Our first day exploring

Yesterday before our team dinner I met up with Daniel (from Hungary) and Antonella (from Italy) to do a little exploring in the area around our hotel.  We asked the concierge for a map and some directions to any sights within easy walking distance, and she cautioned us that Jakarta is not really made for walking around.  We didn't heed her advice, so took off walking - and soon realized she wasn't kidding about the city "not being made for walking."  The sidewalks were rare - if we found them they were 12" wide, very rutted, or basically not usable.  Traffic was screaming by from all directions and we didn't see anyone else walking, which should have been a sign.  After about an hour we decided to catch a cab and we went to the Welcome Monument in the center of town and to find a place for a quick lunch.

 

 Later in the evening we met up with the rest of our team and walked to a family-run local restaurant with good Indonesian cuisine.  Everything is served family style and we chose many different selections to share.  While I do like spicy food, I was a bit reticent to just dive right in as spicy in Raleigh NC is not quite the same as spicy in Indonesia.  My general rule of thumb is if it is bright red (probably fiery spicy) I should probably avoid it but anything else I will try.  We had a huge meal for about $5 each.

Our dinner from the local restaurant near our hotel.

 Saturday morning our team met for breakfast and then out into the city to do some sightseeing.  Our first stop was the National Monument.  In the basement there was a very informative diorama exhibit about Indonesia's independence.  By this point it was mid-day and it was getting HOT.  Because our next stop was to be a mosque, we all dressed in long pants and us women had long sleeved shirts as well.  Let's just say that the heat and humidity we have in Raleigh is not nearly as uncomfortable as it is in Jakarta.  We were all sweating buckets by the time we finished our tour of the monument. Being on the equator, the sun was also really strong.  A few folks on our team got sunburned from our quick walk around the city.

The National Monument

 After visiting the National Monument we went to the largest mosque in southeast Asia.  Having spent some time in Israel, Jordan, and Turkey in recent years I was curious to compare it to the mosques in those countries.  This one was very modern and different than the other ones I had visited.  Our guide also told us that during the high religious holidays upwards of 200,000 people crowd into this mosque. 

After the mosque we went back to our hotel to wash up and get ready for our IBM welcome event.  We went to the IBM Jakarta offices and received a tour of their facilities and spent some time meeting the IBM Indonesia General Manager and participating in a security briefing.  We then all went to dinner, ironically at the same place Daniel, Antonella and I had found for lunch yesterday.  The food was great and there was so much of it. 

On a side note, we've all been really impressed by the security in our hotel.  We've been staying at the Four Seasons which we know is really spoiling us as the rest of our accommodations are not going to be this caliber.  Jakarta's history has been peppered with some violence and terrorist attacks throughout the years and our hotel is reputed to be one of the safest in Jakarta.  There are double security gates for the entrance drive and all cars are checked for bombs and the security checks under the hood and trunk of each car.  We've been very comfortable living in the "Fortess Four Seasons" these last few days.

One of the many security measures at our hotel

We got back to the hotel around 9:30pm.  Tomorrow we're headed to our home base of Yogyakarta and will be leaving our hotel in the morning to catch our flight.   I spent a little while this evening re-packing.  I know that my bag is overweight so tomorrow once again will be paying some overweight baggage fees at the airport.  I am happy to report though that I am not alone and several other of my team members are in the same boat.

Relaxing for the evening I decided to check the news - Of most interest was how the protests are going in Bangkok (we still have a month before we are planning to arrive there).  The presidential elections are tomorrow so it will be a pivotal day.  I also saw that a major volcano erupted here in Indonesia today in the area of Sumatra.  We are located on a totally different island so we're safe - so mom & dad please don't worry!