The City of Living Dangerously

We can hear sirens blaring from our office at Metropolitan I. From reports that are coming in from CNN and AP, It looks like the blast is worst than what we had earlier expected. At least 4 casualties involving foreigners have been reported.

JW Marriott is one of the more popular hotels in Jakarta. It is newer, trendier and well-located within the golden triangle of Sudirman, Gatot-Subroto and Rasuna Said. The Untitled Pub located at the hotel is a popular hangout for yuppies. In fact I have fond memories of watching last year's World Cup Final live telecast there.

But Jakartans are resilient: over the years there have been bomb blasts at the Jakarta Stock Exchange, Atrium Mall Senen, Eksotis Diskotek at Mangga Besar, the Soekarno-Hatta airport terminal, the UN Building and also one that went unnoticed by many people at the Parliament compound; not to mention the carnage during the riots of 1998.

Jakarta just celebrated its 476th anniversary last month. It is an old city. It has survived centuries of invasion and exploitation by foreign powers -- the Portuguese, the Dutch, the British, the Japanese and also a coup attempt by Communists during Sukarno's Year of Living Dangerously. It will certainly survive this ordeal and move on.

To me, Jakarta is still one of the most fascinating places to live in: It is a place with a soul; and an indomitable one at that.