The A to Z to quirky Jakarta<\/p>\n
Endy M. Bayuni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Jakarta Inside Out;
\nBy Daniel Ziv;
\nEquinox Publishing;
\nJakarta and Singapore, 2002;
\n184 pp<\/p>\n
One of the things about Jakarta that I still can't figure out is
\nthe logic of motorists driving through a traffic circle. The
\nconvention seems to be that motorists entering the circle take
\npriority over those already in it. It's a sure recipe for chaos.<\/p>\n
During the morning rush hour, traffic around the circles, and
\non all roads leading to them, is bound to come to a complete
\nstandstill. If you drive along the main road in Pondok Indah,
\nSouth Jakarta, in the morning, you know exactly what I mean.<\/p>\n
But then Jakarta is full of such idiosyncrasies. It's a city
\nthat many people -- and I am not only talking about tourists, but
\nalso long-time residents such as myself -- find baffling, if not
\nmind-boggling.<\/p>\n
Those who find the situation in Jakarta impossibly frustrating
\ngive up and leave town. But for some 10 million people, as
\nchaotic as it may seem, Jakarta is the place they like to call
\nhome, whether by conscious decision or not.<\/p>\n
Jakarta is not exactly an easy place to live, but millions of
\npeople have settled in here to live and to work, to build a
\ncareer and to start a family. Some struggle just to make ends
\nmeet. Whether they like it or not, they have to live with many of
\nthe quirky aspects of the city.<\/p>\n
Everyone has a story to tell about how they cope with the
\nproblems and challenges, but has anyone ever tried to make some
\nsense out of the chaos that this city has now become?<\/p>\n
Daniel Ziv has.<\/p>\n
And he has done it eloquently as well as wittily, and with
\nplenty of humor in Jakarta Inside Out. The book is the author's
\ncollection of short articles describing and explaining, or at
\nleast trying to explain, some of the quirky aspects that make
\nthis vibrant capital tick, even when it seems to many people to
\nbe on the verge of breaking down.<\/p>\n
There are 65 articles on a wide range of topics: stories about
\nthe gay community, waria (transsexuals) and typical bule (Western
\nCaucasian people); about people in odd professions like asongan
\n(street vendors), U-turn police and umbrella boys; about notable
\nand less-than-notable landmarks, from Blok M and Glodok, to Jl.
\nJaksa and Puncak; about food and drinks like durian, es (ice),
\ngorengan (fried snack), jamu (herbal medicine) and Krating Daeng
\nenergy beverage; about urban problems like macet (traffic),
\nfloods and slums.<\/p>\n
The book talks about the old and recently acquired pastimes of
\nJakartans, like the craze for karaoke, the mall culture, golf,
\npigeon racing, salon\/cream bath; and about distinctive modes of
\npublic transportation, from becak (pedicab), bajaj (motorized
\npedicab) and ojek (motorcycle taxi), to the Metromini buses. It
\nalso has sections depicting the darker sides of the city, like
\nviolent street justice and sweatshops.<\/p>\n
As the author says in the introduction, Inside Out \"is a
\nsnapshot of a 21st century Southeast Asian city bursting at the
\nseams, but plugging along nonetheless; of ordinary people in
\ntheir urban landscape; of culture and pop culture\".<\/p>\n
Going by the depth of the articles, and the clever way they
\nare written, Ziv has done his homework. Having lived in Jakarta
\nsince 1998, and having spent a good many of those four years
\nsetting up and then editing djakarta! magazine, he has the right
\nqualifications to write such an authoritative book.<\/p>\n
He did the necessary legwork, or as he describes his research
\nmethod, by \"hopping buses with street musicians, checking out
\nbad-ass nightclubs, winding through town on motorbike taxis, and
\npounding the pavement in China town\".<\/p>\n
Such ground-level research paid off handsomely because he has
\ncome up with crucial little details that many long-time residents
\nare not even aware of. The section on Pigeon Racing (Page 110)
\nwas revealing to me personally. Having little interest in this
\npastime, only now I learn that the ultimate winner of the race is
\nthe horniest male pigeon, because the prize for the champion is
\nthe right to mate with the female pigeon.<\/p>\n
Each article is accompanied by a carefully selected photos,
\nwhich in many instances paints more than a thousand words.<\/p>\n
The section on Demo (Page 32) carries a series of photos of
\nthree street demonstrations, taken on different occasions, at
\ndifferent times and for different causes. Each has the same man
\ntaking part in the protests. That is sufficient to tell us about
\na new profession that has come about from the 1998 reform
\nmovement: professional demonstrators for hire. No caption is
\nneeded.<\/p>\n
The book also runs eight funny caricatures depicting typical
\nJakartans -- a neighborhood local, a political activist, a coffee
\nhouse tart, a mall babe, a society lady, a neighborhood thug, a
\nbar bule, and a lady-boy busker -- by Benny and Mice.<\/p>\n
It ends with 10 alternative things to do in Jakarta, and five
\nwild and crazy ideas for Jakarta's governor, although Governor
\nSutiyoso would be crazy not to take up on Ziv's suggestions.<\/p>\n
The book is not meant to be an all encompassing story of
\nJakarta and its inhabitants. That would require volumes of books.
\nBut more than just a personal account of the author's encounters
\nwith the idiosyncratic, it is a book that provides a glimpse of
\nthe bustling city and the contemporary culture of many of its
\npeople.<\/p>\n
While Inside Out is no guide book, it guides you to understand
\nJakarta a little better. That understanding, for some people,
\ncould be the difference in deciding whether to stay or leave
\ntown.<\/p>\n
Understanding some of the crazy little things we find in
\nJakarta could make living here a little bit more bearable. A
\nlight and entertaining book, it makes compelling reading for
\nvisitors and residents alike.<\/p>",
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