![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_4581-300x225.jpg)
A Batak restaurant in Jakarta…generic term is “lapo”. CLICK for video of some traditional Batak singing.
A 37 hour trip there (via Middle East, in other words, going the wrong way around the world) barely making the sad event of day 1. Days 2 and 3 were spent on some family bonding time. A 45 hour trip back including a 9 hour overnight layover in Doha. A round trip across 15 time zones in the span of less than 6 days. I can hardly tell which way is up or down. On the upside, we got to spend some quality time hanging out with the family and got a taste of modern day air travel thanks to Qatar Airways…the 787 and the 350 were kind of cool.
Photos
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_0853-1024x768.jpg)
Wrong way around the world…west coast of North America to southeast Asia via the Middle East (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_4395-768x1024.jpg)
Shirley starting our week of endurance sitting (which included Jakarta traffic jam fests) on the Doha-Jakarta leg (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_4453-1024x768.jpg)
Jakarta (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0008-1024x681.jpg)
Sunda Kelapa Harbor in Jakarta with phinisi boats (still in use) on display (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0016-1024x681.jpg)
A tour of the harbor (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0027-1024x681.jpg)
Sunda Kelapa Harbor (June 2016).
![Remnants of a shanty town near to Sunda Kelapa Harbor - those are being torn down & replaced by concrete nightmare towers. Long term vision is a nightmarish replica of Singapore. "Progress." Minarets of a mosque are also visible (June 2016).](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0028-1024x484.jpg)
Remnants of a shanty town near to Sunda Kelapa Harbor – those are being torn down & replaced by concrete nightmare towers. Long term vision is a nightmarish replica of Singapore. “Progress.” Minarets of a mosque are also visible (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0050-1024x495.jpg)
A working phinisi boat (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0065-1024x681.jpg)
Another phinisi (alt. pinisi) boat.
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0074-1024x681.jpg)
Sunda Kelapa Harbor (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0082-1024x681.jpg)
Historic gateway to the harbor (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0100-1024x681.jpg)
Remnants of the shantytown and its ugly replacement in the background (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0107-1024x681.jpg)
Sunda Kelapa Harbor (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0141-1024x681.jpg)
Durian ice cream stand in Old Town Jakarta (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0145-1024x681.jpg)
About to tear into the ice cream (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0165-1024x681.jpg)
Walking the Old Town in Jakarta (Batavia).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0180-1024x681.jpg)
Old Town in Jakarta with some colonial (Dutch) architecture on display (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0185-1024x681.jpg)
On the way to checking out the Monument Nasional – this hails back to the days of Sukarno when Indonesia was flirting with communism (can you tell?).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0209-1024x681.jpg)
Views from top of Monument Nasional. Central mosque and Jakarta’s cathedral are both visible (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0220-1024x681.jpg)
More views from the top of the Monument. A railway station (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0248-1024x681.jpg)
Food carts in Jakarta (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0250-681x1024.jpg)
Shirley & Cakra perusing the menu. What will it be: rice paddy snake omelette (left cage) or king cobra sate (right cage)?
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0239-1024x681.jpg)
Our nephew Abi is clearly impressed with the fresh ingredients (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0240-1024x681.jpg)
These are the rice paddy snakes; cobras are in the cage just behind this one. King cobra is a snake eater – can’t have your food eating your food, see?
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0235-1024x681.jpg)
The family tearing into durian fruit. Most crackers cannot stomach the flavor; I can never get enough (could eat durian all day long).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_4436-768x1024.jpg)
Bogor – another suburb of Jakarta – street scenes (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_4471-1024x630.jpg)
Street scene in Jakarta (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0229-1-681x1024.jpg)
The family at an Italian (quite literally) ice cream place in Jakarta. In fact, this has been a tradition since their childhoods. Ice cream – esp. durian – was in fact incredible!
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0154-1024x551.jpg)
Bemos on the streets of Jakarta (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_4530-1024x768.jpg)
Ondel ondel…puppets…Jakarta thing (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/DSC_0231-1024x681.jpg)
Sumatran tigers…but, you know, in Java (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_4567-1024x768.jpg)
A climbing shop (?) in the suburbs of Jakarta (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_4570-768x1024.jpg)
Jakarta sights (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_4594-1024x768.jpg)
Chinese-funded hospital for the poor…look at that monstrosity (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_4572-1024x768.jpg)
OK, let’s eat.
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_4558-1024x768.jpg)
A Padang restaurant and the final meal of the trip with the family (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_4610-1024x768.jpg)
…and here we go again. Shirley at Soekarno-Hatta Airport ready to head home (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_0866-768x1024.jpg)
Once in a blue moon, you get lucky with the seating. Emergency exit is practically first class. Start of the return trip (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_0872-1024x768.jpg)
Qatar Airways – not surprisingly, quite excellent (June 2016).
![Bivying at the Doha airport during a long (9.5h) overnight layover on the way home...hell trip (June 20216).](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_0877-1024x469.jpg)
Bivying at the Doha airport during a long (9.5h) overnight layover on the way home…hellish return trip (June 20216).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_0879-1024x768.jpg)
It might be 4am in Doha but that’s 9pm in Portland and 8am in Jakarta meaning that on average it’s lunchtime. You see?
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_0881-1024x768.jpg)
Ready for more sitting? Of course not.
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_0900-1024x768.jpg)
City of Doha pushing out into the Persian Gulf via manmade islands (June 2016).
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_0922-1024x768.jpg)
…and it went on and on…
![Jakarta](https://chossclimbers.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/IMG_0930-1024x768.jpg)
…and Boston.