Mar 14

We made tremendous strides in our project today. The team has worked long hours the last two weeks to try to get ahead of the schedule so we have time to spare at the end of the project if necessary. This is how I prefer to run projects, so I am pleased that they have seen the merit in the process.

This evening, we went to the same restaurant my colleagues visited prior to our flight to Timika. "Cilantro's" is on the top floor of the tallest building in Jakarta. It is one of the nicer restaurants in the city. We had six people in our group and with dinner, drinks and dessert, the tab was under $150.

Restaurants out here suffer from poor customer service. I blame it on a culture of no tipping (some businesses even post signs that say "Thank you for not tipping"). Cilantro's was no different. Prior to placing my order, I clarified that the Thai Mango Salad was just that - a salad. Fruit and vegetables only. The waiter confirmed this to be the case. When the salad arrived, it had what looked like baked chips on the top. I asked what they were, and they replied "fish". I indicated they should take it back and I had no intention of paying for something they had lied to me about. They wouldn't, and I had to pay for it because I ordered it. We also ordered a steak dish. We ordered one, they billed us for two saying they brought us a large one (there isn't a large one on the menu).

Tomorrow I am going to the Safari Zoo. The concept of it is very exciting, so I have high expectations and am really looking forward to the trip.