March 18th
Light breakfast in the morning in the cozy hostel, the suitcases put inside a lift which will also serve as our luggage storage, then also our arranged taxis are here. We are going to the national monument of independence. We drive up to a large park, where we get out. Monument in the center of the park. The park area is very large. Everything is clean and tidy. For Jakarta residents, this is a favorite place for sports activities. We have reached the monument. With high-speed elevators we go up to the 115-meter high tower’s viewing platform. Stunning city panorama. The park is surrounded by beautiful skyscrapers. From the top everything it is so clean, beautiful and neat. Then we go to the History Museum, which is located 3 meters below the monument. The museum exhibition is arranged in a circle. There is 51 diorama in total, in which the whole history of Indonesia is reflected. Impressive. Indonesian history, like history of many nations, is dramatic.
In the evening begins our way home but we still have time – half a day. We have decided to go to the zoo, because we want to see those primates and birds, which we did not see in the wild. To the Zoo we go by taxi. It is more convenient, and, to some extent, a small city tour. The tickets are incredibly cheap for the zoo. In the zoo all of us disperse according to their interest. Ilgonis is looking for the dragon that he didn’t see on the island, Agnese – for tarsier, Andra – for gorilla. Me and Vitolds are delighted by orangutans. How wise they are! How they know how to communicate with us, to show themselves. Unfortunately Agnese must leave sooner and without seeing tarsiers, as her plane leaves earlier, but we will be together again in Cologne.
After an hour also the rest of us, more or less satisfied, leave the Zoo. By taxi to get our belongings from the hostel, then to the airport. We spend 3 hours in the taxi, after all it’s a 9 million-people city. We see the un-polished side of the city, many spend their lives miserably. Near the airport there is an unimaginable congestion. Then we notice something interesting – stretch by stretch there are guys with motorcycles standing who are ready to deliver travelers, being late for their flights due to congestion, by motorcycle, including the baggage. Motorcycles here are able to go through the eye of a needle.
We are finally at the airport. We change our clothes. Unspent millions of rupees exchanged for some miserable euros. We are in the Turkish plane, where we are awaited by wine and a hearty dinner. Goodbye Indonesia! It was nice to get to know you at least a little.