The crazy taxi driver in Jakarta, Indonesia

I decide with my two other friends to go to an amusement park in Jakarta, Indonesia. Everything is new to us, the nature, the people, and the language. It is a hot humid day, the kind that makes you tired and sleepy, but I want to explore more about this new part of the world I am in. So, I find my inner motivation and start exploring. We are all so excited to be there that we take a picture with every bush.

It is getting dark and we want to go to the mall as well. So we decide to take a taxi. We wait on the road waiving at taxies but none was stopping. Finally one stops and wow what taxi is it!? The car looks so used and old that I thought by sitting in it, it will decompose. There are no windows and the side view mirrors were tied to the car door with a wire. It actually has a hole through the door to tie the mirror. Well not many options we think; either we go with this guy or stay an additional hour for another taxi.
So, we all get inside and pray the car will hold us all. From time to time the mirror is falling on a side and the driver asks to hold it so he can see.

But this is not it. This tiny man, with not a lot hair, is high. He does not speak English, but from time to time is looking at me and calling me Lady Diana. Apparently the color of my hair fascinates him.

The driver takes a route that is tax free. I don’t know if it is the best decision, but for sure it was an experience I will never forget. Here we are in the slums of Jakarta and the driver is driving like a fanatic, screaming every time he does something irrational on the road. We are all screaming at the back, panicked and he is screaming even louder, and I can hear him call me Lady Diana from time to time. Looking at the roads he is taking, and the way he is driving, I can assure you that I will not be surprised if all of us are being kidnapped.

I look outside; I never saw what I was seeing now. The motorbikes have three to five passengers riding them. Dust is in the air along with a heavy smell of food mixed with car petrol, and a lot of noise because every car on the road is honking. The driver then decides to pass a long line of cars on a two way road and a truck comes from the front, all of us being to scream again and this maniac is screaming “Lady Diana” even louder.

It was a comedy to watch, for sure, but not to be the main actor of the play. My friend next to me lights a cigarette. She is smoking these skinny, long cigarettes in a small tiny pack. Probably she is as frightened as me but we all keep it to ourselves. The driver is looking at her and then at the cigarette as if he wanted one, but he didn’t know how to ask. I ask my friend if she has more cigarettes to give him, maybe it might make him come back to his senses. She gave him a full pack and this makes his day.

Finally the taxi ride has come to an end. We get out of the taxi thanking God we are still alive. I make a payer and the sign of cross on the street and I almost go down on my knees to kiss the ground. One person passing by sees my action and starts laughing. We are in shock after that ride, to talk about the event or anything, so we just keep quiet for the entire journey.