Jakarta 2010 recap

After only a week in Jakarta, we’ll head back to Manila tonight at 1AM. It’s been a very different kind of holiday (well, compared to Boracay), but good nonetheless. There’s definitely a different feeling to Jakarta when returning as a tourist. Most of my friends have moved on to other countries, and Novita’s family was quite busy to hang out much. I ended up spending a lot of time in Kelapa Gading simply because it’s the area I know best.Read more

Massive explosion and fire in Plumpang near my home in North Jakarta / followed by flooding

At about 9:20pm, Sunday January 19 a massive explosion occurred at the Pertamina fuel depot behind my housing complex. I was speaking with Novita when the shockwave rocked my home, with a sound as if a linebacker had put his shoulder into my door. My first thought was of thunder or an earthquake. But then I realized it was an explosion. Walking out onto my balcony confirmed that thought – the sky was pulsating with a deep crimson. Huge flamesRead more

Jakarta floods 2009

While December was quite sunny and pleasant, the New Year has brought angry torrential downpours, massive cracks of frequent lightening, and of course, annual flooding. As some of you may know, I live in the north of Jakarta; within 3km of the ocean. Our area is at or below sea level, and therefore one of the first in Jakarta to flood if heavy rains occur. It’s one thing to hear or read of global warming, deforestation, and rising sea levels,Read more

Further perspectives on the flooding (via Ian's blog)

My friend, Ian, has shared his flooding experience on his blog. He had a bit of a different situation than I did, as he waited around another day before leaving Kelapa Gading – in the relative safety of a military truck versus the manure hauler we cruised in. Several of our friends houses and cars were damaged and we were inconvenienced somewhat but 1000’s of people lost everything – and as is typical in the developing world – it isRead more

Jakarta Floods 2007

Wow. What an experience that turned out to be. My last posting was written during the first day of rain when Kelapa Gading (my area in the north side of Jakarta) was flooded but still functioning. Things went quickly downhill from there. That night, torrential rains began falling and continued throughout the night. My wake up call came in the form of my air conditioner shutting off due to the power being cut. My initial reaction to that is toRead more

Floods in Jakarta

When I heard the downpour around 4am this morning, I had no idea how bad it really would be. The city is drowning as we speak, under the torrential rains of these past two days. Some areas of Jakarta are under more than 6ft of water. People are using rafts to get around, and some have become stranded. One of the worst things is that the vile canals have mixed in with the floodwaters, creating a potentially toxic, soupy messRead more