Location, location, location

Friday was a day of looking at more houses in the mega-city known as Jakarta. We revisited a house that I liked, but just couldn't quite get a handle on the neighborhood. Looking for a place to call home is always an interesting experience no matter where you are.

The last house of the day was about the best combination of things we have seen and therefore told our realtor to inquire with the landlord about the possibility of renting it. Apparently, there is a lot of negotiating that will go on as far as rent; what they will provide, inspections to be made and such. Here, you must sign a two year agreement and pay all of the rent up front. It is not the kind of arrangement I am used to and it makes me uncomfortable, but that is the way it is done.

The houses are unfurnished. Since we were not allowed to bring any furniture with us, the landlord will provide a few pieces and then we will have to shop for the rest.

At this point I am unsure if a washer and dryer will be part of the package, so I guess our days at Laundrette are not over yet. We will break free from the plastic enshrined clothing syndrome one way or another. I promise.

I think a fridge comes with the deal and hip-hip-hurrah this house has a range. But, and there is always a big but, the kitchen is kind of divided in to a front kitchen and back kitchen. The front kitchen has a refridgerator, a large basin to wash hands or rinse fruits and veggies and lot of cabinets and counter space. The back kitchen area has a regular kitchen sink and range and counters and cabinets too. A little odd, but I guess there are some advantages. The back kitchen can be closed off from the front kitchen so if you are cooking or baking you could close the doors and keep the heat out of the rest of the house.

Almost every house we have looked at seems to have some unorthodox features or location. One just never knows what awaits behind the gate. See my previous post for a recap if you don't know what I mean.

The houses all have some form of walls around them. Kind of like the Indonesian version of the privacy fences that are so predominant in Texas neighborhoods. Some of the walls are made of cement, some of them the bottom is one material and the top three feet or so are corrugated metal or bamboo. Atop each wall are spikes, razor wire, barbed wire or the ultra chic jagged pieces of glass artistically arranged. It gives one the feeling of being in Huntsville, for my Texas friends, Alcatraz for anybody else who needs a point of reference. All of this lends an air of uncertainty as to exactly what your disposition is. I really try not to focus on why all of this is deemed necessary in every single neighborhood.

I know this sounds frightening to many of you who read this. It is frightening to me too. It was one of the more in-your-face kinds of moments when we began our search for a place to live. I hope to goodness that I never need to pluck anyone out of the wire because: #1. To do so would mean someone was trying to enter my yard without coming through the front gate which isn't a good sign. #2. It would be a very messy thing to have to encounter for many reasons. So, keep good thoughts if you wouldn't mind.

With that said, let's move on to more pleasant subjects.

The primary neighborhood in which we are searching for a home is called Kemang (pronounced Kuh-mong). It is a popular area with a couple of good sized grocery stores, lots of shops and restaurants. The nice thing about Kemang is that it is a walking neigborhood. One can get to many things on foot if you choose to.

The housing runs from big, elaborate expat housing, old very much in need of repair expat housing, down-right strange expat housing, little villages (as our realtor calls them) tucked in and around the expat housing. There are several mosques, a couple of international and local schools, gas stations, convenience stores, gyms, hair salons, furniture making places and pretty much all the things you would find in a neighborhood.

There are also lots of feral cats roaming around, butterflies, dragonflies, orchids, mango trees, multiple varieties of palm trees, guys pushing food carts selling all kinds of things that at this point I would not feel safe eating, guys with sewing machines mounted on carts so they can wheel them from location to location (I find them particularly interesting), people begging for whatever coins you will give them, school children dressed in uniforms going to or from school (which BTW they go to school 6 days a week from 6:30am to 1:00pm).

Once we are settled, if this deal goes through, we can say..."I had a house in Jakarta." Meryl Streep, forgive my poetic license.