Jacque in Jakarta: The view from my balcony...

We've now been living in Jakarta for nearly two weeks. There are a vast array of differences with the West. Everything from the common modes of transportation to the main staples in the diet differ. For this post, I will simply discuss the view I have from my balcony, which is located on the 25th floor.

On a side note, the 25th floor isn't actually 25 floors up. There is no thirteenth floor, due to Western influence. Also, there is no fourth floor due to Japanese influence. The Japanese word for four sounds like the word for death. Thus, there is no floor 4, 14, 24 or even 22 because two plus two equals four.

Back to the main topic, the view from our apartment. It may seem innocuous from a quick glance, but take a closer look and you'll discover why Alexander and I have to travel to work everyday looking like this:

No, we're not off to rob a bank, we're simply trying to protect our respiratory systems from the inhalation of all the pollution that constantly surrounds us. After about thirty minutes of walking around without a mask one day, I could barely breathe in the evening. Needless to say, the air quality in Jakarta is less than desireable. 

"Why is that?" you may ask. Well, the picture on the right says it all. This was the view from our balcony this past Friday night. That's an image of bumper-to-bumper SUVs, taxis, ankots, motorbikes, buses and bajails all adding their own exhaust to the atmosphere of Jakarta. The problem is this isn't only on Friday nights. This is every night...and every morning...and every afternoon. For about 12 hours or more everyday the traffic is horrendous.

So, when we first arrived, we thought we saw a morning fog while looking out from our balcony. However, one day here taught us that it was actually a daily smog. Which is unfortunate, since it ruins what could be a beautiful view or a beautiful day and it also makes an already miserably hot day a few degrees hotter.

So should you ever venture to this side of the world, it's best to forgo your vanity and bring a facemask... lest you want to cough up Jakarta's air in the evening.