Deep plunging into Jakarta Jalan Tikus (rat streets) on bicycle. Fantastic experience. "Hati, Hati! Awas! Bule naik sepeda!"

Jakarta. Hazardous Jalan Tikus (Rat streets).

"Hati, Hati! Awas! Bule naik sepeda!" Plunging into and exploring the magic labyrinth of Jakarta jalan tikus (rat streets). 6 o’clock in the morning. Sunrise. In the middle of Jakarta labyrinth, narrow and continuously meandering... jalan tikus. I'm cycling across their bathrooms, sleeping-rooms, living-rooms, praying-rooms, kitchen, toilets....Kids, chicken, cats, rats are constantly ruining away.....trying to hide, to avoid my bicycle. Smiling faces. A lot of smiling faces. Thousands of smiling faces! I’m smiling back to them. Not too much. I've already lost this habit ...in Europe. There, far away in those cold, sad, grey and unhappy countries nobody is smiling anymore….

Now! In this present moment of My Life! These smiles are like fantastic and magic remedy. Healing my broken, wounded, poor occidental Soul...

Jakarta, September 2015

Plunging into and exploring the magic labyrinth of Jakarta jalan tikus (rat streets).

Slow and fast. And slow again...But far from crowded roads. Far from giantic traffic jams. No noise. No pollution. Like a big village. Kampung Besar. Full of happy smiling faces :))

Need to be polite. Calm and patient. Avoid to ride on cats, kids and chicken :))
Just respect and follow local Jalan Tikus rules. Where the time is slowing down..... 

6 o’clock in the morning. Sunrise. In the middle of Jakarta labyrinth, narrow and continuously meandering... jalan tikus.

No cars, no motorcycles. Air is clean. No pollution. Calm. Like in a Gigantic Indonesian kampung (village).

I'm biking across their bathrooms, sleeping-rooms, living-rooms, praying-rooms, kitchen, toilets....

Kids, chicken, cats, rats are constantly ruining away.....trying to hide, to avoid my bicycle. But everything in gentle smiling way :))

And smiling faces. A lot of smiling faces. I’m smiling back to them. Not too much. I've already lost this habit in Europe. There, far away in those cold, sad, grey and unhappy countries nobody is smiling anymore….

"Hati, Hati! Awas! Bule naik sepeda!"

Caution! Bule ride a bike!"

I'm trying to forget cold and  non-smiling Europe! Trying to forget! This people here. Now! In this present moment of my life! Their smiles are like fantastic and magic remedy. Healing my wounded, occidental soul…….:))

Years ago,...if somebody asked me a question about my preferred place in Indonesia I would immediately choose Bali. Since then, in Bali there is a very high ADI level (on my Asshole Density Index).

And in the meantime during years wandering with my bicycle (80 000 km in 5 years). I discovered a lot of other fantastic and remote parts of Indonesia: East Java, Sumba, Lombok, Moluku...

But today my answer is clear. Jakarta Jalan tikus. The best place on Earth, by far!!!

Tempat terbaik di dunia:)) 

And my love to Jakarta is ...still growing, and growing....