For some peculiar reason, I happen to have come to Indonesia. A couple of weeks ago, I got an unexpected phone call asking me to see Mr. So and so. I didn’t know this person very well and wasn’t really sure what was going on there. I usually turn down such a request. I’m not really interested in taking over somebody else’s role. Besides I hadn’t got so much experience with heat; I didn’t think I could deal well with it. Although I was reluctant at first, they somehow persuaded me to go and visit him.
Well, rainy season was upon us once again. I wanted to avoid ruining the following weekends blaming the weather at home anyway. Last summer, my town had 21 consecutive days with rain fall. It drove me nearly crazy. And it was very urgent; it was nearly the end of Ramadan in Islamic calendar. Almost everyone in Indonesia — approx. 90 percent of the nation’s population — goes back to their hometown to see their family for the national holiday. Stores and restaurants will be closed. And spotting vacant airline seats will be extremely difficult.
I also needed to make a reservation right after the call. I guess it was just my luck. I could get a seat, succeeded in packing my stuff without losing my enthusiasm and got on a plane. I flew from Tokyo to Jakarta — with my road bike.
It was a cool, rainy weekend in Tokyo. The air temperature was below 70 °F. And it poured all weekend long. As I walked to Shinjuku bus terminal carrying a hard bike case, I got totally soaked. I felt very uncomfortable. And when I arrived in Indonesia, it was fairly dry, warm and dusty. The temperature was more than 90 °F. I sweated like a pig and felt even more uncomfortable. It was just the beginning of the rainy season in Tokyo and the dry season in Jakarta. I felt like jumping into the swimming pool with my clothes on but all I could do was just getting to my hotel as soon as possible. Anyway, I’ve come to Indonesia! I will go with the flow and see what’s showing up.
