Resting on bounty

A Chinese-Indonesian resting on piles of collected cardboard.

Photo from Glodok, Jakarta, May 2008.

Full of dreams

... but why is he showing his back?

Photo from somewhere in Batangas, Philippines, January 2008

Bicycle shopping

Photo of the 1st cycling lesson, North Jakarta, May 2008.

Waiting for customers

... or is it the customer waiting?

Photo of a canal ferry in northern Jakarta, May 2008.

Jakarta by night

Photo from Jakarta, April 2008.

Behind bars

A family behind bars. In the back, the warden...

Photo from Jakarta, May 2008.

Expat problems

How to bring such piece of tropical forest back to your apartment in New York, Paris or Groß Grönau?

Photo from Jakarta, March 2008.

Baby helmets

On the road with a baby enjoying triple 'protection'.

Photo from Jakarta, May 2008.

Nude chicks

Photo from one of Glodok's markets, Jakarta, May 2008.

Naked frogs

Stripped frogs ready to jump into the pan. Just add butter, garlic, and parsley.

Photo from one of Glodok's markets, Jakarta, May 2008.

Fight for survival

Collecting valuables from one of Jakarta's dirty canals. What is valuable is already placed on the left.

Photo from Glodok, Jakarta, May 2008.

Push bike

Photo from Glodok, Jakarta, May 2008.

Hot girls in Jakarta

Photo of a magazine vendor selling 'Genie' and hot girls, Jakarta, May 2008.

PS. If you can not remember the numbers for calling a 'Blue Bird' Taxi, you might want to print out this blog entry.

Don't burn yourself, Pizza Man!

Photo of Jakarta's Pizza Man (or Youth Monument Statue), March 2008. The monument was donated by Indonesia's state oil company, Pertamina which probably explains the olympic flame on top of the pizza.

Tribal fence

Photo of wooden statues from Papua, garden of Jakarta's Oasis restaurant, March 2008.

Underwear in style

How underwear could be returned ...

Photo from Jakarta, March 2008.

Allah's loudspeakers

In a Muslim country, you expect loudspeakers on minarets, for the prayer calls. But in Indonesia, you also find loudspeakers on the rooftops of prayer houses (mushola), and these proximity prayer houses are nearly everywhere. A good thing, people would say, since you don't have a long way to go for prayer. But then, if it is so convenient to go, what is the point of the loudspeaker sending not only the calls, but also whole prayer sessions and Holy Book recitations? So close and so loud that you have the feeling that it is in your house. So why going?

Photo of Allah's electric voice, Jakarta, April 2008.

Water Colors

Leaf fish in 'transparent-white'.

Leaf fish in deep purple.

Take a big breath, concentrate, and you'll see a Devil Scorpion fish above (click on the picture if you need to get closer).

Photos from Bunaken, Manado, North Sulawesi, May 2008.

Recommendation: Stay at Tasik Ria Resort in Manado and dive with Eco Divers.

... and if you plan to stay and dive in Boracay, Philippines check out Water Colors.

Myanmar's desire?

Is the above really 'people's desire' (click on the picture to read)? Or will cyclone Nargis redefine the desire of Myanmar's people? People badly hit by natural and man-made disaster.

Photo from Yangon, Myanmar, October 2000.

The good news: Message of hope?

'Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales advised journalists to make Jesus Christ a model in information dissemination, giving more time and space for good news rather than obsessing on evil.'

Jeees, that's a good one!

If Jesus would have witnessed the decline of the Philippines it would have made him turn in his grave (secular view point, I guess). So, what's the good news then? Let's take population: The Philippines is one of the fastest growing nations and its population doubles every 29 years. That's great news! 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth' (Genesis 9:1).

The current population estimate is around 93 million. Take an even higher number, if more good news are needed.

Photo from the annual crucifiction at San Pedro Cutud (a barangay of San Fernando, Pampanga), 'Good' Friday, 6 April 2007.

Flesh, more flesh

Jakarta offers less in terms of advertisement and monster billboards than Manila, but sometimes the message comes out...

Photo from Jakarta, April 2008.

At the dentist

Jawfish ready for the dental drill.

Photo from Bunaken, Manado, North Sulawesi, May 2008.

Praying room for executives

Don't go to crystal lagoon, the first aid clinic and not to the cinema lift. Just walk into the executive prayer room (musholla).

I thought in Islam all believers would be the same in front of Allah. Something must be wrong here: Either this praying room is only open to executives or all faithfull are now executives. The latter would speed up the ecomony, so I hope it's true.

Photo from Jakarta's Senayan Mall, April 2008.

Watching scuba divers passing by

Photo of a gobi fish looking out of its hole, Bunaken, Manado, North Sulawesi, May 2008.

A propos: When two female gobi fish meet, one might turn into a male so the two can mate....
Would that have stopped the scuba divers from passing by?

Adjust your screen!

Photo from one of Manado's bars. Forgot which one...

Orang-Utan under water

Photo of an Orang-Utan Crab, Bunaken, Manado, North Sulawesi, May 2008.

The more, the uglier!

Beauty contest of moray eels in Bunaken, Manado, North Sulawesi, May 2008.

Handicapped Elevator?

Photo from Manado airport, May 2008.

Tasteless contest

It is always a struggle to get on top of the ladder but this Kemang shop deserves the title.

Photo from Jakarta, March 2008.

Colorful house

Glodok, Jakarta, May 2008.