~ don't cry for me Indonesia ~
Apr. 01. No day for fools! And it's a public holiday tomorrow. But still he fucks around and it's just before noon when he gets to the office. Immigration officers seem helpful and are aware that his "thirty day on arrival" visa can be extended. However, they insist on purchase of an air ticket out of the country.
How much can that cost? And is there time to do it all in the afternoon before a long weekend?Short answer: No. The nice officers say they can't do it today. Eventually they offer to extend his visa for the full fee until Monday. He can then book a ticket and pay again for the real extension! He wanders out a bit confused. This is not entirely due to his recent bout of sunstroke. They have the power. They can extend today. In a cute and friendly way they're just playing with him. He thinks it over for about 5 seconds and blurts: “I'll go to Sulawesi some other time, thanks, bye”. These same officers man the Nunukan border. He'll be the making the boat trip to Tawau, Sabah via Nunukan the day after tomorrow at the latest.
Walks back to town rather than taking a return micro. It's his way of working things out. He's pretty exhausted. He likes Tarakan a lot. It's a great place. However he's not really seen much of it or done anything here. It's an island not just a town. Due to the heavy fighting Aussie v's Japanese at the end of the Pacific war there's an historical angle to the place. It apparently has some beaches worth visiting too. These days Tarakan's an important port for the interior. Many boats depart making inland exploration a real possibility. Or should I say exploitation. It's most likely an "entrypoint" for Indonesia's 'economic development' of Kalimantan. Something to do with natural resources. One hopes that Greenpeace, the WWF and other environmental agencies monitor what's going on around here quite closely. Not that they can really do much more than apply pressure to put a finish to jungle clearance for the proliferation of oil palm plantations.
Apr. 02. He's about to leave Indonesia. He has some first person stories and incidents that he's heard about in the past month. The first two he believes to be true. The last two he knows to be true.
The one about the ardent soccer fan who became an instant celebrity. He ran onto the pitch during an international soccer game to save goal because he felt the national team was performing disgracefully and he could do better himself. Interviewed on TV, most people agreed with him. He made a lot of money appearing on the shows for a while. In fact it is said that a government minister heartily agreed and praised his action. He never faced any charges.
This is a blast. The one about the exploding cigarette. A guy got half his face disfigured when one of the cheaper brand cigarettes literally blew up as he inhaled! The manufacturing company paid paltry compensation. The brand...theyr'e still on the market, of course. Presumably caused by a former disgruntled company employee, payback style.
Along the same lines and one that I personally encountered more than once in the last month. The old bits of plastic in-the-biscuit trick. You're munching happily through a pack of cheap biscuits and can come across all sorts of flotsam and jetsam. Happened. Only good healthy plastic! Can't remember the biscuit brand name though.
Some well-intentioned visa-extension advice from a Surabaya travel agent went as follows: I was advised that it was best to do the extension the Indonesian way...through contacts, rather than go to their office myself. I'd be a sitting duck if I did that.
Back at the room at the Jakarta I relax. I'll need to be a bit together and have some energy for the next couple of days. My 2010 Indonesian journey's come to an end.