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.   :(