Mountain hiking in Indonesia

Indonesian Hiking in the Bag
Catriona Richards | January 30, 2012

 

For anyone looking for a challenge in the New Year, here’s a record to beat: British hiker Daniel Quinn climbed 14 mountains in Indonesia last year, bringing his total number of conquered peaks to 49 since he arrived here three years ago — and that’s not including the 21 hills, volcanoes and other peaks he attempted along the way. His motivation? To upload information on Indonesia’s lesser-known hiking spots to the Web site Gunung Bagging (gunungbagging.com), started by Quinn and fellow hiker Andy Dean in 2009.

The name comes from the century-old British tradition of “mountain bagging” (gunung is the Indonesian word for mountain), whereby hikers challenge one another to conquer a checklist of peaks categorized by topographic prominence. It is called “bagging” because each peak conquered is another one “in the bag” for the hiker.

One can often see random herds of goats wandering around in Jakarta, sooner or later they're destined for someone's dinner.

Gong Xi Fa Chai or Happy Chinese New Year

The Chinese Lunar Dragon Year starts on Jan. 23, 2012.
(Photo: REUTERS / China Daily)

Here is a roundup of the superstitions surrounding the Chinese New Year:

1. No Cleaning - The household has to be thoroughly cleaned before the New Year's day because it is believed that cleaning sweeps away bad luck from the last year. However, all cleaning equipment should be put away before the New Year's Eve so that good luck is not swept away. Even though sweeping is allowed after the first day of a New Year, the garbage and dust shouldn't be carried through the front door, as it may result in death or estrangement of a family member.

2. No Ghost Stories - According to Chinese beliefs, what happens on the New Year's Eve sets a precedent for the rest of the year. Foul language and unlucky words are a taboo on the first day of the New Year. Since ghost stories essentially involve mentions of death, children as well as elders are not allowed to tell stories related to spirits, zombies or the undead.

3. No Washing Hair - Though you are encouraged to get a hair-cut on the first day, you're not supposed to wash your hair to ensure that good luck is not washed away.

4. No Books - Book stores remain closed on the New Year's Eve as buying books is not allowed. The reason stems from the fact that "book" is a homonym for "lose" in Cantonese. However, apparently, there is no restriction on reading.

5. No Shoes - Shoe shopping is restricted on the first day because "shoes" is a homonym for "rough" in Cantonese.

6. No Crying - Crying is also a strict no-no on New Year's Eve which is why children are spared from spanking or punishments on the first day.

7. No Sitting in Bedroom - It is unlucky to meet anyone in their bedroom on the New Year's Eve, which is the reason why everyone, including infants, elderly and even those who are sick, are made to dress up and sit in the living room.

8. No Sharp Objects - Handling sharp objects is considered bad omen on the first day of the New Year, as they may "cut off" good fortune. It is recommended to put away knives and scissors the previous day.

9. Red is Good - Bright red clothes, decorations and ornaments are highly recommended for the Chinese New Year. Children receive money in red paper envelopes from parents who wish them a healthy and happy New Year. Red paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune" or "happiness," are used to decorate the household.

10. Songbirds are Good - The first person you meet on the New Year's eve holds great significance on how lucky you would be throughout the year. It is considered lucky to see or hear songbirds, red-colored birds or swallows on New Year's Eve.

Street Jockeys - How to beat the traffic

Though many people consider Jakarta’s traffic a necessary evil, people like Martini look forward to their daily commute. For the past 13 years, Martini has made a living helping drivers meet the city’s ‘three-in-one’ rule that requires private vehicles to have at least three people to access some major roads during rush hour.

As a joki, or jockey, every morning and afternoon Martini heads to the Plaza Semanggi area and helps office workers to work or home by hopping a ride with them. The job is illegal and Martini has been arrested twice, but she insists the three-in-one jockeys are providing a valuable service, not disturbing public order. In any case, the former maid has no intention 
of leaving her post, unless it’s to hasten someone’s commute while making some small talk along the way.

How much do you get paid for being a three-in-one jockey?

I get Rp 10,000 [$1.10] to ride from Plaza Semanggi to Ratu Plaza and Rp 20,000 if the driver wants me to stay until Blok M. Sometimes I also go back from Blok M to Monas [the National Monument] for another Rp 20,000. You actually get paid for having a free ride around Jakarta.

How many rides do you take in a day and how much do you earn?

I arrive early at my station around the Semanggi area on Jalan Prof. Dr. Satrio, or as people call it, Casablanca. In the early three-in-one round, between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., I can get two cars at most. Later, during my afternoon round from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., I can get up to four drivers in need of my service. So on average I usually make Rp 40,000 to Rp 80,000 a day. Definitely not a bad way to earn extra cash for my family.

Is this the only job you have?

Yes. I need the extra money for my family. I have three children and my previous job as a maid wasn’t able to put enough food on the table. So when my younger sister asked me to join her out here doing this in 1999, me and my husband definitely jumped at the opportunity with no hesitation.

You know that working as a three-in-one jockey is illegal, right? Have you been arrested?

Sure, I got arrested twice last year by public order officers. They said I was violating local laws and was therefore disturbing public order. They made a record of my identity and took me to a shelter and locked me in there for the whole day.

I felt lucky because I heard another jockey got locked up there for a week, maybe because he had been arrested a number of times before.

On one memorable occasion, a traffic police officer stopped the car I was in. The officer asked the driver to open the side window and told me to get out. He threatened to turn me over to the public order officers if I didn’t admit that I was a jockey. I was afraid so I admitted it and the officer let me go while the driver got a ticket.

Knowing the consequences, why you still do it?

I know that my job is illegal, but I have never understood why the government thinks that we disturb public order. Drivers need us to use the major streets after work. Without us, lots of drivers would have to take long detours to get home, and that’s before even mentioning the traffic. Besides, the money I get from being a jockey helps my family survive in Jakarta, and is better than the other jobs that people like me usually do. We never chose to be poor, and the government hasn’t done anything to help us survive or make our lives better. So we take any opportunity that presents itself.

It seems like you have met lots of different kinds of people in your line of work. Have you ever met any ‘naughty’ drivers?

I haven’t met anyone who’s done anything indecent. Most of them are office workers who drive alone. Many of them like to make small talk with me. They ask me where I live and how many kids I have. One or two have even shared with me problems they are having with their work or family. But there are times when it’s just quiet in the car.

Do you ever get a good tip for just being nice to a driver?

Some nice drivers have paid me more than the usual rate. Others sometimes pay more because they’ve just gotten a big bonus or promotion at work.

Martini was talking to Carlos Situmeang.
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/myjakarta/my-jakarta-martini-three-in-one-jockey/491081