Yesterday we visited Batan City, Indonesia. Me and the kids took a 1.5 hour ferry trip to this city. Upon arriving to the port the first indicatio that we were in a different country happened: There was a long line of travelers and just a few immigration officers. The one that attended us seemed to be in a bad mood and was hastily doing his job while reprimanding a person in front of us.
We finally left customs and went to the bus that was waiting us since we had arranged a tour from Singapore. Then for the next hour and half... nothing happened. We sat and sat while waiting for a customer that never materialized. A German tourist was so upset for the delay that she started screaming at the tour guide. I only said to Sarah Beth "Welcome to Indonesia"
Due to the delay we missed out first stop that happened to be our reason to go there: A visit to a water park. The kids were extremely disappointed but I told them to look at the positive when visiting a new place.
What a contrast between Singapore's relative wealth and the Indonesian misery! The city was poor, unkept and dirty despite the natural beauty around us. We saw countless shanty towns with dirt roads and houses built by squatters with garbage materials. We also saw trash everywhere (as seen in the picture.) I wanted Sarah Beth to see that reality and to realize that not everybody lives like us and she need to be cognizant and prudent about it. Beign poor is to lack alternatives: Most cannot escape that world and have no alternative but to survive the best they can.
We passed by a shanty town populated mostly by squatters from a place called Banda Aceh, a town decimated by the Tsunami. A large group moved to this town to rebuild their lives. They have their own unwritten rules: For example, only people of certain race can sell goods at the road. If somebody else tries to, he will be beaten and his place torched.
We were also warned about taking taxis. A large number of existing taxis are illegal and it is not uncommon for a driver to rob his passengers. Another warning we received was about piracy goods. Counterfeit goods are everywhere so we were reminded to be careful. I learned that every piece of cloth bearing the name Polo Ralph Lauren is counterfeit, only the Polo brand may be legitimate. The visit was a good opportunity for the kids to see for themselves how advanced Singapore is with respect to other places.
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