Fred went a wandering.

That bridge is slowly getting worse. The hole gets bigger by the day.
As you can see; it's got to the edge of the second sheet of steel now.



These people take a chance.



This guy takes a bigger chance



and this guy takes a slightly bigger one again.

The tree is too big



So up he goes with his chopper.

This dude collects rubbish for a living.



He'll make nothing and a bit per month and work until he's unable to do so because of old age or disease.
No pension plans for people like him so he'll hope family will look after him when that happens.

More madness on the roads.
I used to hate the roads but I've got used to them now and see them as a great source of photos.
Of course, I drive very carefully.

Back to health and safety (Indostyle)

I wonder what a British health and safety inspector would say to this contraption.

Hi mas fred
I was really amazed at your inspiring idea of taking pics as you go along in Indonesia. I for one, have just got a really good understanding and overview of Indonesia just by looking at each and everyone of your posted photos! I feel what you have done, is educate alot of people out there (who have not been to this region) on how Indonesia really is and portraying a "true" picture of actual day to day life out there. Hats off to you as alot viewers out there, will no doubt, learn alot from your real life pictures.

I'm glad I came across your forum today as I've learned and got a very good insight by your photo teachings, what the Indonesians way of life is out there and how they go about their daily business in order to survive!

Well done mas fred for your "Picture story book of Indonesia".

Regards
Jaz

That was a rather nice thing to say.
Thank you.

I fancied chicken rice porridge  for breakfast so I jumped on my bike and went to the stall.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmAyy5zB … h01nqb5yE=

I like that knackered bridge.
It's getting worse.



But bloody big trucks are still using it.



I wonder how long.

The pic of the heavy goods truck using the bridge is quite shocking!

Lets hope someone out there will prevent than cure -

Unlikely.
I had a closer look yesterday.
The hole now covers an area almost as large as the two steel plates.
They overlap it by about 30cm all around.
The only thing stopping further side expansion is the concrete supports but they wont stop the hole growing front/back.
I saw, but didn't manage to snap, a very overloaded lorry pass yesterday. The plates bowed alarmingly as the rear wheels went over them.
I took some video of another, smaller truck. If it's ok, I'll post it so you can see how much the plates shift as things pass over them.
I'm also working on another video of 'how to count in Indonesian'.
It only goes up to 5 but I hope it shows you a lot more than a little vocabulary.

Every year, towards the end of the rainy season, you see floods.
Locals tend to just ignore them as normal........



.... but an change to get some fish never goes amiss.

A common farming method in medieval England was strip farming.
Basically, a field would be divided into strips and farmed by individuals.
That system largely died out by the 19th century but still remains in a few places due to quirks in historical events.
There was evidence of it in my home town right up to the 70s but, other than the allotment system, it was gone.

Indonesia....

There is a level of religious intolerance in Indonesia but it's mostly down to a few extremist nutters.
As a rule, things are fine and there is little problem between faiths.
A new Buddhist temple not far from BSD, Tangerang.

It's nice to see people being able to follow their faiths in peace and without fear.

Temples normally have little shines. This one is no exception.



There are almost always pictures of senior monks around.





And the shrine

I'm going to have to work out how to post a video on this forum.
Until I do, have a link of a truck going over a bridge.
The hole is now pretty much to the edge of the metal plates.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHHnFdP7 … r7QVH3vUA=

mas fred wrote:

Traffic jams are about as common as the motorbikes, just less popular.
Many are caused by sheer weight of traffic. A lot more are caused by sheer stupidity.

These micro bus drivers are parked three abreast on a main road through BSD, Jakarta.


Note the passengers getting on the middle one.

He goes leaving one in the inside lane and another few in lane three.
Drrrrr.

hmm.. this road seems familiar to me

and yes, the micro bus drivers are quite crazy, they will stop anywhere they like, sometimes even without warning to the other motorist. As my friend says "only god and the driver knows where and when that micro bus will stop"

ichini wrote:

As my friend says "only god and the driver knows where and when that micro bus will stop"

God may know but the drivers rarely do until a split second before they slam the brakes on.
They see a potential passenger and it's all stop regardless of what carnage they create around them.

That was taken at BSD junction, the emptiest shopping centre outside Chernobyl, where a bunch of lads were interested in mugging me as I left the ATM.
They walked up, I smiled in a "come on then.....if you like hospital food" sort of way so they decided it was a bad idea and walked.

Really rubbish muggers.

I think I've gone native.
Hardly anything shocks me any more.

This may shock me.



That mess is in the office where you pay the water bill and what have you.

This wire hangs a little loose.



That could shock me as well.

They walked up, I smiled in a "come on then.....if you like hospital food" sort of way so they decided it was a bad idea and walked.

Really rubbish muggers. big_smile

Too right - you show them whos Boss mas Fred

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHHnFdP7 … r7QVH3vUA=

This bridge seems to get worse everyday especially when the heavy load trucks cross it without a care in the world...they are probably unaware what these metal sheets are covering!

The cables dangling and that junction box is really an eyebrow raiser!

Doing the silly, seemingly impossible or just totally crazy is pretty much average on Indonesian roads.

Mobile forest.



Mobile market stall



Running after said stall and/or pushing it up the hill because the bike is way  too knackered to make it with people on and without a push.

The young woman is far too interested in avoiding the beggar to give him money but look at the woman in the grey coat.
It's normal here to fish out the money you intend to give away from the person you'll give it to.
She was generous.



The Rolls Royce driver didn't see the beggar and probably wouldn't care anyway.



You don't see a lot of them in Jakarta.

This poorer than average village is just to the side of Binus school in BSD, Tangerang.
Better than average chance the Binus kids never see this place. Why would they want to?
Their year's school fees could easily buy a house there.

There are several ways to end the pain and misery of life.
In Indonesia, there are a few extra options.

Walk over a bridge.





Or ride in a micro bus.

While still in the UK, I had the odd flutter on the national and a lottery ticket now and again but I stopped bothering with both because I decided gambling was a bit daft.

Indonesia has strict gambling laws and you could easily find yourself in trouble if nabbed by the cops.

These guys were at it in the open.
Foolish at best.

This is some sort of board game.





How did I know they were gambling?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnzXUy6r … e=youtu.be

This is a card game of some sort.

The laughing guy is well up looking at his pile of cash.

There are many people wandering around selling various things on the streets.

This guy sells fish.



The cat gets a free meal



and I don't think the flies pat either

The main road from BSD to Tangerang is almost always jammed up.
The daft micro bus drivers are a lot of the problem.



But not many people much care about the rules of the road



One rider and two lasses side saddle.

Bamboo is still a very common building material in the villages.
The cities tend to see it used as scaffolding and decorative buildings.

Dirty great girders arrive on a lorry.
We need a crane - or maybe not.





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

The family business.
The kids collect plastic of whatever sort for recycling.

I had a really good wander yesterday and managed a few interesting snaps.

I've yet to upload the photos but I've managed the first of the videos.
This is a short walk from a town centre to it's train station. It should show you quite a lot.

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

Cows need to bath.





This blind guy works for a living. That's one up on being a beggar.

This woman is fit and healthy but she still begs.



Worse, she sends a kid into the road to do the same.

Here's a killer.
I've made mention before of people (Demi human scum) using kids as slaves to collect money at traffic lights.

These all have the same sign in an attempt to make passers by thing they need the cash for school.

The 'controllers' have other ideas. The kids get the cash and the adults take it.







The adults





The kids were hassling me for cash but that, other than the potential for pick pockets, wasn't much of a danger.
After these photos were taken, a couple of blokes started doing the same.
One was clearly injured, looked like a old broken arm that had never been set, the other had nothing obvious wrong with him.
They saw a potential wallet and were very interested to the point of clear violent intent.
I made for the main road where I was in full view of traffic. That was enough to put them off the idea.
One of the very few times I've felt potential for serious trouble while in Indonesia.
I'm pretty sure I could have taken both down avoiding a problem is far better than having it.

From the taxi.

Live fish have to be transported somehow.

Who remembers "CHiPs" on TV?
It was an attempt at a crime programme about the California highway patrol.

Indonesian police have high powered motorbikes as well.
I have no clue what they use thing for.







The police HQ is pretty big. I suppose they could use them for getting around the place.

I know exactly what this stuff is for.
Seems there was some sort of demo going on. The police were ready just in case the people got fruity.

The vehicles (Some with water cannon).





The tear gas guns.



A couple of cops.



The fire extinguisher.



No idea what the demo was but nothing on the news so I suppose it was nothing much.

The train station is not a like like anything you'll see in the UK.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlqyU5u8 … e=youtu.be