EXPAT LIFE 2 - Transport

Shopping is one thing and takes up a fair chunk of time during the week.  Driving!  Driving is quite another also taking up a fair chunk of time as the roads on this small island become more and more congested.

Please don’t ever think that Australian drivers are bad – we are very disciplined in Australia, according to our driver who, I am happy to say, is very good by Indonesian standards.  Our advice to first-time visitors – “get in the car and shut your eyes”.   Madam (aka the crew) has spent a lot of time looking out the side window or closing her eyes and waiting for the crunch however, everyone seems to work it out and drive slow enough to avoid collisions - mostly.
 

Bikes galore.

Indonesia is full of motorbikes.  It is affordable and economical for the locals and anyway who says you can’t get the family on one bike?!  It’s easy – dad drives, mum sits behind, smallest child stands (or sits) in front of dad and older child (or 2) sits in front or behind mum.  It seems they are born to ride and are very comfortable just balancing on the seat.  No helmets for the children of course  AND… if mum happens to be pregnant or be nursing the baby at the time well there you go – 5 + on the bike!   Solo ‘mum’ riders who have toddlers with them overcome the danger of the child toppling off the bike while sitting behind mum by tying large scarves around both the toddler and mum’s middle ensuring that the two will not part company should the little one need a nap.

Here's a family of 4

Bikes also make it easier to get to the front of the traffic at lights, zip up the shoulder (sometimes the opposite way to traffic) to get where they need to go and, if the left side of the road is full at the traffic lights, well you can always sit on the other side of the road to wait for the lights to change.  Thankfully the traffic lights turn green to only one direction of traffic at a time but this can make the wait for the green quite long, long enough for some drivers to doze off!  “Yoo hoo”.  Amazingly, it all seems to work quite well and we have seen very few accidents in our travels. 

No room left on our side apparently

We have, of course, seen some hilarious modes of transporting goods and equipment.  Timber deliveries (if long lengths of timber), get slung over shoulders of the pillion passenger and shorter lengths often teeter across the bike seats with the rider sitting on top to keep it all in place, thus making the bike three times the original width and the rider sitting twice as high only just managing to reach the handle bars.  Ingenious individuals build baskets (or metal containers) that sit over the passenger seat making it a little safer to carry goods, or a piece of wood tied to the seat extending out both sides for tying large water bottles to.  More recently we have seen the bike/trailer below.  A much safer option for large deliveries however, most likely out of reach for the pockets of many locals.

A sight unfortunately not caught on camera, was the transportation of a wheel barrow.  Easy, just get your passenger to hold the handles of the barrow with the wheel on the road and drag behind of course!

One unfortunate woman sedately riding her bike in front of us one day did get collected by a car (not ours) when the car driver decided he wanted to get to the car park on our side of the road and thus drove across everyone and up our side of the road only to hit the woman rider.  She was knocked out and laying in the gutter when several locals tried in vain to stand her up!  We stopped to assist and Mr Neil (aka Skipper) tried to intervene to let her regain consciousness and check for injury but they were determined to get her on her feet and give her a drink of water.  What can you do?  We did not want to upset anyone and left them to sort it out, hoping she was going to be ok.  A drive-by check 30 minutes later revealed she and her bike had left the scene. 

The Indonesian drivers are neither patient nor ‘disciplined’ sorry, not at all disciplined, road rules and traffic lights are barely obeyed – we often say red lights are just a suggestion, not a ‘direction’ to stop – and traffic Police spend their day sitting in their air-conditioned rooms situated at major intersections never to be seen - except when VIPs (politicians, rich locals) decide they want to cruise unimpeded through the intersections, then the Police stop all directions of traffic until the VIP has passed.

Driving story No 2: Madam had been shopping and bought some ice cream.  Fascinating news my shopping.  Anyway, on the homeward journey it came to my attention – after sitting in the line of traffic for more than 5 minutes that the traffic lights at the intersection were not working.  My driver confirmed my suspicions.  However, we just sat there. 

Madam: “Why is there no Police directing traffic?” at the totally jammed intersection, somewhat reminiscent of a Dick Tracy cartoon for those who remember.   

Driver: “Oh no, no the Police will not come out and in Batam nobody wants to give way”  

Madam: ?*?!?#?!!!

My driver was also content to just sit and join the fray to get through the intersection.  Ice cream melting, Madam getting hot under the collar at the absolute idiocy of the situation and the fact that no-one will give way, decides to direct her driver to make a left turn and go the long way home. 

Driver: “Oh no no Madam, the lights may also not work on the other roads” 

Madam:  “LEFT TURN PLEASE!” 

Driver: “ok Madam”. 

Ugh!  Some days madam just has ‘GRRRR’ days.

You have to laugh.

Government buses are very few and far between so enterprising young men buy vans with seats (or not), paint them in loud colours, attach blaring horns and charge very little to transport anyone game enough around the island.   ‘Ojeks’ (motorbike taxis) are also abundant and can be caught from either a designated stop or by hanging around corners where you can usually flag one down and get a ride for a small fee.  Most passengers (usually women) ride side-saddle if they are wearing skirts, very casually balancing with high keels dangling, behind the rider to their destinations.

Many vans/buses in the middle of the main town.

And then there are taxis.  Most in somewhat dubious roadworthy condition and the meters seem to always be broken thus price negotiations commonly ensue but we have discovered that the 'Silver Cabs' company cabs have meters that work, are always clean and in are kept in good condition.  Recently, Jakarta decided that Batam does not have enough taxis, ojeks, buses, cars, trucks, semis and motorbikes on its roads and so sent over another taxi company (also metered) to give the locals more options for getting around the island creating a very unfavourable reaction from the long-suffering, broken-meter locals who unfortunately took revenge on the new drivers.

So Madam is very content to sit in the back seat (where she can’t see too much) and be chauffeured to the Mall, plus having a driver has its advantages…………madam is very used to having her shopping carried to the car and then brought in the house when she arrives home.  Visitors from Australia were treated to one such shopping expedition and on arrival home, madam, as usual went straight inside the house and after a few minutes realised that her visitors had not yet come in from the car.  On investigation she discovered that they were standing at the rear of the car ready to help carry the shopping in - as you do.  Madam instantly felt awful and so awaited her share of shopping bags too.  Sometimes you just get so used to be pampered.

If madam is sick and needs to shop, she will find her faithful driver having parked the car, take up position pushing the shopping trolley and silently following her around the supermarket.  Awww.  only if I’m poorly though.  Or, if madam has taken a little longer than she said, the driver can be found wandering the shops with mobile phone at the ready, sporting a worried look trying to find her.  Love it.

With the island being so overrun by vehicles parking can be a challenge.  When we visit the small shops (not the Malls) the narrow, pot-holed, gravel, side roads become choked with cars and bikes but thankfully there are orange-shirt wearing parking men “Parkirs” to help us.  These busy men direct traffic in and out of parking spaces, move bikes to accommodate cars and endeavour to stop traffic to enable one to enter and exit available spaces unimpeded.  For a fee of course - a very small fee 2,000 Rp – 20c which we happily part with.  There are jobs for everyone if they want it.

Well, that about covers the transport/traffic report.  We have met a few brave expats happy to drive their own vehicles and of course, we do also when the need arises which is thankfully rare.

Madam keeps offering to take our driver for a drive but alas he will not concede.  Hahaha.

Sadly, since writing this our faithful driver has decided to return to his home island of Java to explore better education possibilities for his growing family.  Thanks Mr J, we will miss your care and attention.

Bye Mr J, Terima Kasih.

Our new driver is proving to be very good so far but is all ‘go’ ….. literally, ALL GO, he runs everywhere when Mr Neil or madam appear.  He doubles as our Factory Security man, his English is very good and he seems to be pleased as punch to have the job.  We are sure that ‘stories’ will emerge from this association so stay tuned.  

OK, here's the story...... our new driver/security guard?  He, in his wisdom, decided that because he was doing TWO jobs - you know - Driver AND Security Guard that he was worth DOUBLE his wage !   Hmmm, anyone guess what Mr Neil told him? ...................:)

We are currently driving ourselves.   :(

EXPAT LIFE (1)

A view of Batam - can you spot the Opera house?

Well the factory and business is coming along splendidly.  Credit goes to the skipper’s prowess and diligence.  Well done, you have achieved amazing things considering the obstacles.  Proud of you.

The staff numbers are slowly increasing and a couple of Aussies are also here to train and assist with processes.

Why stand when you can sit ?

Expat life is in full swing.
Shopping in Batam – let’s start with shopping shall we?  Oh so different here - where the heck is Bunnings when you need it, not to mention Dan Murphy’s.  The crew has been sent on shopping missions to find things like .......... paint rollers, shackles, pulleys, welding rods, truck tie-down straps, stationery, plastic containers, brooms, floor cleaner….and the list goes on.  Most of the factory tool requirements could be obtained from any Bunnings store but here’s the thing  --  THERE ISN’T ONE.

There are however, material shops (material not in the sense of fabrics which is called ‘textiles’ here) but materials in the sense of everything you could possibly want for the shed or factory….EXCEPT…maybe the bit or the size of the bit that you need.  Having said that, there are very many ‘material shops’ and you just need to rely on your good driver to find them and keep asking until you find what you want.  This can take several trips depending on the varying store stock until you are satisfied that the sample ‘thingy’ the boss gave you to find is the same as the ‘thingy’ you are looking to buy.  I’m a girl!

A well stocked, tidy 'materials' shop

Many 'Rukos' in Batam (shops with house atop)

This task also requires one to be quite proficient at mime and drawing in order to explain what exactly is required if one is not yet proficient in the language.  The crew has overcome this hurdle by finding images on the internet and taking a photo of the screen with her phone.  “You have one like this?”  Much easier.

Now shoes, bags, clothes, perfume…..a different story.  YAY, love the girlie shops – Barbie shoes, you know girls, the ones with sparkles and bows and heels and colours.  Gorgeous.  Shoe heaven. 

Bags too and although they are only copies of the well-known brands, are cheap enough to buy a couple in case (or when) the first one falls apart.  DVDs for a fraction of the price anywhere else and usually you can watch the entire movie without seeing a shadow of someone getting up and leaving the cinema halfway through.  Funny.  What the heck, take it back and they will normally exchange it with a sheepish grin. 

There are many Malls on the island of Batam which cater for the “Chinas” (this is our driver’s pronounciation).  Each weekend many Singaporeans (Chinas) flock into Batam for cheap shopping, accommodation and food.  So here’s the lesson “Stay Away From Malls on the Weekend”.  The influx of tourists and the fact that Sunday is considered ‘family day’ sees Batam’s shopping population double and the shops are bedlam.  Singaporeans can also purchase very reasonably priced land, villas and houses here so they make Batam their 'weekend-getaway-holiday' destination.

Supermarkets are a little more challenging.  The supermarkets are much like any you have seen but are not as well stocked on Batam as in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore or the UK and it generally takes the crew a couple of trips to several different supermarkets to find all the things on the shopping list but - one trip to the Wet Markets caters very well to fill the fruit, veg and meat larder.

At the Wet Market

Surprisingly, not smelly !

The wet markets are a ‘must see’.  Vegetable stalls, fruit stalls, individual small grocer shops, live chickens, dead chickens, cleaned chickens, fish, live eels, meat, eggs  – the list goes on.  It all takes place under one roof, no air conditioning, no fans, many people, a bit of haggling and stepping over water puddles produced while stall owners clean livestock , scale fish and wash away melting ice.  A picture of bedlam but very well worth the effort.

The crew also got her sewing machine serviced and repaired (after many valiant attempts by the skipper who is much too focussed on the factory management to look at the machine AGAIN) and was very pleased at the price and the “3-day warranty” cheerfully and proudly announced by the shop owner.  The repair however, was short-lived (around 3 days I think).  Maybe the fact that the crew’s mother purchased the machine in 1969 and has been used frequently, has something to do with it.  Now to find a sewing machine retail shop.  Good luck!

One of three rooms in the textiles shop - so many fabrics

Of course, the electronic stalls that abound in Asia

Well, that’s enough of the shops, although we’re sure to have stories to tell ..... like this one -

Crew was shopping for eggs at the wet market where she is quite well known now and after the first walk around saying hello to people she heads for a stall selling eggs.  On the tray on display are 30 eggs all brown, on the tray next to them are 30 white ones.  The crew feeling a bit devilish asked the shop keeper what the difference was between the two coloured eggs.  My driver and the shop keeper had a fairly lengthy discussion about the difference and I waited patiently for the translation.  I did actually have some idea that the white eggs were ‘free-range’ but decided that I would wait to see what explanation I got.  Finally my driver told me that the white eggs are “natural”, you know “native madam, from a village”.  My suspicions were confirmed.  The somewhat frustrated shop keeper however was not satisfied with his description and burst into the conversation with her limited English vocabulary with  “oh this one had injection and this one not”. 

Always something to make you smile.  More stories later.

This is where you get keys cut - at the rear of the jeep

Timber delivery Batam style

DANGA BAY TO BATAM, INDONESIA

Too much time has elapsed between blogs, apologies.  But we have been busy.  Here’s the latest.   

After 2 years in Malaysia we have said ‘selamat tinggal’ to the lovely people we met and the great new friends we have made during that time. 

It's been fabulous, thank you Malaysia

We are currently living as expats on the Indonesian island of Batam.  Here we will be involved in the establishment of a factory and so must move off our beloved Bluestone to a more convenient location (a house) where we will have a little more room to move.

 

BATAM – became a Free Trade Zone in 1989 and is one of the largest islands within the Riau group of islands just south of Singapore.  The island has changed extensively over the past 40 years as industry and seaports have expanded.  The native people of Batam are of Malay origin, but with the rapid growth and development of the area various ethnic groups from all over Indonesia come here in search of jobs and a better life. Traditionally most of the people live in coastal villages, while the "Orang Laut" (sea people) continue to live on boathouses and boats and generally fish for a living.

Now we believe, according to statistics, that Indonesia is not the easiest country in the world in which to establish a business.  They weren’t kidding.  The skipper and crew have discovered talents and resourcefulness beyond anything imaginable in their working careers.  Aren’t we too old for this?

A good dose of patience is a pre-requisite for this undertaking as waiting for weeks for something to be done that was promised within days is becoming the norm for us unsuspecting white people.  Give us strength ! 

Truly, the skipper has done a sterling job despite the language, bureaucracy, customary and business barriers that seem to continuously plague us.  The contingent of staff he has managed to acquire appear to be very good and have some proficiency in English, which actually could serve to make us lazy as we should really be trying harder to learn and practice our Bahasa Indonesian.

The company driver has taken us under his wing and is very protective of “Mr and Madam” which makes us feel very welcome and important.  We don’t actually need protection of any kind as the people of Batam are like so many people we met throughout the Indonesian islands and we are happy and confident blending into the community.

A lovely outlook from our top floor

Bluestone has a new home too.  She is safely tied up at a beautiful Marina – a very flash address.  The crew has had the opportunity to clean out lockers and wash all the winter and wet-weather gear – in between swims in the resort pool – and is looking forward to being able to engage the sewing machine and also do some touch up painting on the decks.  Did I mention the resort has a pool.  Ahhh.

The house we rent is fully furnished and quite comfortable!  So much room, wow.  Christmas was celebrated with a BIG Christmas tree – well bigger than we are used to on the boat.  Of course, a house means more housework.  Ugh.  

Batam’s weather is “unstable” according to our driver and that is quite an understatement.  In the few months we have been here we have experienced beautiful sunny skies edged with soft white clouds (in one direction) and billowing black thundering clouds in the other direction.  The geographical position of the island makes for interesting weather patterns and fabulous rolling storms.  A bit of everything each week – very nice thank you.  The skipper likes to tell people about the “three drop rain warning” before a torrential downpour.  Often the skies will slowly darken, the breeze drops and a few heavy drops of rain will be heard before someone up there upends a bucket of water on unsuspecting persons below and you are drenched.  We know the warning signs now, dark, quiet, few big drops of rain…….head for cover !!

The Delightful Marina

Stay tuned….