State Department warnings

It’s hard to tease fact from fiction in regards to threats to personal well-being here in Indonesia. The US State Department warns Americans to postpone all non-essential travel to Indonesia. From their website, one would imagine that terrorists might well lurk around every island – all 13,000 of them.

They’re not the only cautious ones. I stayed with an Indonesian family for my first two days in the country. They offered me a ride from the airport, and then, a place to sleep. When I pried myself away (against their exhortations to stay a week) they insisted upon placing me into the safe hands of the national train system. The buses are full of thieves, they claimed. There’s no telling what might happen.

The next town I hit, I was warned by a hotel proprietor not to set up a tour with a street guide. We’ve had them drug our tourists and rob them, he said. Not the first time I’ve heard that story either, though usually it involves tourists on night buses, drugged with the water bottles handed out by the bus staff!

A solid half-dozen times when I’ve told Indonesians I’ll just hop on a bus to get to my next destination, they pause, pursing their lips or leaning closer to me. Watch out for pickpockets! Maybe you should take a taxi, instead?

I ride the bus with my purse on my lap, my hands folded on top for added measure. But, I must admit, I also ride with a great deal of peace of mind. Perhaps I’m simply naïve.