FIRST IMPRESSIONS

 Since Jakarta is fully halfway around the world from Washington DC, we decided to make our way to southeast Asia by heading west… to Hawaii.  It was a fitting end to our time in the US since Hawaii is where we’d started our time in the US last year.  We were also happy to take full advantage of the chance to relax for a couple of weeks after the frenzy of packing up our lives in Washington… and ahead of the whirlwind we knew would await us in Indonesia.  We got our fill of surf and sand, rainbows, and poke bowls to hold us over until next time.

I made sure to appreciate the rainbows and blue sky...

...and the sunsets.  This was our last one before we left the US.

From there, it was an 8 hour flight to Tokyo and then another 8 hour flight to Jakarta.  It was a long day that ended with us checking into our temporary apartment about 2 in the morning.  And it was a short night as we were awoken at 4:45am by the call to prayer broadcast over loudspeakers from the mosque next door.  Indonesia has a Muslim majority, and there is no shortage of mosques here – and there are five prayer times a day that start before sunrise and end about an hour after sunset.  I guess the good news is, you don’t really need a watch since the mosques help you keep track of the time.

Some other first impressions from our first few weeks in Jakarta:

- Shopping malls are everywhere.  They are huge and have everything from grocery stores to restaurants to high-end retail stores.  As much as I am not a shopper or mall person, the malls are air conditioned – which I greatly appreciate – and have been interesting to wander around and get lost in. 

The indoor shopping malls are Jakarta's answer to Las Vegas.

Andrew exploring space in virtual reality... in a shopping mall.

A refreshing iced coffee in a lovely coffee shop with lots of plants... in a shopping mall.

- Sky bars make for some lovely happy hour spots.  It’s no secret that the air quality in Jakarta is some of the worst in the world.  But we’ve had a couple of clear-er days that lent themselves well to enjoying the outside at a rooftop bar.  Also, the temporary apartment where we are staying until our permanent apartment is ready (hopefully next week) is on the 13^th floor, so we’ve got a pretty nice skyline view from here too.  After Belize and Zimbabwe, it’s a bit of a change to see so many skyscrapers… everywhere. 

Our skyline view on a clear night.

Our first happy hour - and first rooftop bar experience - was also an especially clear day.

Alas, this is a more typical air quality situation.

- Jakarta – at least, the part of Jakarta where is are – is surprisingly green.  There aren’t really many parks, per se, but there are street trees and "green walls” – sides of buildings or other infrastructure that have a green exoskeleton of plants.  I was expecting a vast sea of concrete and asphalt to surround us, so the amount of greenery has been a welcome surprise. 

I walked by this tanker truck watering this pillar of plants on my way to work.

This giant tree - complete with roosting parrots - is on the embassy compound.  A welcome surprise to see so many trees - and birds! - in the midst of this giant city.

- The traffic is no joke, but somehow it just… works.  With so many cars and scooters on the road, somehow they’ve all worked out their own rules of the road.  Almost all the cars are new, clean, and in meticulous condition.  How they don’t crash into each other in the mayhem, I have no idea.  And on Sunday mornings, one of the main roads in central Jakarta is closed to cars for “car-free Sundays.”  Instead of cars, the road is filled with bicyclists, joggers, walkers, people selling food and drinks, playing music… it’s like a carnival.

This is the road they shut down for car-free Sunday mornings.  We did it last Sunday - but note to self: Start early before it gets too hot!

- The food is awesome!  This one wasn’t so much a surprise – I knew we’d get some great food here – but it’s no less welcome.  Admittedly, we still have a lot to learn and discover when it comes to the food here, but what we’ve found so far has all been fantastic.

With three years ahead of us here, and with my job already being ridiculously busy, we’ve been pacing ourselves as far as getting out to explore.  But we’re looking forward to seeing what else we find as we start to settle into life here.  More impressions to come!