend lives there, so I get to see a more normal part of life here. I also get to use my Indonesian alot, which is really helpful. Lombok, in the west part of the island is about half hindu, half muslim, with a sprinkling of christians mixed in. Like everywhere in Indonesia, people here are quite outgoing and will approach you and ask you all sorts of questions about who you are and where you come from. There's a lot of poverty here too though. Options for employment are severely limited, and they too suffer from the loss of tourism in places. Some of my favorite things about Lombok though... the food... I asked my friend to get up extra early this morning to go find a nice little lady on a random street corner making the most delightful food for breakfast. These ladies are usually only uot between 6-6:30, I'm not sure why, so we got up at 5:45am (!!!) She told me the name of the dish three times and I've forgotten again... But it's basically sweet rice cakes. I had it the first time I visited and couldn't wait to have it again. The people... as I mentioned before... the weather... a small island, so morning is absolutely fantastic... chilly, but not cold and no humidity to speak of... perfect running weather (though I have to admit I did none while I was there)... and of course, my friend Suraya who is just fantastic.

Now I wait a couple more hours in Kuta. Truly not a great representation of Indonesia as a whole, but it's it's own little country too, with it's own history, good and sad. Maybe I cerita about that later... for now I need to get back to my thesis for a couple more hours before I head back to the airport...