Waste, contrast and acceptance

Walking along the riverside while waiting for my tyre to be fixed was an interesting cultural experience.


Near the café, the river banks seem quite clean and clear - surprisingly so, for a river downstream of a large Indonesian city.  But just fifty or so metres further along the banks tell a different story.

Flat Tyres

So I'm back at my riverside café, this time quite by accident.

En route to the lad's playgroup this morning I managed to score a flat tyre on the scooter. For those of you who, like me until just now, are unfamiliar with the behaviour of a motorcycle at speed with a flat rear tyre, let me try to explain. The handlebars and front tyre remain pointed exactly where you want to go, while the entire rear end of the bike swishes about like the tail end of a fish. It's not dramatic – in fact, it took me a little while to determine that, yes, something was actually wrong. Braking, it feels like the rear wheel chooses one side or the other and tries to swing itself in that direction, out around your shoulder – ok, that bit is dramatic, especially when you have your three-year-old son standing in front of you as you ride. Fortunately I was able to stop safely, and ponder my next move.

Flags, Signs & Motorbikes (aka Election Campaign, Indo-style)

Coffee House Resto, Jl. Tirtodipuran

I am sitting in a cafe/restaurant, called – wait for it  – “Coffee House”, at the western end of Jalan Tirtodipuran where I don't think I've ever been before. The name lured me in, as I was looking for somewhere to sit down & have a coffee, ideally with free internet access, maybe air-con if I'm lucky, and that wasn't one of the familiar/safe/easy cafés that can become the default if you let them. Variety is the spice of life after all, right? After an hour or two riding around on a really hot and loud day, this was a relief to find. I must have ridden past about 10 other coffee restos, but the only ones I hadn't already been to seemed strangely to be closed until after lunchtime. Who does a coffee shop that isn't open in the morning, or even for lunch? The Javanese, it would seem.