Jakarta

The flight from Hong Kong to Jakarta was bumpy but uneventful.
Walking through the airport, my first impression was that it seemed a lot like airports in
southern Mexico - Acapulco, Cancun. Hot and humid with jungle foliage outside the windows.
Everything is in English first, with Indonesian second. Getting through immigration reminded
me it has been a while since I last travelled internationally as I had forgotten to fill out
the paperwork the flight crew gives you for immigration and customs.
The airport is much smaller than one would expect for an international capital city with
over 9 million people. There are few terminals, very few gates, and no one is watching the
luggage. My immigration papers are stamped without review and no one asks for a customs form (which I didn't have anyway).

Our drivers, who speak no English, are waiting for us just past customs holding signs with
our names on them. Others in my party remembered to bring some currency from prior trips so
we had 10,000 rupiah ($1) to tip the baggage carriers. The air is very hot and very humid as
we walk to the car. At 5'9", I'm towering over most of the crowd, as well as outweighing
most of them.

The drive from the aiport to the Ritz once again was very similar to Mexico. Two lined
lanes, but cars form three - five if there are motorcycles. Goats wander freely along the
highway, and there are a number of marches with small shacks lining their banks. Families
are fishing and others are lounging by the water.

It's a Sunday afternoon in Jakarta, but the streets are still crowded. Our driver tells us
it is 5 minutes from airport to hotel but it really takes us 30. The air is hazy with
omnipresent smog. The suburbs of Jakarta have unpainted concrete homes with red, tiled
roofs. Most of the homes look in disrepair, until we get near the major hotels.

In Jakarta, the Ritz Carlton is across from the JW Marriott, which I see out my window.
Pulling up to the hotel, we are stopped in the driveway checkpoint by about 20 local police
who spend time sweeping our car for bombs. They open the doors and look inside the car,
inspect under the hood, and walk the circumferance of the car with mirrors inspecting
underneath. At the hotel lobby, we walk through a metal detector like they have at the
airport.

My room, as you would expect, is spacious and luxurious. Wide screen plasma on the wall,
marble floors, and a room as large as my living room. It's 4:20 PM as I write this, and I've
just finished ironing my shirts and unpacking. I think the rest of my party is napping prior
to dinner at the steakhouse in the hotel.

The only issue I've had thus far is figuring out how to change my location settings so that
my websites display in English instead of Indonesian. We head to the office tomorrow at 7:45
AM. I've taken a few pictures since our arrival as well as at the Hong Kong airport which I
will try to upload this evening or sometime tomorrow.