Almost 5 years to the day, I had a twenty-hour layover in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Whilst browsing for things to do in Jakarta, I stumbled across the ‘Jakarta Hidden Tour’.
It was immediately illusive with no website apart from a BlogSpot, it wasn’t listed on any tour aggregator site and there were only a couple of discussions about it on online forums.
This attracted my interest.
The Tour promised to give an insight into Jakarta that you normally wouldn’t see and which the government denied at the time. I signed up.
With a few sketchy directions of a meeting point, I met Ronny, the guide of the tour and about a dozen participants.
I’ve seen some magnificent sights and had some incredible experiences on my travels but nothing quite like this. In fact, it was the only reason I returned to Jakarta this weekend to participate in this magical albeit confronting tour.
Effectively, Jakarta has expanded into a sprawling metropolis since Indonesia achieved its independence in 1945. A great deal of Indonesians have been able to catch the prosperity wave but a great deal now live destitute lives.
This tour takes you into the slums of Jakarta to meet the people who scrape by on the bare necessities if they even survive at all.
Ronny, an artist by trade, has become an activist to improve the lives of these people and affectionately known as ‘Uncle Ronny’ by those he helps.
At a rail overpass, we dart down a rabbit warren that opens between two buildings on the side of the road. As your eyes adjust, and the damp, heavy air opens your sinuses, you realize that this subterranean tunnel is actually abundant with life… human life.
The pathway is a labyrinth and every couple of meters you pass an open door. In complete artificial light, you peer in and soon realize that each of these little rooms, no bigger than a queen-sized mattress, is home to a family of anywhere between 3 and 6 family members. The path continues to wind and step ladders lead up to a second level houses as many people but with a roof that causes you to stoop.
You feel a splash on your leg and you realize that you’re passing the communal bathroom and washhouse. As residents clean themselves, it runs into the hall. I can’t help but think, if there was a fire, how in god’s name would people get out of here? My heart sinks when I realize that it would be impossible to escape alive.
The thundering of the train snaps you back into reality as it passes only 3 metres to the left. As you climb one of the step ladders, you’re on the tracks themselves.
This is only a tiny snippet of the complete tour. In fact, this happens within the first 15 minutes. Do not be deterred.
Your heart will be rekindled once you see the amazing work that Uncle Ronny has done with these communities. He uses the money donated for tour participation to build better quality housing, provide education and ensure that the families have access to healthcare.
Uncle Ronny is organizing for one girl to go to a special school as she has severe epilepsy and cannot attend the local school. He was the will and always has a way.
In another example, he has helped a widowed-mother of four daughters with a roof over their heads, schooling and basic sanitary and hygiene needs. Without his help, one regrets to think what is possible: homelessness, human trafficking, death… as there are no social benefits of the like in Indonesia.
Take a backpack full of toiletries, candy, stationary, toys… anything really because these people have barely anything.
Little ‘Gunther Bommie’ grabbed my hand and showed me where his family spend their whole day collecting plastic bottles, washing them and reselling them for twenty-cents per kilogram. The smell is overwhelming … the thought that children and people endure the unendurable gives you admiration for their tenacity and shame that you have so many petty personal problems in comparison.
I won’t speak for any longer but this tour which smash your heart and rebuild it in ways that you never thought possible.
