Jakarta Street Scenes

I left Jakarta in the midst of the worst flood the city has seen since 2007. Rivers overflowed. Barriers broke. Motorists waded through several feet of water to escape the gridlocked traffic on major streets. Two dozen Jakartans have now died from drowning or electrocution. I was never in any danger, but still felt like I had managed to get out under the wire, after being stuck in a cab for two hours on the way to the train station — which turned out to be closed anyway. I ended up taking a shuttle from a travel bureau. In Indonesia, there is always a back door. You just have to know where to look for it. 

Here are some pictures from happier times in the capital city. Stay-tuned for shots from Bandung, the indie fashion capital of Indonesia.