I don't think anyone can truly comprehend the way that Jakarta never shuts down unless they come here. I had to get up at 3am the other day to catch a flight to Malang. As I was riding in the airport shuttle bus, staring out the window, I noticed people out on the streets just hanging out, shops fully lit and open, and dozens of cars on the road. And Indonesians think it's quiet when it's like that. Now I come from Sydney and lived in Chicago but those places still don't live up to the intensity that is Jakarta. This severely overpopulated part of the world is dirty, humid and shoulder-to-shoulder crowded. But it's also infinitely entertaining, diverse and full of cultures the world seems to be ignorant to. There are a myriad of issues when it comes to the way this country is hypocritically run and the attitudes of the people here in general but you know, there will always be a very special place in my heart for the motherland. After all, I am a mountain child with roots lying in the ridges of Malang, Madura, Medan and Palembang and my big city hunger is filled with the wonders of Jakarta.
-S
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