Back in Jakarta

Though contrary to our original plan, I am back in Jakarta without my family, who remain in Singapore.  The reason for my early return is a family emergency has compelled us to return to Arizona for a few weeks.  We'll be leaving next Wednesday and I needed both to put in some time at the office as well as retrieve a few items from our home in Jakarta for our trip to the U.S.

I arrived late Wednesday night and spent Thursday and Friday in the office.  Friday's weather provided an annoying reminder of the challenges of living in Jakarta.  Heavy rain fell shortly after 3 PM.  My planned schedule for Friday evening was:

4 PM - Leave work
5:30 PM - Yoga at my house
7 PM - Leave for a dinner with a friend
8 PM - Arrive for dinner

The rain, and a bazaar in North Kemang, changed my schedule to:

3:50 PM - Leave work
5 PM - inform yoga instructor I would be late
5:30 PM - inform yoga instructor I needed to reschedule
6:30 PM - decide I won't make it home and should just go to dinner
6:45 PM - Traffic finally clears so I go home
7:00 PM - arrive home (that's right, 3 hours to drive what normally requires 45 minutes)
7:15 PM - leave for dinner
8 PM - arrive for dinner

Indonesia must do something about their infrastructure if they ever expect to be a developed nation.  Without a good highway system, everything else they are working for will be irrelevant.