Who needs a car? Effecient transport from Indonesia.
Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 9:51 pm
When I was in Indonesia this time last year I saw many instances of 3 4 and 5 people all on one small bike/scooter!
Here's some examples:
http://www.wildimagesphotography.com/ar ... 7/1718.jpg
http://aboyinjakarta.files.wordpress.co ... 5/bike.jpg
1. you're crazy enough to ride a bike on Jakarta streets.
2. wear little to no gear, thongs on your feet.
3. you carry your whole family on the bike.
4. sometimes includes a young baby in the arms of the mother or a sibling.
5. you've got your family on the bike, you're rocketing through the traffic and you've invested in a helmet. Who do you give it to? Your wife? Your children? Naahh, wear it yourself.
Even my wifes uncle rode with no helmet if my memory serves me correctly. Well-off professional, family etc.
The traffic was insane. Think parra rd in peak hour with an accident blocking one lane ALL DAY. What you think would take 20 mins to get there is 1-1.5 hours. U-turn anywhere, no such thing as a lane.
My brother-in-laws father-in-law cut off a bike rider, at the next lights they kicked our car denting the rear door as they weaved through the stopped cars.
When we arrived, a main freeway connecting the city to the airport was flooded. Road was blocked, but our stupid bus driver thought he'd drive around the road blockage, down the totally vacant freeway for about 3kms, to find, what a surprise, the road was flooded. Back we came, jumped the cue to get off the freeway by about 150 cars. Crazy country.
So many high suvs and 4wheel drives because it floods all the time and you need to be able to get through it.
Fun tho.
Here's some examples:
http://www.wildimagesphotography.com/ar ... 7/1718.jpg
http://aboyinjakarta.files.wordpress.co ... 5/bike.jpg
1. you're crazy enough to ride a bike on Jakarta streets.
2. wear little to no gear, thongs on your feet.
3. you carry your whole family on the bike.
4. sometimes includes a young baby in the arms of the mother or a sibling.
5. you've got your family on the bike, you're rocketing through the traffic and you've invested in a helmet. Who do you give it to? Your wife? Your children? Naahh, wear it yourself.
Even my wifes uncle rode with no helmet if my memory serves me correctly. Well-off professional, family etc.
The traffic was insane. Think parra rd in peak hour with an accident blocking one lane ALL DAY. What you think would take 20 mins to get there is 1-1.5 hours. U-turn anywhere, no such thing as a lane.
My brother-in-laws father-in-law cut off a bike rider, at the next lights they kicked our car denting the rear door as they weaved through the stopped cars.
When we arrived, a main freeway connecting the city to the airport was flooded. Road was blocked, but our stupid bus driver thought he'd drive around the road blockage, down the totally vacant freeway for about 3kms, to find, what a surprise, the road was flooded. Back we came, jumped the cue to get off the freeway by about 150 cars. Crazy country.
So many high suvs and 4wheel drives because it floods all the time and you need to be able to get through it.
Fun tho.
