Oh my gosh, what a day! A total adventure from the beginning to the end.
Because of my extremely short notice and fast departure from Finland to take this assignment in Indonesia I needed to renew my working visa paperwork in Singapore, which was handled by the staff at my office, I just needed to pick it up from the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore and go back to Semarang. All was planned since some weeks ago, and during this weekend I should have flown aboard for this matter.
Yesterday night, speaking with some friends, I got the notice that immigration police was having a campaign to detect unskilled people without the appropriate visa and were focusing mainly on companies all around the city to find out foreigners working in the country. There were some revisions and arrests, I got to know a person who had a friend (an expat) in some European company with operations in Indonesia which was imprisoned. In order to prevent any damage to the company and risk to our staff, the management took ordered that no foreigners should be at the office during this day, and until things settle down. What did this meant? Free day? No way! I wish!
This meant working from home, from the restaurant, from the gym, you mention it. I have never had this unpleasant feeling of being a subject of suspicion from the authorities. (Well, only in Russia when I met the Professor and drank one litter of Vodka together about 10 years ago) Going from place to place with the uncertainty that this type of actions might hinder one owns liberty. As the day evolved, first being at the restaurant having breakfast, using the WiFi, then going home and making plentiful coordination phone calls to my colleagues at the office, then going to the gym and interrupting my sauna and swimming pool sessions with business matters. Luckily all went right, we achieved the milestones settled for the day, and no close contact with any authority bodies.
Since the trip to Singapore was scheduled for that Friday night, I arrived safe to the airport, luckily not before having spoken with some other guys who gave the advice that I should not go through that airport since immigration was very strict. Fortunately experience as a backpacker helped a lot to solve these situations; soon my business attire got transformed on a budget travel outfit. We joked about my stay in the country, places, food, people, girls, etc. then they asked, do you work here? I said, no of course not, only backpacking! And they were satisfied.
I didn't understand a thing, why should one hide, if all papers are in order? It was during the flight that I got an answer. According to the news papers these acts happen more or less once a year, after the national festivities of Idul Fitri, when thousands make their way to big cities from rural areas in search of jobs, action which is illegal without the appropriate permits. However, according to Jakarta Post, this type of actions are targeted for unskilled immigrants, but has evolved in such a way that affects everyone. According to the post "the operation has come to target not only unskilled Indonesians, but everyone in the vicinity including foreign nationals". On Thursday police took in Jakarta ca. 830 residents, sending ca. 430 to trials and releasing the rest. For those found guilty a fine of Rp 25,000 needs to be paid (1 EUR = Rp 13,000).
Following the advice of my colleagues, and in order to keep a low profile, I took refuge at my favourite multipurpose doctor, a very very nice SPA with hamam, 85 C sauna, a 41C, 36C, and 6C swimming pools, which were utilized diligently and indulging myself with a 90 min body massage.
This place I am talking about is the best place ever. It is clean, good staff, good service, and the personnel is well trained, and it has a Finnish sauna with a simulation of avanto! Incredible! Couldn't believe it when I saw it the first time! I enjoyed so much the löyly, but I don't think that the Indonesian people that was inside at the same time as me had the same experience :-)
It was an interesting day after all, with an uncertain beginning but with a good ending, ready to enjoy a nice and relaxing weekend at one of the richest cities in the world. Just in the streets, during my 30 min trip from the airport to the hotel I got to see 1 Bentley Continental GT, Maserati GranTurismo, 2 Audi A8, 3 BMW 7 series, 2 Lexus, 3 MB S series, 1 BMW X5, 1 Volvo S80, 2 Lamborgini Gallardo, 1 Ferrari F430. Shön, oder?
