Thursday, July 15, 2010

In Jakarta

written on July 14, 2010

We got up really early at 4am this morning and got on a plane to fly to Jakarta. Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia. So far it's been a lot of cars, big roads, expensive taxis, and expensive food. There are a lot more foreigners here. A lot more people speak English. Big shopping malls, restaurants, and fancy stores. It's a really big change from Padang. Almost like going from the village to the city.

We're here Wednesday and Thursday and had planned to have three meetings a day for both days. But people are out of the country and traveling so we're down to only one meeting a day. This is not such a bad thing for us since we have a lot of work that we need to do. We're staying at a pretty nice hotel. Huge bed, soft pillows, real shower, hair dryer, pool, gym, free breakfast, etc. We all appreciate it a lot more coming from our dorm room in Padang.

Friday morning, we're taking a bus to Bandung, where we have another meeting. There is a university there, ITB, that has some of the best science research in the country. We may or may not develop a partnership with them. We're not really sure about their interest in the project and if it's worth the effort of setting something up. I guess we'll see how the meeting goes. If we want to set up some form of partnership, I think we'll need to spend at least a week at ITB to find the right people to work with.

Update (7.15.2010): We're no longer going to Bandung. Meeting the guy in Jakarta instead.

Coming to this big city feels kind of weird after having been in a small city/town for a couple of weeks. Padang feels so much more walkable and welcoming. I really like our little neighborhood in Padang. We basically have everything we need within walking distance. Really getting used to the place. Already missing it.

1 comment:

yalu said...

did you see dian yet?