No one loves Jakarta’s traffic as much as Trisno. It’s his bread and butter. His clients leave the office at the end of the day, their briefcases swinging in the breeze, take one look at the gridlock and wave him over. As an ojek driver he has everything you need to run a successful business: [...]

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Herwan’s shirt keeps the paint from dripping on his face. He figured out how to wrap the turban on his first day, two weeks ago when he took up the brush in an effort to slap a fresh coat of paint on Jakarta. Underneath the Semanggi flyover, tiny drops of white paint are sprinkled in [...]

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On a sunny Wednesday morning in Kebayoran, Edi Sukandi is going through the motions. His dark wiry arms work without thought. He looks off into the distance at the sound of a car horn before lowering his head and focusing on the road again. Then like a pendulum, his traditional broom swings and lifts withered [...]

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Taufan might be the strongest kid you’ll ever meet. He’s seven-years-old now, but he’s been fighting leukemia since he was five. He won’t back down. His strength gives the other kids strength. Taufan is actually so strong he doesn’t have to stay at Rumah Sakit Cipto, in Salemba, anymore. Cipto normally houses anywhere between 40 [...]

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In the shadow of Pasar Baru in Central Jakarta sits the coup de grace of every departing expat—Jalan Gedung Kesenian—and its row of caricature artists. If you’ve never attended a going-away party and seen the work of Kang Edi and his counterparts, you’re not a real expat. But what made Edi, a 48-year-old father of [...]

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Icha stands patiently, arm outstretched, hoping for a ride to Monas, Kota or another part of Jakarta with the hope that she will meet a generous person who will part with more than the 20,000 Rupiah she expects as a minimum fee. At 27 Icha is a very young mother of two children. Having given [...]

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I am sure you have all noticed the huge shopping malls going up all over Jakarta in recent times. Behind the construction of these huge structures are thousands of people like Joko, who commute huge distances to seek gainful employment in the construction industry. Joko travels from his home town of Ciliacap to work nine [...]

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Aseni was a Metro Mini driver for twelve years before deciding to become a motorbike taxi (ojek) driver. Ten years later he is quite content to battle the Jakarta macet to get his passengers to their various destinations on time and in one piece, which is not easy in the Big Durian. Aseni seemed very [...]

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Nonong and Basio, both 47 years old, are not your typical Jakarta workers. In fact, they don’t live in Jakarta but travel in from Cilicap on the southern coast of West Java hoping that a few kind motorists will enjoy their colourful costumes and traditional dancing and part with a few Rupiah so they can [...]

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Tri is a fairly determined young man with a plan. He moved to Jakarta three years ago from Yogyakarta where he studied Electrical Engineering having landed a job at the University of IBS (Indonesia Banking System) in Kemang. Like so many people who come to Jakarta seeking better job opportunities and more money, his children’s [...]

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I came across Deskom and his best mate, Aris one hot morning on Mampang Prapatan, South Jakarta, as they were wandering amongst the traffic in search of a few Rupiah. Deskom was strumming on his miniature guitar and Aris was singing away to try and catch the motorists’ attention. Their story is one of sadness [...]

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I met Yuningsih in the middle of Ramadan. Business had slowed down considerably for Ungingsih, due to the fasting month however, there was little sign of any concern as she went about her not-so-busy day with a smile on her face and a placid calmness. I got the impression this 37 year old lady really [...]

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I met Abdul on a street near Block M, while he was taking a break from singing. The self taught guitar player performs to commuters on the buses during the day and on the streets at night, generally working from early morning until late, depending on how many tips he receives. His home is in [...]

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Yasirly works away on his sewing machine as the trains go thundering past his little workshop in Kebaron Baru, oblivious to the noise they make, a mere 10 metres from his workstation. The sewing machine man hails from Bogor and moved to Jakarta six years ago in search of customers when times were tough and [...]

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