Note: Sorry to post these so late, but I am trying to catch up and to be fair my computer has been dead for the past week.
I made it safely to Jakarta yesterday. I decided to stay in a different home stay in central Jakarta, but still nearby Jalan Jaksa. It is much quieter and, amazingly enough, only a short walk from the new research permit office. Heather will understand that this is a nice improvement from the old LIPI office, and it saves me a taxi trip. Also, it is the old home of the governor of Jakarta, which makes it an interesting place to stay, full of old photos and paintings of the family, intricate Javan woodwork, a two-story fountain, and traditional Javan bamboo instruments. Unfortunately, I have to wait until later this afternoon for the boss of the new office to come to work and sign my letter. Because of this delay, I will not be able to proceed to step two (the national police office) and may have to get an extension from immigration if I cannot make it to Lampung by Monday.
A homestay is probably just a nice word for a small, slightly shabby hotel where you get to live side-by-side with the owners. But, really you also get breakfast every morning (complete with a little American flag at my place setting) and it is a family run place. I am going to meet with my friend Fitri later today about getting the necessary permission (in addition to everything else) to take plant samples out of the forest. It should be a good time. It also looks likely that I will have to be in Jakarta a few days longer than I had hoped because of the one day delay from the new office yesterday. I have to be in Lampung by Monday to go to immigration, but that probably will not work out unless I kick total ass at the offices today and tomorrow. That means that I get to go to immigration in Jakarta with a letter from the research permit office to get a one week extension to immigrate. Unfortunately, immigration in Jakarta is by far the worst, most Kafka-esque office I have been to so far in Indonesia. Good times, good times.
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