If there were ever a chance to pretend I was running a segment of Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown," this would be it, as I reveal the lesser known features of bustling cities on the other side of the Pacific. I had the opportunity this past summer to travel for two full months around Indonesia, Singapore, and Japan.
In some places, the Southeast Asian stereotype of motorized rickshaw drivers almost running over pedestrians came alive. In Jakarta, I witnessed first hand what I heard of many times before: a city overwhelmed with congestion, a thick blanket of smog covering the city removing any visibility of the horizon. The megalopolis, a term used to categorize this massively sprawling cluster of metropolitan regions, exhibited signs of widening inequality. Neighborhoods harboring extravagant designer malls offering valet service bordered towering public housing projects in poor condition and slums. Known as kampungs, these areas consisted of substandard shack style housing and narrow roads covered in potholes.
It's difficult to believe that if you fly one hour by plane away from the series of areas that comprise the Jakarta supercity, you land in a small city inhabited by university students engaging in creative urbanism projects: Yoygakarta. In tourism books, it is oft-described as the gem of Java, a cultural and culinary paradise. Beyond the wonderful street shopping, street art in all alleys and under every overpass, and food carts offering the most delectable morsels of Central Javan cuisine, I came across this late night urbanism intervention in the Southern City Square (Jalan Alun Alun Kidul). The concept is simple, but phenomenal: for 10,000 IDR (roughly 0.70 USD) you rent an old VW beetle and ride it around a track. The vehicles are revamped with bicycle pedals, padded seats, neon lights, and a music system offering a list of popular pop and hip hop tunes. As part of a local custom, you take on the tree challenge, in which you are blindfolded and pedal the car between two trees. The myth is that those who can manage will have good fortune. This creative entertainment caters to all ages and backgrounds- tourists (though there were very few), families, and college students.
To be continued.... Urban Asia: Secrets and Stereotypes... Revealed! (Part 2)
In some places, the Southeast Asian stereotype of motorized rickshaw drivers almost running over pedestrians came alive. In Jakarta, I witnessed first hand what I heard of many times before: a city overwhelmed with congestion, a thick blanket of smog covering the city removing any visibility of the horizon. The megalopolis, a term used to categorize this massively sprawling cluster of metropolitan regions, exhibited signs of widening inequality. Neighborhoods harboring extravagant designer malls offering valet service bordered towering public housing projects in poor condition and slums. Known as kampungs, these areas consisted of substandard shack style housing and narrow roads covered in potholes.
It's difficult to believe that if you fly one hour by plane away from the series of areas that comprise the Jakarta supercity, you land in a small city inhabited by university students engaging in creative urbanism projects: Yoygakarta. In tourism books, it is oft-described as the gem of Java, a cultural and culinary paradise. Beyond the wonderful street shopping, street art in all alleys and under every overpass, and food carts offering the most delectable morsels of Central Javan cuisine, I came across this late night urbanism intervention in the Southern City Square (Jalan Alun Alun Kidul). The concept is simple, but phenomenal: for 10,000 IDR (roughly 0.70 USD) you rent an old VW beetle and ride it around a track. The vehicles are revamped with bicycle pedals, padded seats, neon lights, and a music system offering a list of popular pop and hip hop tunes. As part of a local custom, you take on the tree challenge, in which you are blindfolded and pedal the car between two trees. The myth is that those who can manage will have good fortune. This creative entertainment caters to all ages and backgrounds- tourists (though there were very few), families, and college students.
To be continued.... Urban Asia: Secrets and Stereotypes... Revealed! (Part 2)
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