In case you haven't realized from our previous posts: IT'S HOT HERE. It's hot, muggy, polluted, and worse of all you are not supposed to drink the water here. Which means relying on bottled water which is great, but which also means NO ICE. It wasn't too hard the first couple days to hold out and be safe with not drinking water or having beverages with ice, but our fortitude was about as strong as spongebob's once the heat really took its toll. Just don't forget - pinky up! So we gave in, had the ice, drank smoothies and summer freezes and loved life for about an hour... just check out the "Game of Thrones" post to see how that ended up.
But on a serious note, water security here in Indonesia is a major issue. There is a huge lack of drinkable water even in the capital city of Jakarta. Strange to think that a nation of islands has an issue with lack of water. Partly due to the results of pollution, open sewage, and general lack of cleanliness.
A school boy enjoying the mist at a café after school... the next picture would have been me doing that exact thing
This man here had just filled his jug with the water from this fountain outside one of the many 5 star malls around the city. The thought that this fountain water (still not suitable for drinking by our standards) is cleaner, and probably the cleanest that many like this man can find for cooking, bathing, and possibly drinking is very disturbing. This picture also illustrates the income disparity in the city and in Indonesia. With supermalls with McLaren dealerships and Louis Vuitton next to street food carts (which duel as a home in some cases), open sewage, and people cooking over a leaf and trash fire for dinner, the difference between rich and poor is dramatic, constant, and strangely not that big of a deal? People are surprisingly content with their status in life, possibly a trait from the Hindu influence in their culture. The important thing to realize this is not the current status but the trajectory of the economy and living conditions. While huge issues exist, Indonesia is and has been on a positive trajectory - and the people know it and feel it.
The port at Ancol with high-risers going up in the background
However, the government knows, or needs to realize, that demographics are changing and massive reforms and initiatives need to have started yesterday in order to achieve a sustainable development for the next generation. Not so fun fact: 1/3 of Indonesia's 270 million population is under the age of 14. Both campaigns address this need for reforms for food security, water security, education, among others. After attending a correspondence club where the Prabowo campaign addressed foreign investors and media, the focus was entirely on the long term issues that Indonesia faces. Regardless of who wins, hopefully the focus is on these issues and that they weren't just campaign rhetoric.
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