I got into Jakarta late and tired Saturday night (2/4/2023), delighted to see Google tick over to the last 50km left to my destination. Almost there! So I thought. I paid no attention to the 3 hour time Google quoted – clearly that was just a quirk, an error. And even if that’s the typical time to navigate Jakarta, I’m on a bike and can weave through the traffic. Right? Wrong! 3 hours is exactly what it took to get 50km through Jakarta’s Saturday evening traffic. “Parking lot” doesn’t do it justice. It would have been ok if I was fresh with few kilometres on the day’s odometer. But I’d been riding a long while already, so this was hard going. My clutch and brake were in constant use; so much so that I was a bit concerned my fingers would run out of oomph at just the wrong time and cause a tumble.
But it was all ok. A bit stressful. Hard work. But uneventful. John met me to escort the last kilometre or so to his home. I was very glad to get my bike gear off and my feet up. I was too focused on the traffic to take photos through Jakarta, but the ride from the south coast had some beautiful moments:
That all still left me with quite a problem, as my timing is now tight to get to the Malaysia ferry before the Muslim New Year shuts the port down for 10 days. So further delays in Jakarta are not on my Christmas wish list.
Arvin very graciously kept at the problem when I left last night. And even found a friend who said he had the computer reader and would work through the night to find and fix the problem. Wow. That’s amazing.
I texted 7am, but I think that might have been a touch early and didn’t get a response. (Apologies, Arvin!) I tried again at 9am, and only learned that Arvin didn’t yet have an update himself. By around 11am John, Arvin and I were discussing what “plan b” might look like. I didn’t much like the idea of bypassing the original horn and circuitry and building a secondary system with a separate switch. Felt a bit hodge-podge. But what alternative did I have? A day further delay here could spell a fortnight delay into Malaysia, just when I’m hoping to pick up the pace.
2 Comments
You have certainly found some amazing friends
Yes! While the stunning scenery has been a joy, it has been people every day of the week that has been the highlight of the trip. I hope I have left behind a small fraction of the blessing they have been to me.