Motor World

Most people following this blog will be thinking by now that they've had to wait entirely too long to get a glimpse of my actual new surroundings. It's late and I won't have time to show everything, but there's time, at least, to begin telling the story. I'm sitting in an all-nite resto (restaurant) and Internet cafe that I could only reach this evening by wading for a mile through water a foot deep, because the drainage canal in our neighborhood overflowed big-time due to torrential rains. But I had "cabin fever" this evening, and after getting most of the water out of the house, by sweeping it gently toward the floor drain in the back bathroom, I was determined to go out - walking or swimming. It was worth it! This fine establishment, Simpang Ampek, also has a small stage, and a band was practicing for an audience of about five, playing a cover of Eric Clapton's "You Were Wonderful Tonight," and doing damn good job, too! As the obvious Westerner in the room, I made sure to clap loudly. If there are not too many torrential rains happening and you want to go out on a Saturday night in Pontianak, you will go by motorbike - moTOR in Indonesian. Pontianak has many times more motorbikes than cars, and teenagers socialize by riding them around endlessly, while chatting with their friends at each intersection that requires them to pause - the city has very few traffic signals. If you could see the traffic, you'd know why: there would be no point to them. The bikes just keep coming and coming in a continuous stream, like the rushing water when the Kapuas River refuses to be confined within its low banks. There are few sidewalks. Cars are expensive and less maneuverable. Taxis are not always available. Motorbikes mean independence and being able to get business done in this town. As a foreigner with no driver's license, I'm not yet allowed to use one, but for the first time in my life I bought a motorcycle helmet for the purpose of riding on the back of a friend's bike. In Indonesian culture, there is no stigma attached to two men riding on a motorbike together, and most guys here do not understand why Western men would hesitate to do so. Check out the parking lot at the mall on a Sunday afternoon...

All over town tonight and any other night, everyone will be logged onto Facebook. It is the undisputed first line of communication for nearly all Indonesians under 30 and most of their elders, too. Nearly all of them will have reached their favorite Internet cafe with the all-important laptop slung over their shoulders in a backpack, as they dodge puddles and potholes on their moTORs.









Along the side of the road, this is what you see when looking for a place to put your feet. When a sidewalk is constructed, it is poured as blocks or sections that do not rest directly on the ground - it's too soft - but instead are laid out end-to-end over the top of the drainage ditches and culverts. You may think you're walking on dry concrete, but in fact, a stream is flowing a foot beneath your shoes. Not watching out for gaps can also be costly...if a block or section is missing and you don't see it in time, you're going for a swim!