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Belatedly 1977 - JAKARTA

The view out of my office window. In that location was a small kampung
or shanty hamlet down well-nigh a stream next to the office which
had chickens and turkeys.

My inflow

On 7th September 1977 I took the train to London from Bristol with several suitcases. My brother met me and I had lunch with him and a few of his piece of work colleagues at the York and Albany in Camden Town. I rang the drome to find out if there were whatsoever delays because there was an air traffic controllers dispute at the time, but was told all was OK.

At Heathrow airdrome I had to pay �95.85 for excess baggage. A friend Don H had paid �72 to go to Oman presently before, so I knew there would be a charge but it was higher than I expected. I got on the jumbo not having been told of any delays, simply we just sabbatum in that location for two hours. It was too belatedly to exit and telephone Jakarta that I would miss my connexion in Singapore. Anyway it was night time in Jakarta. We stopped briefly at Frankfurt and then got out at dawn in Bahrain, but I didn't consider phoning from there.

We landed at Bangkok simply didn't get off, then eventually got to Singapore at 9 pm local time, too late to phone the Dki jakarta office that I had missed the last Jakarta flying at 8 pm. As I sorted out what was to be done with me a rat scuttled beyond the highly polished floor. I was taken to a hotel overnight. I remember the sweet aroma of sewage near the docks in the warm, muggy, night, nighttime during the taxi journey.

The Apollo hotel was very efficient, I had iii morning calls, one to wake me, one to tell me almost the bus at 7 am and another wake upward call when the girl remembered she had just phoned me.

At Dki jakarta I didn't know anything about letters on message boards or at information desks and so it was lucky that a driver from the office had been sent back on the supposition I would be on the offset flight, and he had been given a description of me. He told me that in that location was a letter at the information desk and he had another in his pocket so I collected them. The notation said the driver spoke footling English simply he would accept me either to the part or to a hotel. I chose the hotel (the Kemang Hotel) as I was hot and needed a shower. I phoned the office and Bob Due north and Ian R joined me for tiffin, then I went to the office.

The first weeks

On Sun 11th September I was taken out to Bob and Ros N's business firm in a fenced manor with a gatekeeper. It had a communal swimming pool and tennis court, with views of rice fields across. We then went out to the International Sports Club where they fixed me up some games of squash and I played badminton with Bob. I had a long swim too and signed membership application forms.

The view from my office roof

I moved into the flat above the function in Jalan Kapten Tendean on Monday 12th September where Ian R lived. The apartment was quite large simply a bit banal with its bare plastered walls and terrazzo floors. There were one or two small lizards on the walls. The windows all had permanent mosquito screens equally did the kitchen door. The servants nearly ever left this door open which allow in the mosquitos and Ian oftentimes told them to continue it shut. The windows had bamboo slatted screens draped over the outside which kept the rooms permanently dark.

Although Jalan Kapten Tendean was a decorated road, the general expanse of Kebayoran Baru was essentially residential. Like most of Dki jakarta it was mostly two storey buildings with blood-red tiled roofs surrounded by trees. Jakarta was called the earth'due south biggest village.

I visited the Mandarin Hotel site and projection office on Tuesday. The edifice had a large role of the reinforced concrete construction erected, all covered in bamboo scaffolding. They had found that the piles were under-strength every bit the pile holes had been left open so that liquid mud had fallen in and the concrete poured on acme. They all had to be drilled down, the mud pumped out for 600 mm and concrete pumped in. A costly chore at the contractor's expense.

Breakfast was ever mixed fruit, jackfruit, mangoes, papaya with Kelloggs corn flakes and orange juice (no milk as it goes off quickly and was an expensive item, ordinarily only for pregnant women. International hotels had milk imported in tiny cartons). I had tiffin in the flat with Bob and Ian. It was usually vegetable soup with bits of chicken or meat, a master course of meat, craven or fish, usually curried, and fruit afterwards. Dinner was the same. After Bob left to work in Hong Kong Ian and I gave up the soup form as we were getting fat.

The noise in the evening of cicadas and frogs was very noticeable and pleasant for a newcomer to the Far East like me. During the day masses of swallows or house martins swooped around making shrill noises. Thousands of dragon flies flitted about. At virtually 4 am I would wake up to hear the call from the mosque and my servants getting up to pray. Subsequently when I had been out at a bar I knew if I was actually belatedly back if I returned as my servants were getting upwards.

Wednesday 14th September was the eve of the Lebaran two days national holiday, ie the end of the fasting and preparations for feasting, firecrackers going off all the time and drums beating. In that location was a lot of activity along the mud rails which was a short cut from the club to Bob'southward firm after playing badminton. Lots of hurricane lamps and candles twinkling in the small wooden houses all along the road. Goats were tethered everywhere, even on the verges in middle form areas, pending slaughter.

Thursday was the first mean solar day of Lebaran and then at that place were no servants, they were on vacation until Saturday, so nosotros ate out more often than not and got our own breakfasts.

Sri, the young wash woman Ian had at the time, returned from holiday on 17th September and said she was getting married so Ian would have to discover another person. She had plasters on both big toes, some other victim of Lebaran shoe syndrome. Lots of Indonesians just wore flip-flops except at times of celebration when they wore tight shoes which hurt them.

At first I recall there were 700 rupiahs to the pound sterling, although it devalued in 1978 to nigh grand. Some examples of food costs were:- Satay at a satay house: �two; a beer at the George and Dragon: 50p; when servants bought food to cook for us craven cost 1400 rp for i.4 kilos (two meals); rice: 130 rp/kilo; bananas: 300 rp for 8; fish and meat: 1200 rp/kilo.

On 16th September Ros collection the one-time part Fiat out to the Sports Club to run into Bob, Ian and me. I was to take it over as my role car and utilise it in the evenings and weekends. Ian'southward VW didn't start due to the wet so I had my start taste of driving with him equally a rider. It was rainy and dark, the car had bald tyres and the seat was moisture as Ros had left the window open. The headlamps were so weak I collection on full axle until nosotros reached a better lit expanse.

Typical Kebayoran Baru in December 1977

Parties

I went to my first political party on 30th September as Ian had been invited and I went along also. Information technology was held by a young Architect called Doug C. For someone straight out of dull England it was magic. A warm evening, anybody out of doors around a puddle, a small leafy garden all effectually a typical suburban house, mainly single storey with a red-tiled roof. It was rented from Pertamina, the country oil company for a paltry $750 per month. No doubtfulness this was to change as Pertamina went spectacularly bankrupt almost this fourth dimension.

We played darts for a while until someone decided he couldn't stay out of the pool any longer and so he jumped in with his trousers on. A girl so stripped off her dress and jumped in. Other men who were wearing boxer shorts took their trousers off and jumped in too. Mai, Geoff L's wife, who had been very vivacious earlier was suddenly very subdued equally she was wearing a bra-less dress and probably didn't want to strip off and join in the fun as races started in the puddle. She really was stunningly pretty, probably role chinese and part indian, possibly part malaysian too. Lovely smokey skin, long night eyelashes and slim.

Ron Due south, who worked for our rival firm, was adequately drunk. He stripped off to his underpants, jumped in and started disrupting the races by swimming across the puddle. It wasn't long before his pants were pulled down. The underwater lights were on. Doug's married woman Ann made the mistake of standing too near the pool edge when talking to someone who got hold of her ankles and pulled very slowly until she lost her residual and fell in with her clothes on.

Bob Northward held a party on Ist October, a slightly older set of people and a chip more formal although many who were at Doug's political party were there also. Mai was in that location and when someone asked why she had not been swimming yesterday, she replied with a wide smile that she had had tooth-ache! She was a near attractive girl dressed in a very loose set of orange and brown batik pantaloons. I was start to realise that asian girls could be a lot prettier than english girls and had meliorate wearing apparel sense. The men generally wore sober trousers with brilliant batik shirts.

October 1977

Midweek nights were a badminton nights at the club. Usually about x people, all expatriates. In that location were some Indonesian members of the club, but very few, and occasionally i would bring together u.s.a.. Nosotros had a late meal in the eating place afterwards. It was open-sided as many public buildings were in such a warm climate and overlooked the lake. Meals were about �3 such as steamed white fish, pepper steaks (a huge amount of pepper), beef stroganof, chicken kiev, kebabs, etc. I gave up badminton after Bob went to Hong Kong as he seemed to be the primary organiser of the evening. On reflection, I think I should have continued, or perhaps it all folded, I can't remember.

I played badminton with Bob, Ian, Doug and Ann on 2nd October. She looked lovely with her slim, night body in a white sports apparel. The adjacent evening I went to Tim C's house for a meeting of The Jakarta Players where people were discussing the side by side show "Alfie". There was a game to give away some tickets. Iv male person and four female person volunteers were blind-folded and asked to judge what information technology was that was put around their necks and faces (for women) or on their chests nether their shirts (men). Information technology was revoltingly slimy, sticky and dark-green so there was much shrieking. Ann C acted up a lot, but got information technology right every bit American Slime. She held it to her nose afterwards the blindfold was taken off.

Thursday 6th October. Ian and I went to the Hilton Hotel for a drink. Cool and civilised with hostesses dressed in orangish kebayas. I woke upward in the night feeling something within my bed. I moved a chip and felt a sharp jab of pain right at the finish of my cock. I leapt out of bed, turned the light on and whipped my pyjama bottoms off all in an instant. I saw a huge cockroach on the bed, which I killed with a sandal. I didn't know at that time whether they stung people or not, then I was sweating buckets. A few days earlier I had seen a dead cockroach on the flooring which I kicked just to make sure it was dead. Hundreds of small ants poured out like a liquid. They had been trying to pull it across the flooring.

Fri 7th October. Squash against Don G, an Australian working for the Madarin Hotel'southward project management team. I won, merely. Ian and I had been sorting out staff as he was to move out to a rented firm. He was to take Ibu the cook and I was to get a new old woman called Aneka for 18,000 rp/month (�25 but only �18 after the rupiah devalued) and Sumarsi a washgirl who was the sister of Bob N's washgirl. Ian was to have a temporary washgirl lent by Ann C.

The adjacent 24-hour interval Ian and I with Sukardi a driver, Ibu and Ian's washgirl went to look at a temporary house he was going to move into until his proposed house became vacant. It hadn't been lived in for a while. As I parked the automobile in the dark drive we noticed a pocket-size snake in the headlights. I had a problem trying to proceed the snake in the headlights while information technology was beaten to death by the jagga that was at that place, and stop the auto from stalling which information technology had a tendency to exercise. It was all the same wriggling as we gathered round, me barefoot in sandals. The jagga said information technology was a cobra and was dangerous. It had reared upwards and opened its hood and he said that although it was only a immature 1 information technology could kill in 2 hours.

I had bad shits on 9th October and and so did Ian. A good starting time for my new cook. There were two boiled flies in my soup too. She made plenty soup during the morning for the evening repast also, so left it around so that flies and mosquitos got in it. Later nosotros played badminton, but at the meal afterwards I ordered a small omelette as I didn't think I could eat more. In the issue I had soup and a big blimp omelette which I could only toy with. All nighttime I tossed and turned and was somewhen sick. I refused breakfast and was lightheaded at the office so I went to bed.

Two days later I was still suffering with a breadbasket pain and giddyness. When Bob and Ian heard I had been sick I was sent straight to the doctor. A few days later after he had tested a stool sample he told me I had a bug called Lamblia and he drew a motion picture which looked like a small fish. He gave me pills to sort it out. It probably wasn't my cook's mistake every bit she spent much of the day boiling h2o for cooking and in that location was always a bottle of boiled drinking water in the fridge. I probably defenseless the problems from the Mandarin Hotel site role tea which almost certainly didn't use boiled water. The tea was served in mugs with a metal lid and seemed to be made with tea bush stalks rather than tea leaves.

Ian and I went to the Borobudur Hotel which had a disco. I got the impression that he picked upwardly air stewardesses there. However, on that nighttime it was really dead and we got ripped off for orange juice (I had been told to keep off beer). The menus said 500 rp for fruit juices buy I got charged 1800 rp (�2.60). When we complained the waiter said the carte du jour was incorrect, apparently fruit juice at 500 rp meant orange squash. Ian's beer was 950 rp as per carte, cocktails would have been 850 rp. So orange juice was a rip off.

Andrew S the interior designer for the hotel arrived back for a stay of a year or so on 19th Oct. I met him at the Sports Club. The Sports Guild waiting list was quite a long fourth dimension, just the gild could arrange for a leaver'southward remaining membership menstruum to exist bought, and I got the use of one held by The Du Pont Far Eastward Group. Bob Due north had twisted the arm of the manager Mr Gauda to get my temporary membership past saying that I would carry on the Wednesday badminton organisation afterward Bob left. I hardly knew enough people at that stage and I felt lumbered. I did play for a few weeks more until Bob left, then I call back it just quietly folded.

I went to see the Jakarta Players show "Alfie" on 21st October. The theatre only held about 400 people just had a huge car park and was in the centre of town. I idea how dissimilar it was to English language city theatres. A few small cock-ups and the beer in the glasses was then hot it frothed everywhere. A screen at the dorsum fell over at the finish exposing those hiding behind it.

A tiny lizard took upwards residence under the saucer holding the salt cellar on the dining tabular array. It stayed for months, but peeping out until we left and it could get the crumbs. It had hardly rained since my arrival, merely the clouds were getting heavier and occasional rain spelt the commencement of the rainy flavor. Instead of occasional pelting, information technology would often pelting heavily for about an hour or two once, twice or even three times a day in the middle of the rainy season.

29th October 1977. I had been given the address of a afar cousin and I finally fabricated contact with Juliette Southward who I had never met. I call up her grandmother and mine were cousins. She was a instructor at the English Language Schoolhouse, about 25 years sometime, and was sharing a house with John D. I got her to join Ian, me and Andrew a few times to play badminton to satisfy Mr Gauda, but Andrew preferred to play squash.

Early November 1977

I went scottish dancing for the first fourth dimension in a house quite almost the office. Some people were in proper dancing pumps, only others were in shorts and t-shirts or dresses and bare feet. Juliette was there, Ron S, Doug C and a few others I knew. After going for a few weeks I decided information technology appealed mostly to an older oversupply and was a flake too organised for my liking.

Hong Kong Land's bungalow at Puncak on 18th March 1978

On fifth November I had my first trip to the cool hills and tea estates at Puncak with Andrew, Ian, Don Thousand, his wife Forna, his daughter Sandra, Warren Due west, Joe and Sean at Jaya Mandarin Agung'south rented bungalow (the local visitor building the hotel, a co-operative of HongKong Land). We took steaks and other food with u.s. for the local flagman to cook for us or for us to barbecue. At that time the expressway to Bogor and across was still under structure, then nosotros went along crowded local roads. Very pretty merely slow, specially where a bridge was existence rebuilt. We often saw the aftermath of horrific machine crashes. Once nosotros saw two crashed buses, one on each side of the road, but leaning against the front of one was a vertical colt van squashed absolutely flat.

We had several walks around rice paddies, along gravel tracks through kampung (village) areas, through tea estates. Lots of smiling children everywhere. The washing areas for the locals were near streams and surrounded with rattan screens. On one occasion when out alone I surprised an old lady who came out naked from the waist upward every bit I walked by. The next day when out with Ian and Andrew we surprised some girls who were also blank-breasted. One daughter ran to the track with her easily over her breasts, then stopped and looked at us slightly bewildered. I remember the country people had been used to being bare-breasted in times past but were getting slightly embarrassed in front of foreigners.

On Saturday and Sunday we had the inevitable visit by hawkers (tukangs) who just turned up and unloaded their wares on the paving. They sold cloth, antiques, oil lamps, carvings, brass, mainland china, pictures, admittedly anything likely to appeal to tourists. We had at least twenty over the weekend. Don G bought a charcoal drawing of pretty girls with bare breasts and left an order for a much larger 1 which cost him 100,000 rps (�150) even after bargaining.

We barbecued our steaks and had a groovy time. The steak my cook had bought was fresh and beautifully tender, possibly h2o buffalo steak whereas Don Thousand had bought imported frozen steak which wasn't about so practiced.

Singapore

On Sabbatum 12th November I had to go to Singapore for three working days to get my piece of work permit. For some clearing reason y'all have to utilize for information technology exterior the land, so it was a regular thing to get in as a tourist kickoff, and then get the permit later. The Orchard Road shopping complexes were an middle-opener. They were incredibly shiny and glitzy, all stainless steel and drinking glass. Fifty-fifty London had nothing to compare, and Jakarta but had grey concrete shopping centres. However, downwardly at the cease of the virtually important roads were smelly slums in shabby "classical/colonial style" rendered buildings with a chinese influence and carmine tiled roofs and open air soup kitchens.

The girls seemed prettier than Jakarta girls too, slimmer and better dressed. Javanese girls tended to be short and podgy. The side by side day I arranged to have a shirt made for $19 (�iv.75) and a pair of trousers for $29 (�seven.25).

On Monday I called in to the Indonesian Embassy, and so to our Singapore office and went out to the Singapore Cricket Club with Malcolm S. Nosotros start drinking, then at 1.45 pm he says nosotros should become some sandwiches at 3.xxx pm when it has cleared out a flake. At 4 pm Malcolm cancelled a visit to his sister-in-law. After drinking quite a few beers I had refused two drinks, simply there was some other total i in front of me too as a large scotch. At 5 pm I was given another whisky. People who nosotros had met at lunchtime were coming back in after an afternoon's piece of work. I finally got something to eat, so made my apologies and left at 5.30 pm. I didn't desire to waste my holiday.

On Tuesday I bought a stereo radio/cassette recorder with twin microphones for $305 (�75). They were a novelty so. I also bought a Seiko digital alarm sentinel for $258 (�65) which was also new technology. They are less than �ten now. On Wednesday I returned to the Indonesian Embassy to fetch my passport which had a piece of work visa stamped for only 6 months, but I thought this must be normal and I'd check when back in Djakarta.

I got a taxi to the airdrome later and noticed a red rag over the meter. I had been warned about this. At the airport he asked for $5 so I said "What? $v?" Is that what the clock says?" He shrugged his shoulders and said information technology wasn't working. I suggested $3.80 which was what my starting time trip had cost and he accepted $four.

I didn't take whatsoever problem at Djakarta'due south customs. I had declared the cassette recorder, watch and clothes just the man signed the form immediately. They didn't seem to be interested in business travellers. I heard that rich indonesians were regularly targeted. Some bundled beforehand to be met past a item community officer who gave them special clearance, for a previously arranged ransom of course. On the way back to the apartment in the dark we passed a body sprawled on the route, only nobody seemed to have stopped and my driver took no detect.

On Thursday 17th Nov I went off to the immigration role with a Mr Fixit to have my permits checked and my fingerprints taken. In that location were several forms, some for thumbs simply, some for three fingers only, some for consummate sets of prints but the thumbs on the wrong side! (ie the left fingers, correct thumb, left thumb and so right fingers). Each fourth dimension my fingers were pushed across the paper and then the prints were smudged. Richard J, the hotel architect, said this was deliberate. If all prints looked the same, they could pivot a crime on anybody!

Mid November 1977

17/xi/77: Scottish dancing again. Ann C came wearing what looked similar her pyjamas, but tied around the ankles - very bonny. xviii/eleven/77: Andrew and I went round to Ian's house where a dealer had come to sell antique china. Ian bought a plate for xx,000 rp (�30). Over the side by side yr I bought most fifteen pieces, probably at expatriate prices. Twenty 5 years after I didn't get my money back when I sold them. nineteen/11/77: Andrew and I went to a padang restaurant after playing squash. Padang nutrient is Sumatran, little dishes each with something different similar eye, brains, liver, kidneys, most in very hot curried sauces. (Javanese nutrient tended to take milder curry or coconut flavouring). The iced tea seemed to be flavoured with vanilla. Later we went on to the George and Dragon and the Jaya Pub where the petite, french-looking, sexy vocalizer was there as usual. Slightly like Eatha Kitt.

On Sunday 20th November I went downwardly to Pasar Ikan, the fishing port. In another part of the port I looked at the attractive sailing ships loading timber. Small men carried heavy loads on their heads barefoot up narrow planks from the dockside. On the far side of the dock I saw people squatting at the dock border and realised that they were shitting over the edge.Youths dived into the filthy sewage-ridden water nearby for pleasance!

27th November 1977. I went to Sarinahs store which can best be described every bit Djakarta's John Lewis. Everything for the middle class or rich person's habitation. Lovely batiks and leather appurtenances which I bought on several occasions for presents to take to Australia or England. It had a motorcar park - most big buildings and offices had their own car park which made Jakarta a lot easier to employ than London. I noticed that Van Heusan shirts were �25 whereas shirts could be made in Singapore for �5.

On the way home I stopped backside a bus at traffic lights when it inexplicably started reversing fast towards me. The conductor leant out of the door waving furiously. Luckily I wasn't too close. I was in neutral and took my foot off the brake every bit he hit me hard. The driver must accept been slightly in front of the lights which he couldn't see. He got out, saw there was no apparent damage, then drove off. The bonnet wouldn't open properly subsequently.

December 1977

On 1st December 1977 Bob took me to Erna's hymeneals reception. She was i of our secretaries. It was held at the DKI headquarters, equivalent to a Town Hall, which was hired out for functions. the bridal group were dressed in matching Javanese gold and brown kimonos and sat in large chairs with a decorative screen behind them. Erna had her hair all flattened back compared with her normal fringe and in that location were gold baubles on wobbly metal spikes stuck in it.

In that location was a speech past a professional speechmaker extolling the virtues of the bride, then speeches by relatives. Nosotros and so filed by, bowing. Bowing is normal in Java, like Japan, but more emphasised on this occasion. In that location was a large table with curried food and soups. Coke , Fanta, orange, etc. to drinkable as this was officially a muslim order, although alcohol was commonly drunk at other times.

Bob had got some tickets for an international badminton match on 3rd Dec 1977. We went to a big russian-built sports hall and were shown seats near the forepart three rows behind where the players and their relatives and coaches were sitting. I wondered if nosotros had been put there because we were white or looked important. We were close to the court, merely the view would have been better further back. The most important view of the cyberspace was almost always obscured by heads in front. The umpire's knees and tabular array as well hampered my view. I could see the players striking a shuttle, but not where it went.

However, I wondered whether Bob had come to run into the badminton or Lene Koppen. She was gorgeous, a small-scale girl with tight shorts and lovely brown thighs, a rounded bum and short hair with a fringe. Her opponent Verawaty was a big tall girl who overpowered Lene and won 2-1. Later some boys events we watched Liem Swie King against Sven Pri. Liem Swie was no. 2 in Indonesia to Hartono. Sven was like Nastase in tennis, fooling effectually to excite the crowd, pulling a canteen of gin out of his towel, hiding it under the table, etc. to much laughter. Liem kept his cool and kept ahead well-nigh of the fourth dimension, but took his time to finish the friction match off.

The main event was Rudy Hartono'due south return to international competition against Fleming Delfs, probably the world no. 1 while Hartono was non competing. Fleming seemed to exist off-form with many errors. Hartono was steady, consistent and unflambuoyant, winning fifteen-2, 15-five.

I went to the Petroleum Club on 4th December to see a play chosen the Curious Barbarous put on by the Thespians. Bob and Ros had asked me to bring together them with friends at that place beforehand for dinner.

There was very heavy rain on eighth Dec. Floods two pes deep fabricated life difficult for motorcycles and bikes. Motorcyclists went around with bare feet and legs, some covering their whole body and bicycle with plastic sheeting, others had passengers carrying open umbrellas, others just got soaked.

On ninth December we found out that Ian's house had been burgled merely subsequently he had left for go out in England. His radio had gone. We all suspected the jagga. They are often bribed to allow someone in.

Bob and Ros'south house was used for the St Patrick'due south hoolie on tenth Dec. 14/12/77: A slide show at Alastair L'southward house. He seemed to be the unofficial photographer for various social events. Paul One thousand showed slides of wonderful butterflies and steam railway engines still used in many places. 17/12/77: The Hash House Harriers Xmas Thrash. I went, even though I hadn't been out running with the Hash at that time.

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I've written nearly the beginning few months in some detail to requite my full general impressions of the way life was in Djakarta, but from now on I've connected with only isolated incidents.

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