Air Quality

As mentioned before, the traffic here in Jakarta is extremely heavy and this has an impact the air quality.  From our apartment window we can see an indicator of this by simply looking at the high-rise buildings in the distance.

The quality levels can change dramatically throughout the day.

In the morning, when rush hour gets underway, the levels rocket and the buildings disappear into the smog.















The levels typically drop around mid afternoon and you can start to see the buildings much better.

But by late afternoon they slowly disappear again, as the afternoon rush hour traffic builds up.  Sadly, I report there are some days when the smog does not seem to lift at all.

To confirm the visual indications seen, I came across an interesting website recently which shows a real-time air quality index.

Here is what it was like at around lunchtime today.
At its highest this morning we had an ACI of 161.

To give you some comparisons, as I write the following cities have an Air Quality Index of:

• Stockholm AQI 38
• Manchester AQI 56
• London AQI 27-60 depending on the area of London
• Beijing AQI 184
• and Södertälje AQI 18

Another aspect to this is that indoors, the apartment needs cleaning on a very regular basis otherwise you notice it on your feet or our once white socks.  Whilst outdoors, when I wipe down the furniture on our balcony the cloth comes away black, but I suppose that makes a change from the yellow birch tree pollen that I have become used to in Sweden.

On a personal note, in an attempt to get fit, I have taken to running around the grounds of our apartment compound, in the mornings, before the temperatures rise.  Whilst doing my runs, I wonder what affect the poor air quality is having on my struggling lungs and whether I can use this as an excuse to explain my red face and slow running pace  :)

I normally enjoy being outside and I like have the balcony doors open most of the day, to let a breeze in but some days the smog is so bad you can nearly taste it, so the doors remain closed and the air conditioning on and I long to return to the fresh air of our home in Sund.

However, today is not one of those days, the AQI is surprisingly low, I can see the high-rise buildings quite clearly and the balcony doors are wide open!

Have a look to see how the air quality is near you and around the rest of the world, by going to aqicn.org, they even have a phone app.

Traffic Jam - Macet

Jakarta is famous for its traffic jams, they even have their own word for it in Bahasa being 'Macet'.

With Jakarta's daytime population estimated to be over 12 million and with having a poor public transportation system you can understand the traffic is bad.

Journeys are not measured in distances but in estimated time and the time can be affected by the time of day you are travelling and even whether or not it is raining.

It is highly recommended that before setting off on any car journey that you have with you something to drink, that your mobile phone is fully charged, something to read and maybe even have something to eat.  You can expect to sit in a traffic jam for part of your journey wherever you are going, however short the distance.

One of the common sights to be seen whilst sitting in a queue on the motorway are vendors walking up and down in-between the tightly packed cars, trucks and buses.  They sell a variety of things such as water and snacks like tofu, nuts and fruit.  They continue selling their wares even when the traffic starts moving again.

Today, on a motorway journey of about 1 hour, I must have seen at least 20 of these men walking up and down between the vehicles, carrying their various snacks at shoulder height, knocking on windows, breathing in the noxious exhaust fumes and this in temperatures of 35°C.  Even when a sudden heavy shower of rain started, it did not deter them.

BOTTLED WATER - AQUA

Coming from Europe it is easy to take for granted how accessible fresh water is.  It is valuable commodity here in Indonesia.

We have quickly learnt that even though we are fortunate enough to live in a new apartment complex that we cannot drink the water from the tap or use it for cooking.  Much of the ground water here in Indonesia is contaminated with heavy metals and bacteria such as e-coli.

So a must have gadget for every home and office here is a water dispenser for bottled water.  We have an electric version which not only chills the water but also boils it which is perfect for my regular cups of tea.

We buy the water in 19 litre containers.  When buying we have found it is easiest to ask for Aqua - which the name of one of the most popular brands from Danone. When buying the big bottles you need to make sure it comes with the antiseptic wipes to clean the tops before replacing the bottles.  It is also necessary to check that the plastic safety seals have not been broken, as you don't want a bottle that has been refilled cheaply somewhere outside of the factory.

Not being able to use the tap water for drinking or cooking presents a number of challenges which we had not really thought about before.

For example, you cannot brush your teeth with the water from the tap in the bathroom. So, part of the new teeth cleaning routine here includes ensuring that we have the necessary bottled water by our toothbrushes ready to be used.

Also when preparing food at home, when you want to wash fruit, vegetables and salads you have to use the water from the dispenser. You can't just run them under the tap like we do in Sweden or the UK.

This is also something to be considered when eating out.  You do not want to risk eating fruit, raw vegetables or salads which have been washed with tap water, nor for that matter, ice cubes made with it.

As the traveller's saying goes, 'Cook it, boil it, peel it or forget it'.

So next time you run the tap, waiting for the cold water to come through, for say a glass of water or to brush your teeth, take a moment to remember how fortunate you are to have fresh water.  I know I will next time I am back in the UK or Sweden.

So after the adventures on Thursday the rest of the weekend seemed quiet tame by comparison.
Simple activities, such as food shopping and finding our way around Jakarta.

We found a few good places to eat, including a nice tea shop just around the back of our apartment, called Lewis & Carroll.  They have an amazing array of teas and some good food too.

Normally you would say the tea shop was within easy walking distance but crossing the couple of roads between here and there is definitely not for the faint hearted.  A never ending stream of traffic and where there appears to be a gap, there are at least 3-5 mopeds clamouring to fill it, all at full speed.  As if that is not enough of a challenge, there are next to no pavements.  The little sections that exist are full of large holes and other hazards.  More like an assault course than a pleasant stroll.

Today, Monday, Ian has headed off on his first business trip, a short flight within Indonesia and I should see him back early tomorrow.  Whilst he is away I have taken advantage of having our car and driver again and this time I made a trip to the Australian and New Zealand Bazaar.  Surprisingly it was being held in a conference centre in the same building as the Scania office.

The Bazaar was full of wonderful products and I found some beautifully made items supporting local causes.  I purchased a pair of candle holders made from recycled wine bottles by www.ffrash.com and a hand-sewn scarf from www.ayusewingproject.org.

I leave you this evening with this photo I took from our balcony, which I think shows the stark contrasts to be seen and experienced here in Jakarta.

Thursday and Friday are holidays here in Jakarta and some friends invited us to join them on a half day trek on Thursday morning.  The only down side being a very early start to make the 90 minute drive south to Bogor.

On arrival we met up with our guides and drove through narrow potholed roads to the starting point.

We crossed rivers in our bare feet

Walked through padi fields, coffee and clove plantations

 

We saw interesting rural villages full of very friendly locals

Bananas don't come fresher than this

Bridges made of whatever comes to hand

Beautiful butterflies

Not so beautiful big spiders 

The scenery was simply spectacular

Our adventures have truly begun!

Been keeping busy these first couple of days.

Monday:  We made a trip to the Ian's office and met some, if not all, of his new colleagues and also to catch up with some paperwork.

Then more shopping for essentials, like an iron and ironing board, vacuum cleaner and some more food.

Tuesday: Ian spent his first full day in the office.  Meanwhile I was extremely happy to receive an invitation to join some ladies from Scania and from the apartment buildings where we live, to go to a coffee morning, hosted by the Norwegians of the Nordic Club Jakarta.  They made me feel very welcome and the Norwegians served an amazing selection of sweet and savoury Norwegian themed foods.  Sadly we learnt that a number of the Norwegian expats are having to return home earlier than planned due to the continued oil crisis.

On the journey home we decided to stop by a beauty salon for manicures and pedicures.  I indulged in my first Jakartan pedicure - at the very reasonable price of 200000 IDR (including tip).  A very relaxing way to have the chance to chat and get to know each other better.

Wednesday:  Ian has gone to work and I have been left on my own for the first time.  So started as I mean to continue, I went out to use the jogging track around the apartment complex.  Best to do these things early before the day really heats up.  It was already 28°C at 07:30.

I was fortunate to have the driver today, so I took advantage of the situation and got him to drive me to the local shopping mall, so I could make a few more necessary purchases.

Now I am back at home trying to catch up with the washing, my emails, etc.

We have both arrived safely with our very heavy suitcases.  Ian on Friday, Diane on Saturday.

On Sunday we met our driver, Pujo, for the first time.  We are not allowed to drive here so we rely on him to get us around.  He speaks good English and is very friendly and helpful, so I am sure we will get along well.

His first trip was to drive us from the hotel to our new apartment.  After receiving the keys and some brief instructions we decided to move in straight away.  However, as we had no bedding, towels or kitchen utensils this meant a short but intensive shopping trip.  As it was a Sunday, the traffic was lighter than normal so we did not spend as much time in the car as expected.

After a hectic day and jet lag we both had a good nights sleep in our new bed.

It is hot here, temperatures around, 30°C during the day and about 27°C in the evening and dark by 17:45.  It will get a bit of getting used to.