Tuesday Newsday!

Every morning when I take Clark to school, I try to read the newspaper on the way home. When I first started reading the Jakarta Post (english version), I was interested in what was happening politically in Indonesia, but now I read it for the entertainment it provides! As a result, I am going to try (and please try not to roll your eyes SO obviously) and do a weekly post that has some of the fun/interesting/downright crazy tidbits I find in the newspaper or as I go about my daily routine.

The first installment comes from an article in the Jakarta Post on February 28, 2011 by Irawaty Wardany. The article is about a new company that recently began called Go-jek.com. Seriously check out the website, it's actually really well done. I especially liked the picture showing a grocery kart attached to an Ojek by a rope, which would just be cute if not for the fact that I could ACTUALLY envision an Ojek going down the streets of Jakarta with a grocery kart attached to it by a rope! Instead, the first thought I had when I saw the graphic was "there is no way those groceries are going to stay in that cart if that is how they plan to transport them." Yeah, I'm not sure what the previous line says about me, my thought processes, and what living in Jakarta has done to me, but it can't be good under any circumstances.

By way of background, an Ojek is in effect a motorcycle taxi, and they are everywhere. Like there are bajillions of them in Jakarta. A motorcycle is the easiest and fastest way to get around the city, and when you get stuck in traffic for 2 hours when you only got in the car to go 5 miles away, an Ojek starts looking pretty great. I have yet to use one, but Tanner has, and he gave it two thumbs up! Oh, and you and the driver negotiate the price based on your destination before you get on the bike. So just like so much else here, it is organized chaos at its finest. Okay, so back to the article in the newspaper entitled:

New 'ojek' service does away with smelly drivers, haggling

When I saw that title, I knew it was a 'must-read'. My comments are in parentheses below.

"Those not inclined to use the service of the ubiquitous motorcycle taxi (ojek) riders because of the smell of their helmets or leather jackets will certainly have cause for celebration with the launch of Go-Jek, a new ojek service with an edge (yeah man, those stanky leather jackets make it hard to breathe). Go-Jek riders are not only scent-free, the service allows users to call and negotiate a price on the phone -- a convenience that frees customers from having to haggle for a low fare for a short-distance ride. (so, even though I am going to die from the noxious gases coming from the 30 year old bus in front of us, at least my Ojek driver is "scent-free" Phew!)

The story goes on to describe the business plan behind Go-Jek. Then it states:

"And the secret to its stink-free drivers? "We give our drivers deodorants to help them provide a better service, Nadiem, founder of Go-Jek says. All the drivers possess licences (Bonus!) and the ownership deeds to their motorcycles, and are well-versed on Jakarta's back alleys (a good thing, and if nothing else adds that extra needed "is-this-guy-going-to-stop-and-rob-me-while driving-down-said-back-alley" danger element to the ride) and shortcuts. "We require our drivers to have all the necessary documents. On top of that, we look for drivers who already have a family, somebody responsible." he said.

This story highlighted one of the things I like about Indonesia...there is no equal opportunity hiring practices here, because we WILL discriminate based on your amount of B.O., the stinkiness of your leather jacket and helmet, and whether or not you have a family. Wait a minute, I guess they don't discriminate based on B.O....they just give you a truckload of deodorant so you don't make your passengers pass out due to your natural aroma....but no worries, they pass out anyway after you knock both the bike AND your passenger into the side mirror of some stationary vehicle nearby. Yes, it happens all the time, and I'm convinced our side mirrors are only hanging on by a thread...poor dears. Either way, I have no plans to get on a Go-Jek any time soon. Why would I when I have my own personal Ojek waiting for me at home?