Tuesday 15th September 2009
ok, so you look at the petrol gauge on your bike and you think...oh ow...i'm almost outta petrol so i need to get my motorised ass to the nearest pump and top up...you drive for awhile and the panic sets in because you are coming dangerously close to push mode...where you're gonna have to work up those arnie schwarzenegger muscles into a frenzy as you potentially push your bike a kilometre or two or three. then up ahead, you catch sight of the equivalent of the golden arches in petrol terms...the red and white sign that equals pertamina aka the pompa bensin aka the petrol station. you cruise in...all smiles...all pleased with yourself because you made it...with still a few drops of precious petrol in the tank...and you're greeted with a sign...a sign that says 'habis, pak'...wtf??? for those of us lucky to understand it simply means, 'finished, mr' and when you translate it into the reality check...it means...no more PETROL! huh? what? no way! oh yes...this is indonesia...petrol runs out, things don't run on time, people get paid under the table...you know...the usual...however, although the petrol station has run out of petrol...the good news is that the little warung...just next door is stacked with bottles lining a shelf FULL of petrol and ready to top up any depleted motorised traveller who's thirsty machine is in need of some juice! thank god for the little people...you gotta love this place...it makes millionaires outta the little people! (mind you, millionaires here do not translate into millionaires in the real world! but you get the idea!)
