Whilst waiting for my host's driver to pick me up, i got an sms from a friend, asking me if I had left Jakarta. I thought it was a strange question, so i responded that I had just arrived and I asked her if something was wrong. To my horror, she told me that the Ritz Carlton Jakarta had just been bombed.
In the next few hours, I receive sms and calls asking about my safety, to which I promptly respond to reassure both friends and family.
At lunchtime, I am with my host Elisabeth, her mother, 2 aunties and their driver, having lunch at a seafood restaurant, after a visit to the History and Wayang Museums and the old port.
Somehow they see it very differently from a non-Indonesian's perspective. I just put my faith in them, and trust that they would not bring me to places where there would be potential danger.
The day continues with a visit to some shops selling brassware and the National Monument. I have dinner at her place, and spend the rest of the night watching a hilarious game show called Take Me Out Indonesia, where each week, around 30 girls hope to find their Prince Charming from 7 potential male candidates.
I spend Saturday in Bandung and its surroundings, where I visit a couple of volcanic craters and the city centre. After a fantastic dinner at Kampong Daun, I return back to Elisabeth's and make the wiser choice of staying indoors.
I have another day in Jakarta, and up to this moment I am having a fabulous time, notwithstanding the 9 bombscares that were announced over the radio and television on Friday.
I trust my host knows how to stay safe in the city, and I will follow her advice accordingly, and not put my health at risk.
Thanks for the smses and calls and facebook posts, my dear friends and family, and stay positive as I am!
ben
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be nice!