Hey Hey, Weʻre the Monkeys

It’s been just about three months since we arrived. I wish I could say that things have settled, but I spent the last week on anything and everything except for the writing that I planned to be my main focus. One day was spent getting a doctor and filling prescriptions. Another on finances as we plan to move. Yet another on family issues because my father-in-law didn’t have a will. The fun never ends.

One thing I had hoped to have left behind is the night monster. On all the previous trips, I’ve had no problems sleeping. I don’t know if it is the impossibly hard mattress or feeling like my bedroom is a prison cell, but I’ve seen the clock strike 4:00 AM more than a few times recently. It’s a good thing nobody cares what time a retiree wakes up!

Still, we get around and see new things. Public transportation is very accessible. As long as you aren’t trying to catch a bus in the middle of rush hour, they are easy to use and incredibly inexpensive. However, I found out the downside the hard way. A couple of days after cramming myself into an incredibly crowded bus, I came down with the flu. I had my vaccine before coming here, so it must be a strain unique to SE Asia. I haven’t had it for probably 20 years, but it wasn’t as bad as before. I didn’t have the severe body aches that make you feel like your body is shutting down and dying. I had a fever and some delirium, but I recovered in about 4 days.

That bus trip took us back to Mie Gacoan. The place with a spice level from 1-9. When I tried 3 last time, it was inedible. Level 1 turns out to be my speed!

We went to watch the new Captain America movie. Here are some photos of the buildings in the area. Subtle is not a word in their vocabulary! After the movie, I had this really delicious pork belly dish from a street vendor.

We also saw a new noodle place called Wizzmie. We decided to try the tuk-tuk or Bajaj. The three-wheel vehicles for two passengers. It was a bit bumpy, but it did the job for a reasonable price. This meal was about $4! Take a look at the video. We were stuck there for about an hour while it poured.

These next 2 are just examples of the kind of food we can get every day from vendors not more than three blocks away. This is a nice plate of chow fun and one of my favorites, martabak telor.

Today, 3/1/2025, was the beginning of Ramadan. Muslims fast during the daylight hours, but that means that they come out just before the sun goes down to get food to break their fast. For the entire month, street vendors come out to sell special treats.

As I mentioned earlier, we are getting things ready to move to a city to the east of Jakarta. It is called Karawachi, but it’s still Jakarta. On the drive there, you would never know that you left one city and entered another. Jakarta is just one big sprawl. We have to renovate my brother-in-law’s house and that will take until the end of April. I’ll try to post more often between now and then.