Day 3 (17/3/2008) - Kantor

A few minutes of uneventful ride in the bajaj was all it took to get to Mutiara’s “kantor” (that’s Indonesian’s for office). The office is situated in a business centre in Kemang. The area, as told by a taxi driver later, is a favourite spot among the expatriates. Houses there are predominantly occupied by expatriates.

Her office is located on the first floor (that’s second floor if you are using American system) of the two-storey building. The office is simple and neat. There is area for administration, a training room, and a reception area. The reception area doubled as the library. Plenty of books. I had a great time browsing the books there. And could have continued the whole day. Unfortunately three nights of sleeplessness finally caught up with me. I began to feel a little dizzy.

At first I thought I felt dizzy because I hadn’t had lunch. But when the dizziness continued even after lunch. I knew I had to lie down for a while. Mutiara accompanied me to the main road and helped to hail for a ‘Bluebird’. I got on the taxi and off I went to the hotel. We planned to meet at the hotel later.

As the taxi drove, I traced our route in my little map. We passed Malaysian Embassy. We also passed the famous Monas (that’s short for “Monument Nasional” or National Monument). As we passed the Monas, I can’t help but compare it with Malaysian National Monument (also known as “Tugu Negara”). Here in Jakarta, the Monas was visible from the main road. ‘Tugu Negara’ on the other hand, is tucked away on an almost remote hill away from any public transport lines.

Anyway, after a little guessing game with the taxi driver – we didn’t know whether the hotel was up north or down south of the road – I safely reached the hotel. I thought of doing a little unpacking and taking a little nap before heading out to see more of Jakarta. Unfortunately that plan had to be shelved. By the time I woke up, it was already dark. Mutiara came to the hotel but couldn't stay over. So I spent the rest of the night trying to get the much-needed sleep.

That restless night, reminded me of my travelling companions who at one point of our travel together, drugged me to sleep (with flu medication). I wished I had brought something similar to Jakarta.