I can finally write a blog post I have been planning on doing since I got to Indonesia: Transportation. Once I got to Palembang, I identified the different types of transportation that were available, and made a goal to try all of them. Then write about them! I think transportation is so fascinating, how it may or may not be similar in places around the world, and what different types of transportation options say about a place, and effect the development (or how the development effects the type of transportation available).
Walking- Walking is as much of a pass-time as it is a mode of transport. I have enjoyed wandering around my area and exploring different neighborhoods, food stalls, etc, it's a nice way to spend sometime in the (semi) fresh air! If its not unreasonable to walk somewhere (less than 30 minutes by foot) then it is much easier to walk somewhere than it is to coordinate/figure out routes/wait for another form of transport. It is usually a hot and sweaty option, but otherwise convenient.
Taxi/Other cars- First the cars of teachers/friends. I have been driven around by teachers if we were hanging out or going to a school thing. But I'd like to give a special shout out to my friend Femmy who has provided me with more rides than anyone else. To or from the station or out and about town. Thank you Femmy! You're the best. Now on to taxis. Taxis were my main mode of transport for at least the first month (maybe more) here in Palembang.They have now become a late night solution because public transport ends by 7pm. At first I needed a notebook to help taxi drivers find my place (I live sort of out of on the outskirts of town), but now I can tell them myself (in Indonesian!). I also used to love to talk to taxi drivers, but I ended up having the same conversation each time, and rather than spending the whole ride straining to hear/understand what is being said (they talk so fast! and sometimes so quite), I now sit back and check out the city around me. Main downsides of taxis- the most expensive transport in town, calling one taxis can be an issue- sometimes there is a wait up to an hour, and sometimes nobody answers the line...
Bachek- Not quit sure about the spelling of this, but it's a guy on a bike carting a bike carraige. I usually pass these up, because if it's close enough to be carted to, then I can probably walk there. I have taken a few with friends, and one time I used it to bring a case of water home. They are usually very colorful and cool looking, and driven by middle aged/older men, who are full of smiles. They are a very neat thing to have around.
Ojek- These are motorbike taxis. Motorbikes are all over Indonesia. There are at least 1000 more motorcycles here than there are back home, and I don't think I'm exaggerating. I haven't learned how to drive one, but you don't have to know how when there are dozens of people on any given corner will to drive you somewhere. I've heard that any guy on a bike can be an ojek. I love riding ojeks, it's fun to zoom around the city on the bak of a bike. I have only taken ojeks from my neighborhood- I'll ask one of my neighbors for help finding an ojek and they'll point to someone in their shop or call up a friend's brother's son's cousin. The nice part is they care about me and always make sure I have a helmet. They are much more convenient than taxis (you can keep walking around until you find one) and they cost half as much (maybe less). Also, motorbikes can weave and go up on sidewalks so they are the fastest mode of transport.
Angkot- Angkots are basically vans that have been gutted, and rebuilt lined with benches. They are painted different colors to represent the different routes they run. They run pretty frequently, so you usually don't have to wait long for them. There are a number of routes, so you can get all over town with the right transfers. I have had a number of great conversations on angkots, in both Indonesian and English (I prefer them to taxi convos). They can be crowded and sweaty, and sometimes you have to wait at stops as the drivers wait to add additional passengers, but overall they are good. I might be biased because there is a rout that takes me straight to the radio station. My trip there went from costing ~35,000 rp by taxi, to 20,000 rp by ojek, to a 2,000 rp ride by angkot!
TransMusi- I just rode this today! It has been on my to-do list for months, and now that I have been on it I have this great sense of accomplishment. I had seen a bus that said it was headed to PIM drive by the day before, which is where I had plans to go today, so I decided today was the day. It was a bit of an adventure, I wasn't sure where I would end up, but it all worked out. I ended up taking a detour to a part of town I had never seen before! It was a fun way to explore town, and I had similar conversations to those I've had in angkots, which I enjoyed. So more detail as to what TransMusi actually is- these are the big/real buses in town. Trans--- buses are all around Indonesia. There are TransJakarta, TransJogja, Trans(insert big city here). In Palembang, they went with TransMusi, Musi being the name of the main river that runs through Palembang. They resemble buses in America (nice, real seats) and they have AC! I was shocked when I found out they are only 4,000 rupiah (~40 cents), twice as much as an angkot. Score! They run less frequently, but they are more comfortable.
Note: There are three additional modes of transport that I identified but have yet to try- the bicycle, Bus Kota, and a boat. And here are my reasons:
Bicycle- I don't know many people who ride bikes, the aren't particularly common (making it difficult to borrow one) and I have no intention of buying one because everywhere I go is either close enough to walk or far enough where you need an engine to get there. I like bikes, but the main roads are very busy and not very bike friendly, so I have opted out of this one for safety reasons.
Bus Kota- Bus Kota is some what similar to TransMusi, it is also a large/normal sized bus, and may or may not run the same routes, but I think it runs more frequently. The reason I have not taken this mode of transport is because everyone I have talked to around here advises against it, and it looks dangerous. The buses look dark and sketchy, and are full of men who yell at me whenever they pass me on the street. So it just doesn't seem like a good idea.
Boat- This isn't a common or useful mode of transport because I have only ever needed to cross the river for immigration purposes. I would like to do a river tour at some point, but it is more about sightseeing than getting anywhere. I'll report on this when it happens!
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