Jakartass recently reminded me that there are yet many places in Indonesia, I have yet to visit. We can too easily get set in our ways and forget that Indonesia is huge and diverse place so.........
I intend to be around in Indonesia for some time and shall now launch on a new mission:
To find Indonesia's most liveable province/city/town/village.
Naturally any such quest would be highly subjective, in my case the following would have to be considered:
1. Tolerant and FPI (and assorted other nutters) free;
2. Progessive Schooling;
3. Unpolluted;
4. Adhence to basic rule of law;
5. Beach/Mountain vistas;
6. Access - roads, rail, airports;
7. Infrastructure;
8. Traditional as opposed to imported culture;
9. Friendly, open society;
9 ...Eeer.. I will think of more and I open to suggestions .
A dream list is one thing, reality is different and life is a trade-off. It should be fun and I really would like suggestions on where to start, who knows I might learn something despite being an "Ol Dog". In the meantime, some thoughts:
Jakarta: Nice (make that interesting) to visit but who would want to live there? A city self destructing after generations of uncontrolled growth and poor planning. Is this not the world's polluted city?
Bandung: Seriously pretty, particularly up in the mountains. Bandung is (was) great, all the facilities of a big city, progessive, no serious traffic issues and then...they built the tollroad!!! Vale Bandung. However general area remains a favourite, perhaps a town close by?
Papua: Talk about views..talk about nature at its best. Is this not one of the last true paradises on Earth? Unfortunately, any place under a media black-out obviously has some very ugly secrets.
Kalimantan: I think we missed it, unless you are into seeing vast Oil Palm plantations or worse vacant, eroded hillsides where virgin forests used to stand, then Kalimantan's glory days are past. I have no doubt that Kalimantan will gain prominance again in the future as a symbol of short sighted greed and contempt for the environment. Furture generations will curse their forebears every time Kalimantan is mentioned.
Bali: Island of the Gods under attack from within and without. Still in my opinion, one of the most interesting cultures in Indonesia. Do yourself a favour a read some history of Bali before you go (preferably not the sanatised versions printed in Indonesia). To live there..I would need to travel to some of the more remote places I think.
Others...heaps..suggestions, comments
