Wednesday, 3 Jan07
Highlights: train station, rash of bad News for Indonesian transportation, blankets for Ena’s family, Night at the Museum, train ride home
I underestimated the effects of the holiday season on domestic travel. Usually there’s almost never a problem finding an open seat on a flight to Jakarta, or even a train. Post New-Years however proved a little different. A lot of people are rushing back to the capital for work at the end of their holidays apparently.
I was at the train station by 6:30am for my ticket. The earliest departure I could get was an 8pm train. No worries. It’s cheaper, and gives me a little more time in Yogya with Nina.
There has been a rash of bad news drawing national attention to a fascet of Indonesia’s infrastructural transportation woes… Namely the maintenance (or possible lack of) ferry ships and airplanes.
Last Friday (29Dec) a ferry carrying 600+ passengers sank in a storm while en-route from Kalimantan (Borneo) to Java. 250 survivors have been rescued, and more continue to be plucked out of the water from buoys and smaller tug boats after floating around for days at a time. My only ferry experience was at night, so I didn’t get a good look at the quality of the ship, but several friends have politely described the condition of many Indonesian ferries as “rust buckets”.
On Monday (1Jan) an Indonesian airliner (Adam Air #KI 574) disappeared with it’s 102 souls on board. Yesterday a minister anxious to deliver positive news declared the plane was found in the hills of Sulawesi with 12 survivors. It has since come out that this was false and based on unverified rumors. Aside from embarrassing, the false hopes raised by national ministers have added a sting to the grief of victims families and friends.
It’s an unfortunate string of bad news for Indonesia, which is working so hard to emerge from the string of disasters which have followed it like a shadow in past years.
Moving on to something more positive, I had a whole extra day to spend with Nina, and an unfinished helping project…
I wanted to help Ena’s family get through the cold nights in their bamboo home a little warmer & with greater comfort, so it was off to the blanket store again.
$70 and 2 big blankets later, we were back on the road to Bantul. Sometimes I think I enjoy giving these little gifts as much as the recipients enjoy getting them. The smiles and warmth of their thanks is more than reward enough. The important thing is that their quality of life just improved a little bit… in a way they can appreciate on a daily basis.
Highlights: train station, rash of bad News for Indonesian transportation, blankets for Ena’s family, Night at the Museum, train ride home
I underestimated the effects of the holiday season on domestic travel. Usually there’s almost never a problem finding an open seat on a flight to Jakarta, or even a train. Post New-Years however proved a little different. A lot of people are rushing back to the capital for work at the end of their holidays apparently.
I was at the train station by 6:30am for my ticket. The earliest departure I could get was an 8pm train. No worries. It’s cheaper, and gives me a little more time in Yogya with Nina.
There has been a rash of bad news drawing national attention to a fascet of Indonesia’s infrastructural transportation woes… Namely the maintenance (or possible lack of) ferry ships and airplanes.
Last Friday (29Dec) a ferry carrying 600+ passengers sank in a storm while en-route from Kalimantan (Borneo) to Java. 250 survivors have been rescued, and more continue to be plucked out of the water from buoys and smaller tug boats after floating around for days at a time. My only ferry experience was at night, so I didn’t get a good look at the quality of the ship, but several friends have politely described the condition of many Indonesian ferries as “rust buckets”.
On Monday (1Jan) an Indonesian airliner (Adam Air #KI 574) disappeared with it’s 102 souls on board. Yesterday a minister anxious to deliver positive news declared the plane was found in the hills of Sulawesi with 12 survivors. It has since come out that this was false and based on unverified rumors. Aside from embarrassing, the false hopes raised by national ministers have added a sting to the grief of victims families and friends.
It’s an unfortunate string of bad news for Indonesia, which is working so hard to emerge from the string of disasters which have followed it like a shadow in past years.
Moving on to something more positive, I had a whole extra day to spend with Nina, and an unfinished helping project…
I wanted to help Ena’s family get through the cold nights in their bamboo home a little warmer & with greater comfort, so it was off to the blanket store again.
$70 and 2 big blankets later, we were back on the road to Bantul. Sometimes I think I enjoy giving these little gifts as much as the recipients enjoy getting them. The smiles and warmth of their thanks is more than reward enough. The important thing is that their quality of life just improved a little bit… in a way they can appreciate on a daily basis.
posted by jonathan adventures at 11:06 PM
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