an entry somewhere else

Since I’ve unloaded my scooter in Manado, I’m at the mercy of the taxis of Makassar. Technically, I’m supposed to be provided with a ride to and from work, but it isn’t practical. For the transportation to work, I have to be at the mercy of someone else’s schedule. As we all know how Americans like to go, go, go, I end up calling for taxis to get me to most places.

Lately, the taxi company I’ve been ordering from has been taking their sweet time (if they come at all) despite there usually being two or three taxis standing around the corner. I tip the men well in comparison to locals, but this doesn’t seem to keep some of them honest. There have been several times that the drivers feign to understand my pronunciation of my street or take the ‘long route.’ Just now, the driver kept on asking whether he needed to turn or go straight. I expect the driver to know the way or he wouldn’t be a taxi driver. My impeccable navigation skills directed him the usual route and I made it home safely.

Security update: A set of bars have been installed on all windows that previously did not have them, making the house a veritable fortress. Luckily, the houses here are made mostly of brick and mortar which makes it damn hard to burn the thing down. A couple of students have been installed next door as an extra precaution even though I wonder if they are here during the day… I’ve bought a new power cord for my iBook; it has the big ol’ 220 plug. That’ll be fun finding a converter for in the US. I also bought the same model of speakers. The only thing that I would like to replace soon is a digital camera.

Today’s deal: 500g of Toraja Arabica beans at IDR35,000. It’ll take me forever to drink that much coffee.