Downtown Jakarta
Well, here I am, in the heart of Jakarta’s urban sprawl after 19 hours of travel. Surprisingly, the heat and humidity aren’t as intense as I expected—its about 30°C during the day and 25°C at night, which is manageable.
The journey to the hotel is uneventful. I waited longer for the taxi than the trip took. It’s rush hour but the traffic is surprisingly not that bad.
The hotel I paid for using points and is in the heart of the city. I’ve taken the easy option, eating in the hotel room. For 3 euros I’ve eaten Nasi Goreng with Duck. Wow! It is so good. Yep this trip is about ensuring it remains affordable.
This is going to take sometime to get used to
I can’t quite figure out if I’m on holiday, working, or just floating somewhere in between. This new way of living is definitely going to take some getting used to. It’s only day one in Indonesia, so I’m reminding myself to just go with the flow and let things unfold naturally.
The usual jet lag
Jet lag has thrown my body off balance, and the digestive issues aren’t helping—constantly letting out wind, with no control over it. Maybe it’s a sign of age catching up. Still, I managed to get some sleep around 11 p.m., though I kept waking up throughout the night. I finally got up at 9 a.m. for breakfast.
Sun side up eggs for breakfast
The woman sitting next to me ordered her eggs “sunny-side up” but ended up with a scrambled mess. The server, without even being asked, tried again but still didn’t quite get it right. As for me, I played it safe, sticking with fruit, scrambled eggs, and pancakes, though I have to say, last night’s nasi goreng was fantastic—probably the best I’ve ever had.
Still thinking of Grace (of course)
From time to time, thoughts of Grace pop into my head. But between the jet lag and trying to get my bearings here in Jakarta, I find myself a bit distracted. Maybe that’s a good thing, for now.
