angusmccoll

Phu Quoc Island is just off the southern coast of Vietnam near the Cambodian border. If you were to continue the Vietnam/Cambodian southern border straight out into the ocean, Phu Quoc would easily fit into Cambodian territory. Through some quirky bit of administration, it falls under Vietnam control (I’ve since read that there is tension over the ownership of the island between the two countries). The island is a popular holiday destination for both international and domestic travellers. It has an international airport but I will be flying domestically from Ho Chi Minh City, which will take a short forty minutes. The plane is packed with mainly Vietnamese peoples and a few foreigners. There is a torrential downpour from a thunderstorm as we board and my luggage gets wet. Could have been worse. If I was flying with Virgin or Jetstar they would have cancelled the flight because Australian baggage handlers don’t work in the rain. I arrive at hotel around 7pm.

After arriving we hire a bike to go into town. There are night markets and within them are choices for eating. Phu Quoc Island is noted fro its seafood as a consequence of a significant fishing industry that flourishes here. And we’re not disappointed. The seafood is fresh and beautifully prepared in a very vietnamese way. Barbecued king prawns are followed by a fresh fish salad that you construct into rice paper-wrapped rolls with fresh salad bits and dipped into tasty sauces. Absolutely delicious. Then there was a bowl of soup. And for two people with four beers included, came to $25.

I only have one day in Singapore and I have a task to do. I haven’t organised my rail pass for Japan yet so I have to visit a travel agency. There are some in China town. The subway is fantastic here, very logical and easy to use. And if I do hesitate in front of a map, somebody comes up to offer advice.

Yes Singapore has a Chinatown like everywhere else in the world. I’m not sure of the history here and because of my short stay, haven’t applied much energy to find out. No doubt the Chinese are a big part of the history here. Chinatown is beautifully authentic, unlike the too-perfect harbour area. Street decorations add character and there is fantastic food everywhere. I visit Death Street. In this street were houses where you could take yourself to enjoy your last moments of life. The old and infirm would come here voluntarily (suspect there may have been some family encouragement) to die, either to get relief from pain or to spare the family of dying in the home. It is considered bad luck to the house to have someone die there. I suspect it probable still is.

I get my Japan Rail pass. Non Japanese have to organise this from outside of Japan to make rail and bus travel there affordable. After lunch I subway back into the Harbour area for some afternoon photography.

From the subway I get hopelessly lost in a labarynth of marbled clad shopping malls, with an artificial canal complete with gondola rides. I’m clearly the scruffiest dressed person here. Get me out of here! Santosa is an island just off Singapore. It’s possible to boardwalk there or catch a monorail. It’s main thing is a theme park – not my thing but the walk across was nice. It’s possible to take an elevated walkway through the impressive Marina Bay Sands hotel. The bit of height gives great views all around and under the glow of a sinking sun, there are plenty of photographic opportunities. Inside the hotel is out of my world. Outside is a garden. No ordinary garden of course. Metal trees tower many stories high. There is a walkway that can take you to the matrix shaped canopies of these structures. There are many of them and they make an impressive addition to this futuristic skyline. I understand at night they light up and there are all sorts of laser light displays happening.

PHOTOS TO FLOOW SOON

Over 10 million people live in inner Jakarta but if you include the outer reaches, around 30 million call it home. It is Indonesia’s administrative heart from where this very diverse nation is governed. What a job that must be. What a history it has endured to get to this point. Today it’s a modern bustling megatropolis that’s groaning under its own size. The roads are constantly clogged with traffic. The traffic is about 50/50 cars and bikes. Then there are buses, mini buses and trucks. The smog dulls the sky. How unhealthy it must be to live and work amongst all this. The roads are crying out for greater capacity but I don’t see that happening anywhere. Cranes dominate the skyline, building more high rises, which can only impact further on the roads.

I’m off to Ragunan Zoo today. I negotiate a fair price for a bike ride first thing in the morning so I can see the animals out and about. I’ve been caught out before, visiting a zoo in the middle of the day can be disappointing. That’s when most animals just sleep. Ragunan zoo is enormous. I know I’m going to get lost and I do. I want to see Indonesian native animals. Of course there are animals from all over the world because that is what people want but it would be more user friendly for me if all of the Indonesian animals were segregated from the rest. But that would be racist I suppose. There are families and thousands of school kids visiting today. I’m the only human foreigner about and the kids seem more interested in looking at me than the animals! Perhaps I could set up as an exhibit next to the kungurus! I have my photo taken several times. Some very familiar animal faces are here. Kangaroos (or Kunguru) and a variety of Australian birds live here now. The Kunguru’s even have a zoo street named after them.

There is a special ape enclosure within the zoo. You pay extra to visit but it’s worth it. The variety of apes is impressive, from gorillas to the smallest of monkeys. Watching them is mesmerising, particularly with babies. The cheeky behavior of the juveniles reminds me of some kids I know. The enclosures are generous with space and facilities for the occupants.

Jakarta also has a safari park just outside of the city.

PHOTOS TO COME WITH GOOD WIFI

I’m still weakened and a feverish from flu. I’ve got a map showing that the Monument Nasional is within walking distance so that is my plan for today. I’ve only come to Jakarta to exit Indonesia for Singapore. I don’t think many people come here as tourists. There are foreigners but their dressed for work. And where ever I go I don’t see others like me.

It’s late morning and already the day is hot. To avoid getting lost I follow the main highway, with choking consequences. How can a body deal with this pollution day in, day out?

The monument Nasional (or MONAS) is huge. It’s also known as ‘Soekarnos final erection’ and is an architectural extravagance befitting the enormous ego of the former dictator. It stands 132m high in Merdeka Square and made entirely of marble. You can elevate to the top for a view but even in a quiet day like today you can stand in line for an hour. I decline the opportunity. There is a museum in the base if the tower. It it’s Indonesia’s progress through time from the coming of man. Despite this monument being built for and by Soekarno, there is little mention of him in Indonesia’s story. How fickle history can be. As they say, it’s written by the winners.

Merdeka Square is a grand public space around the monument, used for grand occasions or just hanging about. While resting here I meet Yoyo. He is wearing a bear suit. This is how he makes his living for now. He gets paid to have his photo taken with children. Massaging kids’ imaginations earns him about $5 per day. His bear suit cost him $100.

PHOTOS TO FOLLOW

Arrived in Singapore. Australians do t require a visa for Singapore. And there are no inconvenient arrival and departure taxes to pay. That may be buried in the price of the ticket. Indonesia was constantly asking for departure taxes whether you were flying international or domestic. It’s an inconvenience to ensure you have enough money available. It was never clear as too how much the tax was until you got to the counter.

What a contrast to Jakarta. You’re immediately struck by the cleanliness and order. Cars and busses rule the roads with a few bikes and they obey the road markings. Traffic stops at zebra crossings, stationary people on escalators stand to one side, signage is logical and everywhere. There’s no challenge to crossing the road anymore. Another striking difference to Jakarta is the lack of (or perhaps the invisibility of) security. I don’t see any police or security personal here in Singapore. Everywhere you turned in Jakarta, someone seemed to be watching you (not that I’m paranoid).

I get a shuttle bus to my hotel. When organising accommodation I use an application on my phone called Agoda. It’s great because it provides a wide range of accommodation options for what ever time and place you dial in. I can then book and pay using secure paypal. Checking out of the hotel is easy because it’s all prepaid. While Agoda also provides a map to display location, you can’t really know what the area is like. I typically go for the cheapest hotels, as long as they have wifi in the rooms and include breakfast, then hope for the best. I’m booked into Hotel 101.

I get to my Hotel mid afternoon so there is time to do something. I catch the subway into the Harbour, which is the heart of Singapore. It’s all beautiful and clean and the massive docking infrastructure on the waters edge suggest this is a very busy port. Big ships everywhere are another clue. Mix this with a cityscape that is bizarrely futuristic and you have a very unique place. The water in the harbour is clear and clean. Exclusive shopping, marbled walkways and fine dining dominate this part of town. The water front is well utilised. Central to all this is the architectural magnificence of the Marina Bay Sands. It’s a hotel and has become an iconic feature on Singapore’s skyline. You would know it, three towers with a boat-shaped structure atop.

Hotel 101 is in an area called Geylang in Singapore and all looks normal during the day. At night, things change. It’s slap bang in the middle of a red-light district. Beautiful young girls ply the streets. So numerous are they that I had to weave my way through them to get to my hotel. They are very friendly and polite and I reply to their nicities. How funny. This is another side to perfect Singapore.

PHOTOS TO FOLLOW WITH GOOD WIFI

I start the day with no real agenda apart from visiting an old Dutch fort, Fort Rotterdam. The Dutch used this fort to oversea the harbour. There is a magnificent museum here that explains the history of Sulawesi and it’s many cultures. It tells of how Islam was introduced in the 1400s by Arabic traders.

While here I meet Ali. He is a 62 year old pedal cab operator. He escorts me around the fort and tells me stories about his father working here and his father’s experience of the Japanese during WW2. He offers to take me on a tour around this part of Macassar. We visit the fish markets and the busy harbour. How exciting it would have been to be here when pirates plied these waters. Makassar is famous for it. Their are many bars around this part of town that are remnant of those crazy times.

We go onto a royal burial ground where a king is buried with his family. They are imortalised in the memories of their followers to this day. The grave of the king is visited regularly by Muslim worshippers.

We call into a local cafe where I experienced the best coffee in all my time in Indonesia. We chat with the locals. Ali translates the conversations for me. Outside a Muslim funeral procession passes by with great colour and spectacle. The street is temporarily clogged with bikes and chatter. I love this genuine experience.

We move on to visit the biggest mosque in town. I wander around with little distraction to the colorful proceedings. A wedding is in progress and the costumery is stunning. Nobody seems to mind my non-Muslim presence.

On the way back I offer to change places with Ali. I pedal him while he nervously takes the seat. The brakes aren’t that good and there are a few tense moments while I jaggedly negotiate the traffic. It’s fun and bystanders are amused if not confused, but Ali soon takes back the reins. This pedal cab cost him equivalent of $200 and is his life.

I catch up with Adam again, over a few beers and dinner. We find we have more in common than just two Australians at the same hotel in Makassar. Adam did his honours study at James Cook University. And for my JCU friends, he is Jan Marrinan’s nephew. I know Jan well. How small is this world.

Adam’s archaeological field site is close to where Alfred Russel Wallace had his base while collecting butterfly’s and other critters. He was a naturalist in the mid 1800s who noticed a huge difference between the animals on Sulawesi with those of neighbouring Borneo, despite the two islands have sublimate climate and geography. As I understand it, Wallace worked with Charles Darwin to explain this curious situation. They deducted that the islands had very different geographical histories, Borneo with Asia and Sulawesi with the pacific. A line separating the two and beyond became known as the Wallace line. This theory was later confined tectonically.

Jakarta Jakarta Jakarta… I hit this city feeling low and it didn’t get any better.

My last night in Makassar was a shocker. Complaining sinuses from a persistent head cold and indigestion for the second time in my life made sleep hard to come by. If it wasn’t for previous experience of indigestion I would have thought I was having a heart attack. No drinking water anywhere so I had to go down 11 floors to the loby to trouble someone for enough to pop some paracetamol relief. No money for the taxi to the airport and of all times, had my first fight with the ATM. Fortunately some guys servicing a nearby ATM helped and even rushed out to my taxi after I left my card behind. My flight went seamlessly thanks to Sriwijaya Air (must fly with them again).

Arrive at Jakarta airport around 3pm thinking I had plenty of time to get to hotel and settle in but a bumbling taxi driver robbed me of that. He had no idea where the hotel was or how to find it. We finally get there and he asks for a tip. “Be good to your mother” was my reply but he didn’t understand. My phone is low on battery and the power points in the hotel are different to Sulawesi but I manage to rig up a workable solution without electrocuting myself. The hotel promises wifi in the rooms but it doesn’t work. I can’t communicate at all and it’s choking me. I go for a walk. My low mood maybe be contributing but my first impressions paint Jakarta intimidating. There is security everywhere and I feel guilty of something but I don’t know what. Metal detectors guard the entrances of shopping centers. And there isn’t a comfortable friendliness here that I’ve experience elsewhere. Perhaps a good night sleep and some functional wifi will change my view of things.

I’m staying in a region central to Jakarta known as Thamrin, for no other reason than it has a concentration of hotels with competitive prices. Jakarta is huge and doesn’t really have a typical city centre to focus on.

Makassar is at the opposite end of Sulawesi to Manado. It sits on the southern tip of this strangely shaped island and is the capital of Sulawse with a population of over 1.3 million peoples. And it is the fifth largest city in Indonesia. Makassa is in complete contrast to Manado. It’s population is largely Muslim and as there were churches in Manado, there are mosques here. It is also a major sea port for Sulawesi and has amazing history. On first impressions Makassar, is obviously bigger and, in some ways, much more sophisticated. It has developed its waterfront into popular public spaces.

I arrived here around 2.30 with Lion Air and after checking into my hotel I hit the streets to check the surrounds. It’s just a short walk to the water front. Initially it’s reasonably quite but Saturday night is approaching and this is a popular time for locals to get out and have some fun. Activity increases as a fun park sets up. Families come out and under a magnificent sunset, things start to happen. Markets set up and there is entertainment of all descriptions happening over the water front. The atmosphere is very family orientated and friendly. Tourists are rare so I attract attention, especially from students practising their English and interestingly, young girls who thrive on having their photo taken with a visitor. Its all good fun and I don’t mind the attention. A popular element of the fun park is remote-controlled cars. These cars are big enough for a young child to sit in and the parents (or an adult) walk on behind with the controls.  Or there are cars that they can control themselves. It’s hilarious. This must be where they develop their crazy driving skills for survival on Makassan streets.

The most impressive thing I saw was a peddle powered kids ride. A pedal cart had been adapted to have four car-shaped seats on its front. The cigarette-smoking operator sat at the back and his pedalling made these car-shaped seats gently buck up and down. It was popular and he was busy.

While having a quite beer at the hotel I met a young Australian. Adam is an archaeologist managing a dig near Maros, a town just outside of Makassar. Its a highly responsible job and they making some amazing discoveries there. They have finally been successful in dating some cave paintings in the limestone projections in this region and have found them to be much older than originally thought. And this could have implications for the history of Aboriginal art in Australia. You will hear about it in the media in early October. Adam has great experience of life in Indonesia and can speak the language quite well. He has to, to negotiate with local staff and administrators. He gave me some helpful advice, including who not to fly with when travelling around Indonesia. “Lion Air has a terrible track record for accidents and crashes. Don’t fly with them”. Well…that will explain why the air hostesses say a little prayer during take off and landing! I’ve flown with them twice now. They are cheap!