Fred went a wandering.

Tidak apa apa ya but a very well strapped down load or it would be in the road, and a much bigger mess.

Hi Mas Fred, first time I see your photos, I just like, wow, hahaha, amazing and beautiful.
You captured so much moments which I am, as Indonesian myself, often missed it in everyday life.

Good job Mas Fred. I am enjoying so much your photo.
Keep up the good work.

A high building being renovated.



and a worker, risking his life because health and safety is a bad joke out here.

A slight aside from my usual stuff so I can tell you a little history.
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I've been over here for quite a while now but, every so often, a little reminder of my old life crops up.
I was hunting through some old files when I found this picture of my disco/karaoke stuff just before I left England.
My disco career started when an alcoholic friend asked me to run his show for him while he was on holiday.
He trained me up for a couple of weeks then left me to it. It proved so popular, I carried on for over 20 years.
I made a lot of cash out of that and had some great fun.
I started using vinyl and a bloody great big pair of cloud 9 decks, eventually moving on to a PC based system.
After a while, I moved on to karaoke, mostly using computer files, so I used a second laptop for that.
I also specialised in Chinese karaoke, a big deal that proved a nice little earner.

My last show, sadly, was ruined by a drunk who caused a fight and ended the night rather early. A bad end to a fun 20 odd years.

Zombies, I'm assured, eat brains.
This daddy has nothing to worry about in the event of the undead attacking Jakarta.

People hang around in train stations - mostly for begging or busking.



In countries with free health care, birth deformities are operated on and repaired as much as possible - here, you must have cash or you stay disabled for life.



When you get off the train, transport is easy to find.
Motorcycle taxis and Bajai (tuk tuk) are easy to find but you may not get to your destination in good health.
That area of Jakarta has terrible traffic and these guys are as mad as spoons.

Road humps are way too common in Indonesia.
Most are illegal, badly designed and many are far too high, some to the point of cars getting stuck on them.
They are built in the name of child safety.
However, the steaming morons who build them allow little kids to ride motorbikes.
This is a common sight away from main roads.

Great intuition even though all of ur pic show us Watta ironic in this life..

From time to time, someone with a brain builds a road hump.
These new ones are being built to stop street races using the road but are well designed.
I was informed, weekends see street racers on that road at silly o'clock in the morning. As is common here, the police did not a lot about it so the locals did.

[Moderated: offensive posting]

Indonesia is a country of deep contrasts.
Tomorrow will see me at a technology show, where many of the latest computer gadgets will be on display for the technogeeks, other people will be working in the fields.



Loads of people will be doing stupid things on motorbikes - that won't be changing any time soon.

I've been in Indonesia for quite a long time now and, in those years, I've only found two things that really bug me.
The first is the internet. It's always been slow, unreliable and expensive but, with the improvements First media have made and the new mobile service from Bolt, that problem has gone away.

The second is the roads.
There are many problems with the roads here but the upshot, regardless of proportion of blame, is they're really dangerous.
Some roads are in a bad way.
This one, ironically enough, is on the way from the driving licence centre in Tigaraksa.



However, it's not a million miles away in quality from a lot of other roads.
This taxi is trying to avoid a hole in BSD, Tangerang.

Now, back to that road near the driving licence centre.

Some of the pot holes are quite a size and, after a heavy rainfall, you can't always see exactly how deep.
This truck driver didn't.

Street food stands are everywhere.
This one has set up on the road, using old telephone boxes to tie up to and handy seating.

Discipline is lacking on the roads here.
A bus stopping in the middle of the road is common, regardless of other traffic around it.

Motorbikes are good for a laugh - if they weren't so ruddy dangerous.



From the silly to the stupid.
There was a traffic jam so this idiot went over a footbridge, ruddy close to hitting me.



and there he goes...

From the silly to the stupid.
There was a traffic jam so this idiot went over a footbridge, ruddy close to hitting me.

It happens in Bahrain when these motorbikers cannot bear to wait in traffic so they will short cut and drive on pavements - they need a good slap!! 

Motorbikes are good for a laugh - if they weren't so ruddy dangerous.

Fred Flintstone mobile, eat your heart out !! 

This guy sweeps the steps, hoping for passers by to leave him a few coins.
A large group of football supporters passed by and, I'm happy to report, several gave him some money.

Keep on wandering Fred. Great pics mate.

Interesting!

Poverty is a problem here.
I've posted similar photos before but a few new ones never hurt.
This has been illegal for some while over here but little things like the law are often ignored.

I think I'd better upload the contents of my camera. and post a few so we can get past this page.
I have a bunch of election photos and a few other bits and bobs I've snapped over the last couple of weeks.
Indonesia is a pretty new democracy so the vote is taken seriously but politics are politics and national ideas will always come up in the way people campaign in elections.
That commonly means many will politicians lie a lot and parades will be held - Indonesian style.

Home made car first, elections in a moment.

Election rallies require a truck decorated with a bunch of flags.



You must have motorbikes, all trying to hold their flags as dangerously as possible.



Sorry, lots of motorbikes.



and, just to finish off, a microbus or few, all stuffed with people.



Some cynical people suggest they party supporters are paid to run around with the party shirt on and end up collecting a lot of shirts over the campaign.
Of course, I don't believe that for a moment.

Another election. These are around at weekends and, if you look carefully, I wouldn't die of shock if your found a few of the same faces from the first lot I posted.

Breakdowns happen in every country.



but jacks are more interesting here.

Very interesting! Nice to go through it all...
Recognise some of the place as I used to live in Bintaro and BSD.

This little baby wandered past my front door a few mornings ago.



I was very tired.

As I wander, people often ask me why I carry a camera.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9BOeReC … e=youtu.be

Tomorrow sees election day.
Every Indonesian citizen has the right to go to the polls and vote.
The polling stations are commonly tents, spread around in every locality so as many people as possible can vote without travelling very far.
No election is perfect and I've every confidence there will be some dodgy dealings but Indonesia is still a new democracy and most people take their right to vote very seriously.
I suspect anyone nabbed cheating will face time in gaol.

In the UK, there are very strict laws regarding knifes, tasers and so on.
These rules tend to be more relaxed in Indonesia.
This was snapped in a supermarket a few days ago.

Back to the election.

As I mentioned, Indonesia is a new democracy so most people take elections very seriously.
Many shops, even bigger ones, opened in the afternoon.

The voting stations were well set up. This station asked me to take photos as they were keen to show the election was being run properly.

You register as you enter the station, using a photo ID to prove who you are.





You sit down and await your turn. The controller reads out your name and you get a voting form.



You must leave your mobile phone on the table. These aren't allowed in the booths.



Fill in your ballot papers



And vote

It was also a busy election day here in Bali Fred.  Did I vote?  I sure did!   

I can't do so.
However, I'm giving thought to going WNI.
My UK passport must be renewed next year so I'm taking a serious look at options.
I have to see what happens to pensions and so on.

I have little doubt that whatever your decision, it will be the best decision for you. 

Cheers!

Back to that election.
For some people, it hardly matters who wins - it'll make not a jot of difference to them.

Transport can be fun.
This lot were working just down the road so the work's truck was their transport home.
Seeing a bunch of kids hop onto some random truck is a common sight.



Other transport is even more common. Motorbikes are definitely king of the road out here. Little things like a licence are minor points. This girl said she was 14, 10 looks closer.



Her feet don't reach the floor.

A policeman with two pipes.









Any large crowd of people/protesters can get out of hand - may day parades are no different so the police set up posts - just in case.

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.