Thursday, 16 March 2006 @ 7:15pm. Just when you think it couldn’t get any hotter or muggier, it does! The heat and humidity seem to be worse than usual these past couple of days. It’s okay, though, since today was a good day. I had lunch with a friend at Chili’s. It was expensive, but the tacos were worth it. Not the best Mexican food, but close enough. 
The “bottomless” ice teas were such a treat. I then had an interview with someone at The Asia Foundation. The staff were very friendly and helpful. I got a lot of great information and tons of food for thought. I will probably return at a later date for more data. There are several former Fulbrighters who work there as well, so that was a nice connection. All in all, this was a pleasant way to ease back into interviews after my time in Sulawesi.
I took the busway to get to the foundation’s office today. If you want to go in a straight line from Central Jakarta to South Jakarta, you can take the busway for 3,500 rupiah and whiz past traffic. It only took 20 minutes to get to South Jakarta (as opposed to a possible hour in a taxi) and the office was a 10-15 minute walk from the station. I did get turned around a bit at the Blok M Mall, however. The station ends at an indoor-outdoor mall with tons of stalls selling inexpensive clothing, shoes, music, etc. and there weren’t any exit signs. I eventually found my way out by asking a few security guards, much to their amusement. This was my first time taking the busway and I highly prefer it over the regular buses because 1) there’s AC, 2) a security guard/doorman is present and keeps an eye on folks (read: no touching and less chance of pickpockets), and 3) it’s cheap. The only problem is that there are very few stops and pretty much only one or two main routes.
As for my little room, I’m happy to report that the wasp nests are gone and I have lukewarm instead of cold water. I also came home and found that my room smelled funny. They had repainted my ceiling! Whether this prevents further leakage, I’m not sure, but at least there was an effort made.
And there was a full moon last night, but the moon’s face was sideways.
