Long WET Weekend

A few weeks ago, the Jakarta skyline took an unexpected face and one could not but stop to marvel at its beauty. Known to be one of the most polluted city in the world, blue skies and white fluffy clouds are not common occurence in Jakarta. I was driving on the highway from my parents' house when the photo was taken; it was a dangerous thing to do, but it was well worth it. Who would have thought that things could change drastically in a matter of days. The sky lured us with its beauty and seduce us into complacence; nearly forgetting that the rainy season is at our doorstep. No more white fluffy clouds; all what was left was angry grey skies, fat tropical rain, thunder and lightning.

Last Thursday night was the most frightening drive of my life ever. At 10.30 pm, my daily 7 minute drive from work to home scared the hell out of me. The rain took out electricity. The fat rain reduced visibility and I could not tell which part of the street was drowning in water and if it was too deep for my car. It was like driving blind. When I saw the gate of my townhouse complex, I felt a huge relief. I could breathe normally again. I was safe.

An hour later, my cousin called. She and her husband was trapped by floods in the area and they could not go home. Hotels were fully booked. They had nowhere to go and there was water in their car. We shared the bed and her husband occupied the couch. It was Thursday night when they came, and they haven't left since. All the roads leading up to their house in the western part of Jakarta was flooded. The only working mean of transportation on the flooded areas are human driven carriages called "gerobak". It transports people who are looking for safety and even motorcycle. The rate for is Rp 10,000 per person -- equals to $1 and Rp 25,000 for a motorcycle.

It is Sunday now, and the roads are beginning to dry up. I took a drive around Kemang all the way through Kuningan to see traces of the crazy wild wet world that was Jakarta. The roads were busy with people cleaning up the dirty mud. Hundreds of people became displaced and had to be refugee of their own city.

It is difficult to be positive when natural disasters like this happen. Somebody said Jakarta needed to be cleansed (... not literally) of all its ignorance and greed. Would we learn? Would we weigh natural conservation against economic development? Or would it be cheaper to invest on a few inflatable rubber boats?