Page 47 and a strange fruit.

[Indofred]

This guy would last about 30 seconds in England before a boat load of cops arrested him for selling these things.
Such hawkers are common here and, so one bats an eyelid.

 

[Indofred]

Indonesia is a hot country, except for the cold bits in the mountains.
That means high ceilings are very popular but, as we all know, spiders like to make cobwebs.
High ceilings mean you have a problem ... or a lot of spiders and a mess.
This guy sells the answer to your problem.

 

[Indofred]

The roads are always good for a photo.
Young kids riding a motorbike is pretty much normal here.

 

[Indofred]

Tyre repair shops are common here;they have a good trade for reasons that will become clear before you finish reading this post.

The dude fixes the puncture

but how come these places get so much trade?
Ah, that explains it.

Lack of cash and lack of any clue as to road safety means tyres are used until it's totally impossible to use them.
I still follow British rules, changing the tyre as the tread gets low, but my old ones get sold on and used.

 

[Indofred]

As you may be aware, I'm the proud owner of a car.
You probably know, I really love my gadgets, preferably things too many other people don't have.
What can I say? I'm a show off.
Anyway, I'd just been looking at in car fridges for my cans of coca cola, but I had to scrap the idea.
I dislike copying other people's ideas.

 

[Indofred]

The roads always give me something to snap.

 

[Indofred]

It's nice to see old cars on the roads.
This Mini Moke would be unusual in England, I was pretty shocked to see it out here.

VW vans are quite common - they even have rallies for old VW stuff.

 

[Indofred]

Indonesia is mostly hot so you need a hat when you're outside.
If you're in the sun for a very long time, say whilst painting a fence, you need a really good hat that'll protect your neck.

 

[Indofred]

I've seen several old British bikes, this is one of the best so far.

 

[Indofred]

Something looks broken

Electricity can be fun

 

[Indofred]

Yes.

 

[Indofred]

Students are normally polite to teachers.
This is pretty much average in the schools I've visited.

 

[Indofred]

Many people see Indonesia as a third world country, and some of it probably is, but we also have top quality, bang up to date shopping malls, as good as, or better, than anything in the UK or America.
This one is SMS, South Tangerang; the bottom floor, outside, is all restaurants and bars, so it's become a bit of a hangout for foreigners and better off Indonesians.
It also has a very nice multi screen cinema and, get this, a place on the top floor that does great doner kebabs.

 

[Indofred]

The exit from another, smaller mall can be interesting.
This is BSD plaza, also in South Tangerang, where there is an excellent shop called, Glodok electronics. If you need electronic goodies without going up into Glodok or Mangga dua, take a look in there.
You can buy TVs.

Sorry, only had my mobile phone and very little time to get the shot, so the picture isn't great.

 

[Indofred]

Road safety is extremely important in Indonesia.
You see all sorts on the minor roads, but on main roads such as this very busy junction in Bintaro, things are done by the book, with every point of road law being observed and stuck to like glue.

 

[Indofred]

Indonesia has one really big problem - the roads and most of the stuff on them.
One of the biggest of these problems is smashed roads.
This lovely mess is at the north end of BSD, near Alam Sutera.
Yes, it is a main road, not some mud track.

 

[Indofred]

It's Ramadan, a time when most Muslims fast, but not all.
Some don't because they don't fancy it, some because they aren't allowed to , and some for medical reasons. Christians and other religions also eat as normal.
The vast majority of restaurants remain open as normal, but they put screens up so those following the fast don't feel hungry at the sight of people eating.

 

[Indofred]

I often hang around at roadsides - such interesting places.

A truck (ish)

Going the wrong way, no one cares.

Seatbelts must be worn at all times

Two little boys, sorry, girls (and Rolf song are probably less than popular at the moment)

No comment

 

[Indofred]

It's almost election day in Indonesia, the time that will decide Indonesia's new president - and it's immediate future.
I'll leave aside my political opinion, but there are some concerns in some quarters regarding at least one candidate.

Banners are everywhere.

For some people, the outcome is unlikely to matter.

 

[Indofred]

Parkir are people that look after your car or motorcycle when you park it and generally help you get back into traffic.
The street ones are usually unofficial but no one complains as they're so useful.

They don't do it for charity, so out goes the hand for some cash, usually 1 or 2 thousand rupiah.