Terlalu

Remember when I told you I'd start keeping a list of the strange, random words written in elaborate script on the back of the crazy, dirty, reckless buses in Jakarta? 

Well, I've been keeping track this past week, and here is that list, in all of its glory:

"KickN'Rush"  

(??????)

"One for all, all for one"  

(Three Musketeers fans, perhaps?)

"Gloria" 

(Vintage toilet enthusiasts? [a joke only my Randolph Street McCarthy brethren are likely to get] '80s music fan? or perhaps a Van Morrison junkie...)

"Terlalu" 

(From my Bahasa Indonesia lessons, I understood that this word meant "too" in the sense of "excessive," as in "too much" or "too big" or "too sexy for my shirt"... that doesn't really explain why it's on the back of a bus, though.)

"Sensual" 

(This one's pretty self-explanatory, I guess. Or not?!?!)

 I'll update if I see any more good ones or manage to capture a photo of one of them that's better than this blurry mess:

This is the "Sensual" bus, from a taxi.

A View Decidedly Not From a Bird's Eye

Here is a decidedly not bird's eye view of the street level of Jakarta, a block away from the temporary apartment where Tim and I lived in for the first month.  

You can see from the rumbling buses and toxic mist in the air why we're happier now that we're no longer living near this particular corner.

This corner is right near both a massive road construction site and a bus terminal out of which tens of these stinky buses roll each time the light changes.

 

The green and white buses are the Kopaja buses and seem to be the worst offenders in the pollution department.  I like to keep an eye out for them both for my safety and because they tend to have really random words written in ornate script on their back windows.  I shall start a running list of said words tomorrow and report back soon.

 The red and blue buses are the Metro Minis, a second cousin of the Kopajas, chugging along, never coming to a full stop...

And finally the bajaj, the ever-present three-wheeler that I've described to you before.  Tim took one of these home from work tonight in a pinch and remarked that they seemed to know the neighborhood better than some of the cab drivers.  That's probably because they are regionally limited in where they can drive- it's painted on the side of each one the neighborhood in which they are licensed to drive.

Frequently Spotted in Jakarta

Frequently seen on the roads in Jakarta:  

Hundreds of motorbikes weaving through traffic, then inching forward at a red light, ready to jump the gun (usually approximately 6 seconds before the light turns green).  The occasional bajaj scoots in there, too. 

This is right in front of Tim's office building.

Construction... so much construction.  This 10-meter high elevated flyover road is being built in order to alleviate traffic in the future (we'll see about that), but is currently wreaking havoc on traffic throughout the city.  And also looking mighty precarious in the meantime.

This makes me nervous... notice how it is seemingly floating, unconnected on either end?

Not a lot of cones, ropes or other protective equipment to warn passersby of the construction overhead.

Old dirty buses, burping bajaj... I know I've mentioned these before, but they really are omnipresent and unforgettable for several reasons: 1) the fumes... the fumes!  2) the fact that they are always trying to either pick you up or run you over.

Sorry for the blur... took this photo as I crossed the street on foot.  Stop for a second and you will be roadkill.