Every time I visit a new country, I tend to compare it with India and get excited about certain new things in the country and at the same time draw consolation from some other aspects that India is a better place on any day. When I visited Indonesia, I was under the impression that I was visiting a country lower than India and so expected it not to be better than India in most aspects. But surprisingly, this country at first sight seems to be a better place. The airport is quite small or at least it is not gorgeous but it is efficient. The people are courteous and the taxi service is definitely very efficient. The roads are good and I did not find many signals on my way from airport to Kuningan where I stay and also when I went to Taman Safari on a Saturday.

The number of Toyota vehicles I see on the road is simply mind-boggling. I heard from Oman, our driver, that there are 28 models being produced in Indonesia by Toyota. Of course Benz vehicles also ply a lot apart from Hondas, Nissans, Mitsubishis and Suzukis. Two wheelers are their own masters here too.

There is a rule that cars cannot ply on certain busy roads with single passengers. So boys and girls called Jockeys stand by the side of the road with their hand raised. You can ask them to get in and travel till the end of the restricted roads for a price of IDR 15000 roughly equal to Rs 65 or US $ 1.3. Contrary to this two wheelers earn money by carrying you on pillion for a price. Man is really enterprising.

There are lanes and bylanes but SUVs like CR-V or Innova are driven with ease by the drivers here. And people create traffic jams occasionally by parking their cars in these lanes but people do not get angry too soon. Another interesting aspect is that junctions in the lanes are managed by volunteers who control the traffic well. Pure volunteerism, hats off to the people.

A very good thing I have noticed is that walls are not defaced by notices. Here too there are 40 political parties but their leaders are greeted by posters which are placed in a non-intrusive way. And people don’t spit indiscreetly or throw garbage. Poverty is visible but it has not affected the cleanliness of the city. I have to visit the rural side to validate my opinion.

The country gets copious rains because of being on the equator and also being an archipelago. The islands are very green and one does not encounter vast dry expanses at all.

The Taman Safari is a beautiful place. Zebras, Ostrich, Lions and many other animals walk on the road and all the animals are allowed to roam freely with safety for the visitors. Going by a car, I got to pass by a lion sitting in the middle of the road. And a tiger going by the side. It was thrilling. More than that, I got a leopard cub sit on my lap for a fee and naturally got it photographed. That will be one of my prized possessions. Another one was the parrots eating out of our hands, sitting on our forehand or even the head.

The whole area is a forest on a hill and there is a beautiful water fall. A cow boy show is a not-to-be-missed item in this safari. Wild West is recreated so nicely that one can consider the films as inferior to this. For 45 minutes, we are taken through a fight between the cow boys and the Indians with the Sheriff and his man winning in the end, but it was the amazing continuity that is maintained that boggles your mind.

The currency is a joke here. IDR 500 is like a 50 paise coin in India. Its value is like Rs 2. People talk in terms of hundreds of thousands, like milk sells at 28000 for a litre. However, I find that it is costlier than India. Can I assume that this is a more developed country than us?