commodities boom

"dude. is there a new influx of hot girls in jakarta?"

"the commodities boom has brought wealth back to jakarta.  specifically plaza indo.  even my wife, will take extra time to get ready when she comes to the mall"

i hadn't been to jakarta in almost 3 years.  and i have a new passport this time (really annoyed at my passport picture HOLY FACE). this time, there's no 10 dollar 5 day visa option.  so for 25 bucks u get the new and improved small sticker visa rather than the whole page visa.  unfortunately, they didn't improve the ridiculously long immigration visa line.  an hour minimum for visa on arrival.  after 3 years, there was no mistaking that smell of hot burnt rubber, that sweet smell of burning garbage and underlying smell of inscense.  breath it in.  that's the smell of opportunity. 

the 4th most populated country in the world.  looks like a conservatively steady growing at 7% GDP.  it's obvious that 15 years after the IMF crisis, the middle class re-emerges.  the rich re-appear from caves and resume gaudy affluence.  the youth have returned from their studies and bring back western spending amidst asia's leap into the next phase of growth in aims of being the world's economic leaders.  i re-visited all my old clients, spent my days at the mall, eating at the mall and luckily, not stuck in traffic.  next time, i'll be back for party hardy nights and definitely a stop in pluit for mie kreiting and pisang goreng!  

miss it.  back in a month. =)

 

next time we're staying at the kempinski.