Choo-Choo!

There are subway and train systems all over the world and in almost every major city.  They are great ways to transport large numbers of people.  Each train system is unique with characteristics that set it apart from other systems and firmly identify it with a particular region.  For example, the subway in Singapore was superbly clean and thoroughly organized.  Trains there ran with extreme precision and the passengers were consistently polite offering their seats to those in need. 

The train system in Jakarta is completely different, but fits the city perfectly.  The trains are dusty and dirty and get to their destinations...well... whenever they get there. 

Instead of paying for your ticket by distance like in Singapore, you pay by the class of the train.  It costs about $1 to ride the Express AC.  This train goes to major destinations only and gets there with frightening speed.  The doors on this train close and it isn’t very crowded.  The Ekonomi AC costs about $0.50 and stops at every station along its track.  It can be rather crowded (watch your belongings!), but the doors close.  This train is a good option if say you miss the last Express AC back to Jakarta while on your trip to Bogor Botantical Gardens, you know...for example.  The Ekonomi train costs $0.12 per trip and is always crowded.  The doors do not close on this train.  Why?  I came up with 3 reasons:

1.  The doors are broken.

2.  Having the doors open lets in more air and saves passengers from heat stroke and/or the stench.

3.  More people fit on a train with open doors. 

We took an Ekonomi train from the Eijkman Institute one afternoon, mostly out of curiosity.  Luckily, the train was not very crowded that day.  The whole experience made me extremely nervous, though. 

Colby was thrilled to wait in the train station and watch all of the trains go by.  He was so excited that he babbled incoherently.  Now, I know he babbles incoherently most of the time, but this was babbling so fast that he could hardly breathe.

It wasn’t until we saw this Jakarta phenomenon that all of C3 were speechless.  Fortunately, I was able to pull it together long enough to snap a photo!