There is no wasting time here in Indonesia. We landed in Jakarta, and we’re on the road again one day later! First Jakarta, Merak by car, Balikpapan by plane, Samarinda by SUV, then back to Jakarta. Let me tell you, we have seen oil storage operations, mining operations, Indonesian traffic, Indonesian off-road traffic, protests with thousands of scooters, floods, and pineapples. Any more adventure and it would have been enough for a feature length movie!
As I prepared to come to China I did my due diligence by consulting most of the people I know that have been here before. Many had mixed feelings about China’s impressive mix of cultural ancestral heritage with western-like modernization. However, almost all of them advised unequivocally: watch out for the food. They spoke about the risk of low sanitary condition, shady unreliable restaurants and strange animals (including worms and insects) that tend to appear cooked in your plate without you asking. Some even suggested I stack up on granola bars because my disgust would make me very hungry.
Having spent a few weeks here I cannot disagree more with those comments.