Bogor first stop! A visit to Centre for international Forestry Research gave us an insight into management and policy issues relating of environmental conservation. Set in palatial grounds surrounded by tropical rainforests we took a leisurely stroll around the gardens an introductory lecture was followed by rather ordinary
It’s already 5pm Aussie time, can’t believe I am on my way to Indonesia. First stop Kuala Lumpar.
Today’s journey so far has not been without its challenges. We were delayed for quite a while at Canberra , not from the usual fog but the malfunction of the Qantas boarding system world wide. This meant every Qantas had to manually add their passengers just like the olden days!
Met up with the “Canberra Mob”, Karen, Sharon, Marc, Carol, Michael and David and killed time on the tarmac in Canberra. After a long queue at customs we arrived at gate 56 at final boarding time.
We are scattered across a very full plane Malaysia bound, some of us movie watching and others catching their breath after a very busy week at school. Can’t wait to arrive in the tropics and feel the heat.
Today after a very early 5.30 wake up call, a limited window of opportunity to catch up on emails and another delicious breakfast we boarded our bus for the journey of a lifetime. Traveling through the suburbs of Jakarta we experienced the diverse living conditions of the millions of people living here. Traffic jams, cars taking u turns in the of oncoming traffic, motorcycles, trucks and buses, everyone on the move.
I was amazed to see very young children, mums with babes and others standing on the side of the road anticipating a job as a “jockey”. These people earn money by making themselves available to commuters who require a third passenger in their car to avoid the expensive tolls.
Kartini Slum School, well what can I say. It was a privilege to visit and enjoy the beautiful smiles of the children attending the school. Kartini school is run by two sisters for children in the district surrounding the school. Slum is the operative word. Surrounded by main roads, piles of rubbish, rubble and tyres, the school provides a place for eager children to study
The school is on the industrial rim and was in stark contrast to the modern hotel we stayed in.
Between the rubbish and the school was a lush green community garden. It was crazy such poverty and such hope.
A visit to the Jakarta Post gave us a political context and David Reeves engaged us in ,yes, analysis of data from recent elections. Once again diversity!
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