For breakfast, vegemite on toast. As I'm transitioning to Australia, I find that I'm writing less in my notebooks, talking less Indonesian. Though I am staying with friends who are very fluent in English.
Midday, taxi out to RuangRupa, an art gallery located somewhere in South Jakarta. Impossible to find, due to street numbering system which does not adhere to the street numbering concepts used, say, in Watson. Looking for number 6. Can find 3, 4, 5, and 7. Driver, as per usual, stops to discuss gallery's whereabouts with locals. Follow their instructions, but end up confused. Find number 6, but it's a school. More stops, more discussions with locals. Lots of handpointing. Looks authoritative enough. Still can't find the gallery. Is my pretentiousness going to be foiled? I'm sure I see 56 next to 73. Another street, more confusion. Try more one local. The numbers seem to have a system - 16, 14, 12, 10, 8 and, yes, 6: RuangRupa. Inside, one room, filled with comics drawn by artists from Bandung, Yogjakarta and Jakarta. Manager comes out and explains each work and a bit about the artist. Mentions that this is the headquarters of White Shoes and the Couples Company. Which is why I'm there. A huge fan of their music. Learn that the new album is out next January, with a comic to follow. Maybe a tour to Adelaide.
Return to Dianita and Arief's place, frittering away my last couple of hours here reading short stories from by Indonesian sensation Djenar Maesa Ayu. Arief at work, Dianita at Universitas Indonesia, the kids have returned from school, looked after by the live-in servants. Called just before 5pm, Dianita saying she can't be there to say goodbye.
Driven to airport by her father's driver. Dream run. Left Kebayoran Baru at 4.55pm, arrive at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 5.25pm. No queue at the check-in. Bag weighs in at 21.9 kilograms!!
Plenty of time to kill. Saunter around the various tourist shops. Hungry, so look for food. Request noodles with vegies. Really helpful staff explain that the food has been prepared with chicken stock, but if I've got time they can cook up some vegetables and rice.
No more need of the mobile. Switch it off. For the duration of the trip, my pockets have been encumbered by travel tools. Empty pockets, can't wait. Meanwhile, unable to help myself, I buy a couple of books, all with an Islamic theme. Listen to Jens Lekman in the waiting lounge. At a later date I will have to investigate how much Australian music made its way onto the iPod. Offhand, I know that I had two albums by the Go-Betweens.
All aboard, leave about 9pm. QANTAS meal comes with pepper - haven't had pepper in ages! Scrappy sleep. Preparing to land. Pilot announces that we've been requested to hold. Eerie stillness of holding pattern. Five minutes of floating, drift.
As we break through the clouds, I look across to the window, past the two Indonesians marvelling at the view, and see the streets of Sydney. Nearly home.
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