I got an 8am train to Jakarta. The humidity this morning was stifling. I was at the train 20 minns before departure but spent mos of the time on the platform. It was too warm and sticky in the carriage. With no air circulating I would have been drenched in sweat before the train left the platform. Once the train was underway, however, the small windows were opened all along the carriage and cooling air streamed in. Each time the train slowed as it approached a station you began to feel the bubbles of perspiration beginning to bubble up and you willed the train to be on its way again as soon as possible.
The countryside across the length of central Java varied little. Rice fields, mostly, formed the bulk of the landscape. Every stage of rice cultivation was evident from preparation of the fields to planting to harvesting of the crop. The scale of the work before our eyes and the very neat tended appearance of the fields were testeament to the farmers labours.
Actually, of more interest and distraction was the goings-on in the carriage itself. At the first station the train pulled into a small army of hawkers, beggars and food vendors came on board selling just about everything. You could have your choice of food and snacks. All sorts of knick knacks were on display. Some hawkers dropped there wares onto the seats beside passengers to inspect and 5 mins later came back to collect the goods and hopefull make a sale. Everything from hats to small toys to sandal wer placed on the seat beside me. There was even a masseur on board. One man across the aisle from had a full body massage. He stripped off his trousers and shirt and for the next 45 mins was oiled, kneaded and pummelled in his seat.
Along with the hawkers came beggars. THose who were blind generally had childrren to guide them. Those who couldn't walk slid or crawled along the aisle. The more enterprising came through the cabin sweeping up dust and litter around the carriage before holding out their dishes to cajole passengers in to handing over money. It was non-stop activity from the first station until we reached the outskirts of Jakarta when everybody disappeared.
Outside the landscape slipped by. It became overcast and dark in the afternoon. Rain fell and became torrential. In some places lightning flashed through the gloom yet the farmers still worked the fields regardless. We arrived on the outskirts of Java around 4.30 but the train terminated, unexpectedly for me, at a suburban station called Senen. I had wanted to get off in the city centre at Gambir, one of the central station. I was travelling 2nd class. You had to be travelling first class in order to get into Gambir!! This twist left me a little frustrated. I wanted to get to Gambir because airport buses leave from there for 10,000 rupiahs (eu60cents). Now, because the train terminated in the suburbs I had to take a taxi for a minimum 150,000, 15 times what the bus would cost. At the exit from the station I was surrounded by taxi men. I was the only westerner and it was like they all made a beeline for the 'rich paleface'. Little did they know what a tight git they were approaching. I went with one taxi guy. To be honest I felt slightly edgy at this point. I'd heard various stories that Jakarta was unsafe etc, all exaggerated, no doubt, but they do linger in the back of your mind. Now, stranded in the suburbs and feeling like the only gringo in town these strories like bad dreams began to resurface in my mind, with that I started to get edgy. The taxi man wanted 200,000 to take me to the taxi. I was having none of it. I told him to take me to Gambir for 50,000. A game of 'poker' ensued between us as the taxi man tried to wriggle a price out of me. I felt I had time on my side. The flight wasn't until 9.30pm. However in the back of my mind questions were bubbling up. Do the buses run into the evening here. The traffic is notorious here. Would I get caught in traffic and end up late if both taxi and then bus ended up crawling through the city. The guidebook indicated it could take three hours to get to the airport. Would it take a long time to locate the buses at Gambir. Was that station safe? All these questions bounced around as I sat on the backseat bargaining with the taxi man. Eventually he came down to 150,000 and I decided to take the safer option and go direct to the airport.
Once the hard bargaining was done the the two of us began to settle. I saw a couple of views of the city and took out my camera to get a couple of shots of central Jakarta. The taxi man told me to come into the front seat where I'd get a better view. We began to talk. He was from Sumatra and had worked in Jakarta for 15yrs. The traffic turned out to be light this Sunday evening and we zipped out of town and onto a motorway whch carried us to the airport. I was at the airport woth about 4hrs to kill. Paying the taxi man I took out what looked like a wad of notes. The guy seeing this began to mutter something in Indonesian. I looked at him and smiled and said 'I don't want to know what you've just said' He smiled coyly back. We both fully understood each other. He wanted the notes, was annoyed I'd bargained him down with all those notes in my pocket and, anyway, why would I want to carry all that Indonesian money if I was leaving for Singapore? My unspoken reply was 'Have you never heard of a currency exchange, Pal?'
The plane left on time at 9.30pm. It was a short hop of 1hr 20 mins up to Singapore. We crossed the equator while we were airborne so I'm back in the northern hemisphere for the first time since Oct 30th. Singapore is 140km north of the equator so this in the closest..... so far.... that I've been to it on land. I took a taxi into town. The first thing I noticed about the city was just how smooth the road surface was, and how clean the streets were. They were immaculate. There was little traffic on the streets tonight. It was after midnight as we cruised through the city centre to my accomodation. It was quiet. On the radio 'Starry, starry night' was playing, a real downbeat, midnight hour kind of a song and I absolutely detest it. But, forever more if I hear that song I will always remember my midnight taxi taxi ride through the streets of Singapore. The city looked well at night, We pulled into a quiet street close to Orchard Road, one of the busy shopping streets. I checked in around 1am. It was sultry and sticky outside. Inside it was airconditioned and cool. The first air conditioned place I've stayed in Asia. I was tired when I hith the bed
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