Indonesia – Trackchasing Country #52

 

 

 

 

 

DAYS 6-9 – “INDONESIA OR BUST” TRACKCHASING TOUR (part 3 of 3)

 

 

Editor’s note:

I take the time and effort to send you these reports for a couple of reasons (if not more). First, if you never ever get to visit an Indiana or an Indonesia, maybe you will get the same thrill I do even though you won’t make the visit personally. Trust me, Indiana and Indonesia are quite a bit different.

 

Secondly, if you DO go to an Indiana or an Indonesia, maybe you’ll pick up just one or two tips that will make your trip better. That’s why I share my experiences with you. I don’t want a thing back. If you enjoy my efforts or get a better trip experience based upon anything you read, and I hear about it, I will be thrilled. I hope you think the effort on both of our parts is worthwhile.

 

 

 

Disclaimer #1: My experiences are limited to the day(s) I visited and the geography I covered in whatever area I tour. If you dropped someone into Kansas City from outer space, they could compare Kansas City to other places they had visited. However, if they had limited experiences with the area or country, they might not know if Kansas City was bigger and better than New York or bigger and better than Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Make sense? You’ll have to use your own instincts to draw conclusions about my travel experiences and how you can benefit from them.

 

Disclaimer #2: Folks this report comes in at just over 9,000 words. There was a LOT to see and do in Indonesia! I had the most adventuresome touring day I can ever recall on these international trips.

 

I recommend you get a smooth glass of Merlot, and just take some time to relax. Pull out your laptop and just have fun imagining what this trip must have been like. When you complete the 9,000 words take a little more time and look at the pictures and videos. Then you can decide for yourself if Indonesia will be part of your future vacation plans.

 

Greetings from Jakarta, Indonesia,

 

TODAY’S HEADLINES 

If you know the right people your experiences can be multiplied. ………..details in “Race Review”.

 

Security was tight all over Indonesia………..more in ”Asia (Malaysia/Indonesia) – Day 6 – Saturday”.

 

The trip highlight was meeting Ruswadi!………..details in “Asia (Indonesia) – Day 7 – Sunday”.

 

This trip had me flying more than 22,000 miles. I had never flown further during any other trip.………..details in “Asia (Indonesia) – Day 9 – Tuesday”.

 

Asia (Malaysia/Indonesia) Day 6 – Saturday

 

I get and take, lots of advice from people. 

I woke up in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and went to bed in Jakarta, Indonesia. This is what happened during the day.

 

 

I arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 8 p.m. tonight. My two-hour flight on Air Asia Airlines was uneventful, just the way I like it.

 

I had received a good deal of quality feedback from my “buds” at TripAdvisor.com regarding Indonesia. In the first two hours of my trip, I benefited several times from their contributions.

 

Visa on arrival? 

Some countries require a “visa” to enter their country. Indonesia requires a visa. Unlike our trip to Brazil where we had to get our visas in advance, Indonesia offers and requires a “visa on arrival” program. Travelers must pay $25 in cash (any currency) to get their visa. Folks then proceed to the customs officer and are admitted to the country. I paid in U.S. dollars so as to conserve my Indonesian currency.

 

 

How do you divide by 8,600? 

Indonesia is the third foreign country I have visited on this trip. Before leaving the states I bought currency for South Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia. South Korea’s exchange rate is about 1,100 Won to one U.S. dollar. Therefore if you divide the price of something in Korea by 1,000 you’ll be pretty close to the item’s price in the U.S.

 

In Malaysia, one U.S. dollar will buy you about three Malaysian Ringgit. That makes shopping fairly easy. I just divide whatever Malaysian price I see by three to get the U.S. price.

 

However, Indonesia was going to be tough. One U.S. dollar equals 8,600 Indonesian Rupiah. Dividing prices by “8,600” is not one of the flashcards I worked with in grade school. I’ll have to rely on my Apple iPhone’s currency app, aptly called “currency” to figure out the U.S. price equivalent.

 

I did as I was told….and changed my hotel reservation. 

I had originally made a reservation at the Sheraton, which is adjacent to the Jakarta airport. I thought that might be closer to Sentul Circuit, tomorrow’s racetrack. However, my TripAdvisor pals recommended I switch to the Le Meridien in downtown Jakarta. Their rationale was that it would be closer to the “action”. They obviously knew much more about Jakarta than I did. They must have known how I like to travel. I followed their recommendation.

 

Stick with Bluebird. 

They also told me to stick with “Bluebird” taxis. They told me the Bluebird cabs were a cut above the rest. I followed that recommendation too. My cab was new, clean and the driver drove in a civilized manner. All Bluebird taxis use a meter as well.

 

Before I hopped in the cab, the manager asked if I wanted a “fixed rate” or to use the meter. That’s sort of like asking me if I want the current income tax structure or a flat tax. I don’t know. I’ll take whichever one is cheaper. I went with the “meter”.

 

Tonight’s taxi ride was 30-45 minutes long. The meter went up 300 rupiahs about every four seconds. In a minute it went up 4,500 rupiahs. That seemed like a lot. In reality, I was only being charged fifty cents a minute. The entire ride was 90,000 rupiah or just over ten bucks. That was cheap for such a long ride.

 

My lodging doesn’t get too much better than this. 

I could see that the Le Meridien Hotel was going to be upscale. It’s the kind of place I take Carol to when she ventures out on these trips. However, the security was most noteworthy. When we pulled onto the property, several armed guards appeared. First, they opened the taxi’s hood and then the trunk. Then another guard used a mirror on a long stick to check for explosives underneath the car! When all was cleared we were allowed to pass.

 

This was heavy-duty security. 

Next, before I could get into the lobby of the hotel, all of my stuff had to go through a metal detector. This was considerably different than anything I experienced in Malaysia or South Korea during the past week. Admittedly, my Malaysian stay was in a small town and the South Korea stay was near an airport in a rural area. Tonight I was stepping into the big city life of Jakarta. I don’t know how they might handle security in rural areas of Indonesia.

 

Le Meridien hotels are nice. We used them on our trip to Morocco. As a “Starwood Preferred Guest” I get the very best treatment at these places. My room was VERY upscale. It’s the equivalent of a quality Hyatt or Marriott hotel. I was going to be quite comfortable here.

 

Before I went to my room, I reserved a Bluebird cab for the trip to the track tomorrow.   I also met with the hotel concierge regarding tours for Monday, the day after the races. Seeing racetracks is important to me. However, seeing what’s happening in the local area, from a tourist’s point of view, is equally important.

 

Indonesia is one hour behind Malaysia’s time. That’s good. By moving the clock back an hour, I’ll get some extra sleep.

 

Asia (Indonesia) Day 7 – Sunday

 

This is not a place for timid drivers. 

I woke up in Jakarta, Indonesia and went to bed in Jakarta, Indonesia. This is what happened during the day.

 

 

Asia seems to be one of the tougher (toughest?) continents for motorists. The traffic is dense. There always seems to be a lot of motorcycle traffic as well. Drivers all seem to go for the same lane at the same time.

 

I have now trackchased in ten Asian countries. I rented a car in only two, Bahrain and Qatar. I don’t know how I predicted that in advance but each of those was a little more laid back than the average Asian country. In the other eight, I used a combination of personal drivers, buses, subways and trains. I even used the bullet train in Japan.

 

 

My Bluebird taxi pulled up perfectly on time to take me to the Sentul International Circuit. Ruswadi was driving it. That’s it….just Ruswadi. Kind of like Cher or Beyonce. He had only one name. By the end of the trip, I would thank my lucky stars I met him.

 

You’ll see my review of the Indonesia racing a little further into this Trackchaser Report.

  

After the races…………

 

Dense traffic but lots of conversation. 

After the races traffic was very heavy. It took Ruswadi nearly two hours to cover the distance from the track back to Jakarta. Despite the delay, the taxi fare was about the same as coming out to the track, 150,000 rupiahs. That fare included two tolls as well. The price in dollars for two hours in a taxi? Just about twenty dollars. Our trip might have been 20-25 miles in length.

 

I was so lucky that I got Ruswadi as my taxi driver. He spoke English well. My other Bluebird drivers, from the airport last night and later on this evening drove well, had clean cabs but didn’t speak much English.

 

 

Just as on the way out to the track Ruswadi and I talked non-stop. He was very open. I could ask him any number of questions and did. He, upon my prompting, asked me questions as well. Don’t miss my Indonesian videos. You’ll see and hear some of our conversations.

 

Did you know any of this? 

Ruswadi was forty years old. He’s been married to his wife, who is aged sixty-seven (67) for seventeen years. They have one adopted daughter. She is ten years old. Ruswadi is Muslim (although not a fanatical one he told me). About 90% of Indonesians are Muslim. There are more Muslims in Indonesia than in any other country.

 

Ruswadi’s daughter goes to school from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. However, she attends school SIX days a week including Saturdays but is off Sundays. Ruswadi is very interested in family. He asked me several questions about my family. He was very impressed with the occupations of our children (commercial airline pilot, lawyer and teacher). I am too!

 

In America, people I meet seem to be most curious about how I PAY for my hobby. When I travel internationally, folks seem to be more interested in WHY I do this. Ruswadi wanted to know what my “profit” was in trackchasing. Maybe that’s a combination question that includes both “how do you pay for it?” and “why do you do it?”.

 

I responded with two points of rationale. I explained the “collecting” aspect of the hobby. I asked him if he collected stamps or coins. He didn’t but he seemed to understand what I was getting at. I told him that I collect “experiences”. He was part of my Indonesian experience.

 

 

I found his question about “how do I profit” an interesting one. Of course, there is no monetary profit for me in this hobby. I am firmly convinced that I could profit financially from trackchasing if I wanted to. It’s just that would turn my hobby into a job and I don’t do jobs or any kind of work for pay anymore. I stopped doing those dreadful (mostly kidding) activities on June 30, 2002.   However, folks who keep close track of my records know that I actually went trackchasing in Trumansburg and Perry, New York on Sunday, June 30, 2002.

 

I told Ruswadi that my “profit” is sharing what I see and do with people who find that interesting. When anyone gets to “share and reapply” any of my ideas or experiences and I hear about it, that makes me happy. That’s where my “profit” comes in from the hobby of trackchasing.

 

Ruswadi has been driving a taxi for two years. Prior to that, he had an art studio where he made things from stone. However, the economy forced him to close his business and go for a more reliable income. He drives for a percentage of the revenue his cab generates. The more money he brings in the higher percentage of the fares he earns. Hey, this sounds like capitalism! The total amount he earns each day is very small, about $25 U.S. However, his house payment is small too. In 3-4 days of driving (he works two days on and one day off) he earns enough to make his house payment.

 

Indonesia and Malaysia are different in some ways. 

Indonesia is different in several ways from neighboring Malaysia where I’ve been the last few days. There appears to be much less English spoken in Indonesia. There is also less English on signs here.

 

 

After the races, Ruswadi dropped me off at the Grand Indonesia Mall. The TripAdvisor people recommended this place. This is the largest mall in Indonesia and one of the largest in all of Asia. I needed the air-conditioning! I was also looking for a place to eat. Asian malls have absolutely huge “Food Courts”. Some including this Mall have more than 50 choices.

 

In Malaysia, I saw a Mcdonald’s on almost every street corner. I’ve seen very few American brands in Indonesia. The food court, except for a Dairy Queen outlet of all things, included restaurants I had never heard of before.

 

Again, heavy security. 

The security to get into the mall tonight was high. There was no security like this at the Malaysian mall I visited. Tonight, our taxi was stopped before the mall’s entrance. The guard opened both the hood and the trunk before we were allowed to pass. Then before I could walk into the mall I had to put my camera bag etc. through a metal detector. Ruswadi told me this extra security all came about because of the bombing in Bali, Indonesia twelve years ago. Folks, watch out, this will be common in America during our lifetimes.

 

Very little English! 

I was amazed at the food choices tonight. The restaurant names and menu items were very difficult to understand. There were virtually no English descriptors. I can tell you, that without looking at pictures, I had absolutely NO IDEA what the first twenty places were serving.

 

This made making a dinner selection somewhat treacherous. Finally, I settled on what looked like a steak place. They had a T-bone steak on the menu for less than ten dollars. Folks, when someone offers you a T-bone steak for less than ten bucks run the other way. It was not very good.

 

I think we could all get along if we just knew each other better. 

The highlight of my meal was a young Muslim woman who offered me a seat near to her and her husband. She had the most beautiful smile. The place was packed and had almost no open seats. The woman was dressed in traditional Muslim garb. She was nursing her young infant.

 

 

The woman was very helpful although I don’t think she spoke much English. I also don’t think she ever took her eyes off me. I guess they don’t get many 6’3” people wearing bright red “Angels” shirts and shorts around here. She seemed especially interested in my using a knife and fork to eat my steak. The people I’ve seen here prefer using a spoon and fork.

 

When I was searching for a place to put my tray, she helped me out. When it was time to go I told her “thank you” and smiled a good-bye. Her husband did the same. Although, for the most part, we didn’t speak each other’s language we seemed to get along very well.

 

The clothing of the day. 

Despite the weather conditions (hot and humid) very few people seem to wear shorts. T-shirts aren’t that popular either. In the malls, most of the women are dressed very well, often in high-heeled shoes. I can only imagine the time it takes them to get ready for a simple shopping trip.

 

I do get my share of “looks”. That’s O.K. with me. I don’t look like very many of the people in Malaysia or Indonesia. Americans are few and far between here. I’m nearly a foot taller than most everyone and my dress is different. I hope that when any of these folks might visit the U.S. they would wear what they like and what makes them feel comfortable. No dress code required!

 

Asia (Indonesia) Day 8 – Monday

 

Possibly my most adventuresome touring day ever. 

I woke up in Jakarta, Indonesia and went to sleep in an airplane bound for Tokyo, Japan. This is what happened during the day.

 

I have now trackchased in 52 different countries. I’ve traveled in another ten or so. Whenever I could, I have tried to “push the envelope” when it came time to explore different cultures. Sometimes that meant taking chances. Sometimes it was a bit on the dangerous side. All that being said, I don’t think I have ever had a single day of foreign country touring that surpasses what I experienced today in the adventure, uniqueness and just plain fun department. Read along and see if you agree.

 

My tour plan was simple. 

My plan was simple to begin the day. I would meet my Bluebird taxi driver, Ruswadi at 11 a.m. He and I had concocted a plan for him to be my tour guide. He spoke English well. He knew Jakarta. This was perfect. I would have my own guided tour for eight full hours.

 

The cost was an absolute steal. I would pay whatever the taxi meter read from point A to point B to point C, etc. Whenever we stopped to see something new Ruswadi would turn the meter off. When it was time to drive again the meter came back on. He estimated the total charge would be between 250,000-300,000 rupiahs (That’s about $30-35 U.S.). We could go anywhere I wanted and stay as long as I wanted. The value of the tour was a sidelight to what I was about to see and hear for the rest of the day.

 

 

The traffic in Jakarta is the most intense I have ever experienced….anywhere. It had to be seen to be believed. You can see what I’m talking about by taking a look at my YouTube videos with links included in this report.

 

A magnetic reverse force field? 

In all of my life, I have never seen a person handle a car as well as Ruswadi. For nearly eight hours he maneuvered his Toyota taxi as if a magnetic “reverse force field” surrounded the entire car. At virtually every moment cars were changing lanes, motorcycles were darting in and out and pedestrians were running hither and yon. Ruswadi never broke a sweat. He calmly maneuvered our car in traffic that would make New York City look like rural Montana. I can only recommend you watch the videos.

 

You be the judge. 

I’ll take you through the events of the day. Then you can judge if this was truly such a spectacular touring day as I claim. If you don’t believe it was, then you get a full refund of your subscription price to Randy Lewis Racing Trackchaser Reports.

 

First, the flea market and the ‘parking man’. 

The first stop was Jakarta’s flea market. I was surprised at how much golf equipment (used) they had. Ruswadi told me Jakarta has numerous golf courses. Overall, the flea market wasn’t much.

 

 

What I did find interesting was our dealings with the “parking man”. Everywhere we went, all day, we would encounter a “parking man”. We could be in some of the worst slums or most crowded conditions and Ruswadi would find the “parking man”. This fellow would watch our car while we toured. When we returned Ruswadi would give the parking man 2000 rupiah (about 25 cents U.S.!!). There is absolutely no way I could have driven a rental car in Jakarta. No frigging way!!

 

What were the odds? 

Our next stop was at the Jakarta National Monument, the landmark of Jakarta. Our plan was to ride the elevator to the top for a spectacular view of Jakarta city. Would you believe the monument is closed one day each month? That day is the last Monday of the month. That was today! At this point in our “tour” things had not gone particularly well. However, they would improve.

 

How many people get to do this? 

The next adventure was one of the best of the day. Heck, it was one of the most unusual things I’ve ever done. We would be touring a Muslin mosque. Ruswadi is Muslin along with nearly 90% of the Indonesian population. Indonesia has more Muslims than any other country in the world.

 

I’ll admit I don’t know much about the Muslim faith. I know many (most?) Americans don’t like Muslims because of the outcome of September 11. I attribute that atrocity to a minority of crazies who just happened to be Muslin. Would we blame Catholics or Protestants if the 9/11 attackers had all come from one of those faiths? Think about it.

 

Full access to one of the most famous mosques in Indonesia. 

The mosque we would tour, Masjid Istiqlal, is one of the most famous and largest in all of Indonesia. Ruswadi told me that President Obama, who lived in Indonesia for five years, will be visiting this mosque in November.

 

 

What I found amazing about my tour is that I was allowed to take pictures of anything I wanted inside the mosque. Before our tour could start I had to wear a robe to cover up my shorts and t-shirt. I also was asked to remove my shoes. Once I was properly attired a mosque guide took Ruswadi and me on the tour. You won’t want to miss these photos. The mosque had white marble floors, huge steel columns and 1,000 pieces of Saudi Arabia carpeting. This was enough to cover more than a football field’s worth of space. We overlooked folks praying to their God as the most ardent do five times a day.

 

Ruswadi and I talked about Muslimism a good deal today. 

During the day Ruswadi explained to me more about practicing Muslimism. Strict Muslims pray FIVE times each day. They start at 4 a.m. and the final prayer session ends at 8 p.m.!! Can you imagine praying five times per day, let alone getting up at 4 a.m. every day to pray? Additionally “Ramadan” begins in July. For the most part, Muslims cannot eat anything from sunup to sundown during this period.

 

 

Allah is their equivalent of God and Mohammed is their “Jesus” or son of God (Allah). Please understand I am NOT endorsing Muslimism or any other religion. I am just telling you about an experience I had today with something that was totally unfamiliar to me. How many non-Muslims have ever had the chance to tour a mosque with a Muslim friend? It was eye-opening.

 

Another unique stop.

Following our visit to the mosque, we stopped at an elementary school.  This wasn’t just any Indonesian elementary.  Did you know that current U.S. President Barrack Obama lived in Indonesia for five years as a youngster?  Today we would visit that school.  Yes, this touring day had more unusual and exciting adventures than any other.

 

 

Another highlight of the day. 

My TripAdvisor buddies had recommended a stop at Fatahillah Square and then a meal at the Café Batavia. Again, we located the parking man after sitting in traffic for most of an hour.

 

While we were in traffic we conversed on all kinds of topics. We talked about the sports Ruswadi played (badminton and soccer). His workday included getting up at 4 a.m., leaving the house at 6 a.m. and not getting back from work until 10 p.m. most days. For all of that, he didn’t earn much. Ruswadi admitted to not praying on the strict schedule followed by some Muslims. He has traveled out of the country just a couple of times. He learned his English while working for Australians. Don’t miss my video interviews with Ruswadi, I think you will find them insightful.

 

The Café Batavian was well worth the stop. 

The Café Batavia was just what the doctor ordered. The place was just classy. It was a multi-level eater decorated in antique dark mahogany wood. It reminded me of an old classic country club. I insisted that Ruswadi join me for lunch. I think he felt a bit hesitant. Somehow I got the feeling he didn’t think his “class” would be welcome there. Of course, Ruswadi had never eaten at the Café Batavia or anything like it.

 

Soon we were seated at a table overlooking Fatahillah Square. The service and food were excellent. Ruswadi ordered fried noodles. I went with the pasta carbonara with a fried egg on top. We had a wonderful lunch.

 

 

When the bill came Ruswadi couldn’t believe it. Our lunch including soft drinks came to 275,000 rupiahs. That’s about $35 U.S. Ruswadi kept saying “I can get noodles for 6,000 rupiahs”. That’s less than a dollar U.S. When we left the restaurant I gave Ruswadi the restaurant receipt. I told him he could show it to his wife. He folded it carefully and off we went again. Having lunch was Ruswadi was a real highlight to my day.

 

By the way, I commonly say that you don’t really have a friend if you have not shared a meal with them or played a round of golf together. Now I had a friend in Ruswadi. If you and I have shared a meal then we are officially friends.

 

My most dangerous adventure of the year. 

Next up was a tour of the shipyards of Jakarta. This was absolutely fascinating. As soon as we stopped a member of the “tourist board” came up and introduced himself. He spoke English well. His “spiel” was so good I didn’t mind that he would need to be paid for his services later on.

 

 

The “shipyard” featured some of the least seaworthy ocean-going vessels I had ever seen. Cargos were being off-loaded from well-worn delivery trucks onto the boats. The cargo consisted of cement bags, fertilizer, toys and a whole host of other items. My shipyard guide asked me if I wanted to go aboard one of the ships. Of course, I did.

 

Yikes! 

However, to do that I had to walk across two 12” wide boards from the pier to the boat. At a height of some ten feet or more above the water, I walked on those 12” boards for more than twenty feet. That was exciting!! It was even MORE exciting when I had to walk from the boat back to the pier. The two boards were very challenging to straddle especially where they connected with the boat.. I didn’t see any other tourists doing this.

 

 

Once onboard I got the royal tour. I saw where the crew slept as well as the kitchen/galley (above left). The toilet (above right) was “rustic”. It was simply a round hole, about 12” in diameter that went straight to the sea. Where is the EPA when you need them? You simply must see the pictures.

 

Seeing the real Jakarta. 

Next up was a tour of Jakarta’s slums. Wow! This made Mexico look upscale. Again I was allowed to take all kinds of pictures. Normally I would pass by these places at a distance. Not with Ruswadi. He drove his shiny new Toyota Blue Bird taxi right into the middle of one of the poorest neighborhoods I’ve ever seen.

 

I often tell you that I don’t travel or tour like anyone you know. When I have a driver I always ask them to take me to the worst slum there is. Commonly, they look at me a little bit strangely…but they always take me where I want to go. Why do I make that request? Because I travel a little differently than anyone you know.

 

What I found absolutely amazing is that wherever we went Ruswadi assured me we were perfectly safe. Imagine going into the worst of neighborhood slums in any big U.S.A. city you know. Would you feel safe, especially if you were of a different race/ethnicity than the people who lived in the area you were visiting? Ruswadi wanted me to “experience Jakarta”. He told me “this is the real Jakarta”.

 

Last stop: the fish market. 

We finished up our tour with a trip to the city fish market. It was late afternoon now. This was another area teeming with people, activity, motorcycles, little children and more. When I say “teeming” I mean teeming!

 

The pollution in the river was beyond belief. It was littered with debris for as far as you could see. Some walkways were only four feet wide with little “shops” tucked away in the semi-darkness. It was similar but much cruder than walking through the Moroccan medina.

 

This was quite the city tour. 

The above is quite a list for any “city tour”. There is no way the average tourist could come close to seeing what we saw today. As I write this I know that I am totally unprepared to describe what we saw and did in words. That’s why I implore you to view the pictures and videos. I think you will be astounded.

 

Our tour had taken eight hours. About half of that time was spent in total gridlock traffic. Cars, people and motorcycles constantly surrounded us. They must have millions of cycles in Jakarta. Just watching Ruswadi navigate the traffic was worth the price of admission. Almost every minute of the trip somebody or something was within inches of our car. This part of the trip was something I had never seen before.

 

The tour was a great value too. 

Ruswadi had estimated the night before that my trip would cost between 250,000 and 300,000 rupiahs. At the airport Ruswadi watched me add all of the separate taxi meter charges with my iPhone calculator. With all of the places we went during the eight-hour period, including paying the “parking man” everywhere we stopped and some road tolls the total came to 295,700 rupiahs, less than $35 U.S.

 

 

I pulled the cash out of my pocket and paid my guide. He would have been happy to simply have received the total of 295,700 rupiahs. However, I would not have been happy with that. I tipped Ruswadi more than any person I have ever traveled with. I think Ruswadi was blown away by my thanks for his fantastic tour. Whatever I gave him still made him underpaid.

 

Was this all I promised? 

Now that you’ve read this, and seen the pictures (I hope) you might agree with my opening statement. Do you think I pretty well maxed out in the adventure, uniqueness and just plain fun department? I’ve done a lot. I have never had such an all-encompassing insider’s tour of any city I have visited.

 

 

I bid Ruswadi farewell at Jakarta’s International Airport aka Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in the darkness. We promised to stay in touch via email (he has already contacted me). Ruswadi told me he would send me a picture of Muslim worshipers during Ramadan. When he does I will share it with you.

 

I was in Jakarta but I was heading for home. 

Now all that was left in making this the PERFECT trip was to get home in one piece and on time. The first step was to fly standby from Jakarta to Tokyo, Japan. I made that flight with ease. We left at 10 p.m. and with the two-hour time change arrived at 7 a.m. This was my “short” flight. How “short” was it? Seven and one-half hours. The flying distance was more than 3,600 miles. That’s about the same as flying from Los Angeles to New York…….plus 50% more!

 

Asia (Indonesia) Day 9 – Tuesday

 

Thirteen days and now it was time to return home. 

Today I woke up in Tokyo, Japan after sleeping overnight in an airplane. After gaining sixteen “time zone” hours I went to sleep in the loving arms of “Trackchasing’s First Mother” in San Clemente, California. This is what happened during the day.

 

I slept overnight on the plane on this day. In the end, I decided to come home a day early. There was no way I was going to be able to beat yesterday’s Jakarta tour. I had been gone for 13 days. It was a fantastic trip. I met great people at the racetracks. My Bluebird taxi driver was the best. I stayed in upscale hotels throughout. The cherry on top of this adventure came when I flew business class back from Tokyo to Los Angeles. That’s the way life should be!

 

Orange County to Salt Lake City to Chicago to Cincinnati to San Francisco to Seoul to Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta to Tokyo to Los Angeles! 

I landed in Tokyo at just before 8 a.m. I had several flights and airlines that would get me back to the western U.S. I could fly into Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland or Seattle. My car was left some two weeks ago at the Orange County airport. Once I landed in any of the above cities I would still need to take another flight to reach my car. If I flew into Los Angeles I would need to rent a car or take an airport shuttle ride.

 

Where will I go next? 

Sorry, I can’t tell you that. Prying eyes are watching. I can tell you this. I have the assistance of the very best international minds working on it. I know folks in every nook and cranny of the world that would love to see me visit a country on their recommendation. I would too!

 

I divide trackchasing countries I have not seen yet into four categories.

 

1. Countries seen by the “Big 5” international trackchasers.
2. Countries seen by “other” trackchasers.
3. Countries that haven’t been seen by ANY trackchasers like Indonesia up until this trip.
4. Countries whose names have changed or where Americans are not allowed to travel.

 

I’m waiting for political unrest. 

Of course, I can’t do much about group #4 above. I am hoping that as time passes “political unrest” will cause enough havoc so that countries end up reorganizing and changing their names. When a track changes its name or modifies its size and configuration we can’t count that track a second time. However, when a country does those things we get to count the newly renamed country. Strange!

 

There are still plenty of places I can go to add to my list. I don’t think I’m done adding new countries for the 2011 season.

 

RACE REVIEW

 

SENTUL INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT – BABAKAN MADANG, BOGER, INDONESIA

 

 

Indonesia – Country #52. 

Indonesia…..country #52 is in the record books.  According to www.autoracingrecords.com one type of trackchaser or another has seen racing in 70 different countries. No one, until today, has ever seen any racing in Indonesia. That statement isn’t made often in today’s trackchasing world. In many ways, this was not an easy track to get.

 

First of all, I had a devil of a time confirming when the Sentul Circuit held races. They don’t have a website. They are on Facebook and I am not. The emails I sent often went unreturned. I did try to go to Indonesia last year. However, the flight to South Korea was full. I ended up sleeping overnight in the Los Angeles airport and creating a domestic trackchasing trip the next morning instead.

 

If I get home this will be the perfect plan. 

For this trip the stars aligned. Indonesia is a LONG way from Los Angeles. I’m going to end up flying more than 22,000 miles since I left home nearly two weeks ago. That’s about forty-five hours in the air! Some incredible luck and planning allowed me to see racing in both Malaysia and Indonesia on the same weekend. Truth be told, it was a perfect plan.

 

 

After a delightful, but expensive breakfast buffet at the upscale Le Meridian Hotel it was time to go trackchasing. The people at TripAdvisor who convinced me to switch to this hotel knew what they were talking about.

 

‘Bluebird’ is the only way to travel. 

I had arranged for a Bluebird taxi (TripAdvisor reco) to pick me up at 9 a.m. I expected to get to the track at 10 a.m. The track had nine races scheduled for today. The racing started at 9 a.m. and would finish after 4 p.m. I would need to pace myself. With the temperature at about 90 degrees with nearly 100% humidity (think Miami in the summer) several hours at the track would be plenty.

 

If you come to Jakarta and need a driver, then you had best go with Bluebird. I got really lucky today when “Ruswadi” picked me up. He spoke English well, drove courteously and his car was immaculate. The drive from the hotel to the track was an hour going out and nearly two hours in heavy traffic coming back.

 

My driver was a highlight of my Indonesian trip. 

Ruswadi and I chatted all the way. He even agreed to be part of a new feature I’m offering in some of my trackchasing videos. I’m doing interviews with people on all kinds of subjects. I think you will find these funny, honest and often heart-warming.

 

We arrived at the Sentul International Circuit at 10 a.m. What was the charge for a one-hour cab ride? About 150,000 Indonesian Rupiah. That’s less than $20 U.S.! I told Ruswadi to come back and pick me up at 3 p.m. I was hoping I could last five hours in this hot and humid weather.

 

No! Not two days in a row. 

Yesterday, at Sepang in Malaysia I showed up at the wrong gate. The folks at the track wanted to get me to the right place. That meant my hopping on the back of a small motorcycle and riding nearly a mile to the correct entrance. I could never recall having done that before.

 

Little did I know that unusual spectacle would repeat itself the very next day. Folks, I trackchase MUCH differently than any of my fellow competitors. The experiences I encounter are definitely above and beyond what anybody else does.

 

My taxi driver could only take me to the roadside entrance to the track without incurring a parking charge. That was fine. I would walk the rest of the way into the paddock area. I had no idea how far that walk would be. I just started walking.  

 

I learned a long time ago, in the Marine Corps, if you walk fast and seem to have a purpose while not making eye contact with anybody then folks won’t bother you. That was my plan today as I boldly walked past the security officer manning the gate to the paddock.

 

Where are YOU going? 

My plan didn’t work. The security guy stopped me. “Where are you going” he spoke in halting English. “Just headed to the paddock”, I told him confidently and with a big smile. Folks, you would be amazed at what a big smile can do in a situation like this.

 

 

Somehow in that microsecond, the guard and I bonded. Soon he was starting up his motorcycle with me on the back for another mile-long ride into the Sentul paddock area. He went so fast my hat flew off and we had to go back to get it. Don’t miss the video and photos!

 

Just in time for the most populated race of the year. 

I was just in time for the 10 a.m. race for the “Indonesian Retro Touring Car Championship” event. Why is it that sports car racing always starts on time while short track oval racing rarely starts on time? I can’t explain it.

 

This race started FORTY cars. I will attend several events this year that won’t have 40 cars in all of the classes at the track combined. It is very likely that I will not see another 40-car race this year.

 

Full access baby. 

I had full access to everything at the track. You will see photos of the racing from every angle possible. I was allowed out onto the track before the races started. When the racing was happening I walked almost the entire track within feet of the retaining wall and the speeding cars.

 

The Sentul International Circuit opened in 1993. The A-1 Grand Prix group used to race here. That was a sanctioning body famous for having raced in lots of countries I had never visited. Unfortunately, the A-1 Grand Prix racing group went belly up.

 

If Wikipedia is to be believed (and why shouldn’t it be?) the track’s future might be in doubt since the track sits near several choice luxury housing developments. The track did not appear to have any major sponsors as well.

 

This weather is far from my favorite. 

The weather was oppressive. I can’t recall sweating as much as I did since a race many years ago at Talladega. By lunchtime at noon, I had seen three races. This was one of the best facilities for getting close-up videos of the racing action.

 

 

The track itself is 3.96 kilometers long (about 2.46 miles). That is a fairly long track. I’m told it was 40% longer in the past. While near turn #8 I heard some racing noises in the distance. What was that? Could it be a local street stock feature on an oval track? Maybe a local county fair figure 8 track? I inquired. This was the Sentul go-kart track racing. I didn’t have the strength to go take a look.

 

Time to meet some folks. 

Up to this point, I had not met anyone at the track. It was time to change that. My one and only named contact that had answered any of my messages was Onny Padno. I went looking for Onny. It wasn’t long before one person led me to another person until I found Onny in his office of “race manager” for Sentul.

 

There was one really cool thing about his office. It had air-conditioning!! By now, I was about ready to go into heat exhaustion. Onny was glad to see me. We sat down and talked for a few minutes. Then we said our goodbyes with Onny telling me I had full run of track.

 

Want to go to the race tower? 

After our meeting, I took a few minutes to enjoy both the shade and the breeze provided by the V.I.P. lounges. It was then that Onny came walking past again and asked, “Want to go up in the race tower?”. Of course, I did. On the way to the tower, we met first his boss. She is the general manager of Sentul. Then we ran into the builder and owner of the track. He was happy to see someone had come from so far away to see his racing facility.

 

The scoring tower was interesting to visit. There were several officials in race control watching the track via more than ten race monitors. The track’s owner (I didn’t get his name) also recommended I stop and see the Sentul Racing Museum. Unfortunately, the museum was located outside the track. That meant a walk of more than one mile to see it. However, Onny came to my rescue one more time. He summoned a driver and soon I was being driven and then receiving my own personal tour of the museum. I told you I do this much differently than my fellow competitors.

 

The Sentul Racing Museum.

The museum was fun. It had about 30-40 cars under the roof. Most of them were American-made Chevies and Dodges. It was pretty strange to see a ’57 Chevy with the steering wheel on the RIGHT side! The Dodges and Imperials truly were “boats” back in the day.

 

It was now 2 p.m. My driver was coming to pick me up at 3 p.m. I was now on the spectator side of the track. Sentul has two huge grandstands. I suspect they each seat more than 4,000 fans. Today only one was in use. That grandstand might have had 300-400 people in it. The other grandstand was completely empty.

 

Time to just chill out……but wait there’s more. 

I figured I would enjoy the breeze, the shade and the solitude of the grandstand that was empty. In such a huge grandstand I was the only person in it. My body temperature was finally returning to normal. Man, was it comfortable compared to walking the track out in the hot sun.

 

Just as I was counting my lucky stars for creating such a comfortable situation, a track official started heading my way. This didn’t look good. My supremo spot was just about ready to be wiped out.

 

 

The track official walked up and said, “Onny wanted you to have this”. With that, he handed me a beautiful white collared official’s dress shirt with “Sentul International Circuit” emblazoned in blue over the pocket. Wow! What a souvenir. It’s an “XL” but an Indonesian “XL”. I doubt it will fit me. I may just keep it in its original packaging and add it to a large number of keepsakes other tracks have given me along the way. I was more than pleased with Onny’s gesture!

 

Folks, you may already understand this better than I do. It really pays to know people. Somehow I have a penchant for knowing the right people in the right places who control the right things. Just lucky I guess.

 

There is no rest for the weary. 

What was the first thing I did when I got home? Of course, it was to show the proper affection to Carol. But the SECOND thing I did was to send in my U.S. passport to get more pages added to it. I’m down to just four open pages out of 72 in the book.

 

 

I asked for 48 more pages although they said they might only be able to give me twenty-four since I had previously added twenty-four. The last time I added pages it was free. Now it costs $82 U.S. to add pages. How many trackchasers have ever PAID to add pages to their passport? I’m guessing I’m the first one.

 

I will be without my passport for two weeks or so. I’m hoping no great international trackchasing opportunity comes up during that time. If it does, you may see me scouting out the black market for quickie U.S. passports (Geez…I’m kidding….U.S. agents could be reading this).

 

O.K., I didn’t send all of this stuff to the government. Carol did. This is her department of expertise. Actually, ALL departments fall into her level of expertise.

 

THE COUNTRY LIST

 

 

#52!!

 

 

RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Lifetime Trackchasing Countries

 

# 1 – UNITED STATES OF AMERICA – Peoria Speedway – Mt. Hawley, (oval) – Track #1, Peoria, Illinois – circa 1954 (age 5)

 

# 2 – CANADA – Cayuga Speedway (oval) – Track #174, Nelles Corner, Ontario – July 31, 1988 (Dick Trickle winner)

 

# 3 – AUSTRALIA – Parramatta City Raceway (oval) – Track #180, Granville, New South Wales – November 17, 1989 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 4 – UNITED KINGDOM – Northhampton International Raceway (oval) – Track #378, Northhampton – June 26, 1999 (accompanied by Carol, Kristy, Jim)

 

# 5 – NETHERLANDS – Driesum Racetrack (oval) – Track #839, Driesum – May 5, 2005 (accompanied by Roland Vanden Eynde)

 

# 6 – BELGIUM – Bellekouter oval (oval) – Track #841, Affligem – May 8, 2005 (accompanied by Roland Vanden Eynde)

 

# 7 – FRANCE – Circuit de Croix en Ternois (road course) – Track #843, Saint-Pol sur-Ternoise – May 8, 2005 (accompanied by Roland Vanden Eynde – 2^nd new country in one day!)

 

# 8 – GERMANY – Nurburgring (road course) – Track #844, Nurburg – May 13, 2005 (accompanied by Carol, Roland Vanden Eynde)

 

# 9 – NEW ZEALAND – Western Springs Speedway (oval) – Track #1,134, Western Springs – December 26, 2006 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 10 – MEXICO – Triovalo Bernardo Obregon (oval) – Track #1,281, Tiajamulco de Zuniga, Jalisco – October 14, 2007 (accompanied by Carol, J.J., Roger Ward)

 

# 11 – BARBADOS – Bushy Park Racing Circuit (road course) – Track #1,296, Bushy Park – December 9, 2007

 

# 12 – THAILAND – Bira Circuit (road course) – Track #1,300, Pattaya – January 19, 2008

 

# 13 – SOUTH AFRICA – Durban Grand Prix (road course) – Track #1,315, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal – February 24, 2008 (accompanied by J.J. and Will Van Horne)

 

# 14 – JAMAICA – Dover Raceway (road course) – Track #1,322, Brown’s Town St. Ann – March 24, 2008

 

# 15 – SWEDEN – Sturup Raceway (road course) – Track #1,335, Malmo – May 10, 2008 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 16 – DENMARK – Ring Djursland (road course) – Track #1,336, Tirstrup – May 11, 2008 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 17 – CZECH REPUBLIC – Automotodrome BRNO (road course) – Track #1,381, Brno – September 13, 2008

 

# 18 – AUSTRIA – Lambrechten Stock Car Track (road course) – Track #1,382, Lambrechten – September 14, 2008

 

# 19 – IRELAND – Tipperary International Raceway (oval) – Track #1,388, Rosegreen – October 26, 2008 (Carol and I visited this track earlier in the year)

 

# 20 – GUYANA – South Dakota Circuit (road course) – Track #1,390, Timehri – November 2, 2008 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 21 – CHINA – The Guia Circuit (road course) – Track #1,392, Macau – November 16, 2008 (accompanied by Carol)

 

 

# 22 – COSTA RICA – Autodromo La Guacima (road course) – Track #1,398, La Guacima – November 30, 2008

 

# 23 – ANDORRA – Grandvalira Circuit (road course) – Track #1,404, Port d’Envalira – January 17, 2009

 

# 24 – ARGENTINA – Circuito Efren Chemolli (oval) – Track #1,406, Buenos Aires – January 31, 2009 (shared with Jerry Fisher)

 

# 25 – QATAR – Losail International Circuit (road course) – Track #1,408, Doha – February 13, 2009

 

# 26 – BAHRAIN – Bahrain International Circuit (road course) – Track #1,410, Sakhir – February 27, 2009 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 27 – UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Dubai Autodrome (road course) – Track #1,411, Dubai – February 28, 2009 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 28 – COLOMBIA – Autodromo de Tocancipa (road course) – Track #1,415, Tocancipa – March 22, 2009

 

# 29 – SPAIN – Motorland Aragon (road course) – Track #1,416, Alcaniz – March 28, 2009

 

# 30 – PORTUGAL – Circuto de Murca (road course) – Track #1,417, Murca – March 29, 2009

 

# 31 – ICELAND – Kapelluhraum (road course) – Track #1,420, Hafnafjorour – April 25, 2009 (shared with Will White)

 

# 32 – HUNGARY – Hungaroring (road course) – Track #1,426, Mogyorod – May 8, 2009 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 33 – SWITZERLAND – Hock Ybrig (road course) – Track #1,427, Hoch Ybrig – May 9, 2009 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 34 – ITALY – Vighizzolo d’Este Stock Car Track (road course) – Track #1,428, Vighizzolo d’Este – May 10, 2009 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 35 – DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – Autodromo Mobil 1 (road course) – Track #1,515, Santo Domingo – December 6, 2009 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 36 – MALTA – Ta’Qali Race Track (road course) – Track #1,521, Ta’Qali – February 7, 2010 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 37 – FINLAND – Lake Pidisjarvi Ice Track (road course) – Track #1,524, Nivala – February 20, 2010

 

# 38 – JAPAN – Suzuka Circuit (road course) – Track #1,530, Suzuka – March 21, 2010

 

# 39 – CHILE – Autodromo de Interlomas (road course) – Track #1,531, Temuco – April 18, 2010

 

# 40 – MOROCCO – Circuit de Marrakesh (road course) – Track #1,535, Marrakesh – May 1, 2010 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 41 – BRAZIL – Circuit de Caruaru – Aryten Senna (road course) – Track #1,540, Caruaru – May 16, 2010 (accompanied by Carol, Jerry Fisher and Katina Spencer)

 

# 42 – ESTONIA – Laitse Rally Park (road course) – Track #1,571, Laitse – July 24, 2010 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 43 – LATVIA – Bikernieki (road course) – Track #1,572, Riga – July 25, 2010 (accompanied by Carol

 

# 44 – GUATEMALA – Autodromo Pedro Cofino (road course) – Track #1,580, Alotenango – August 15, 2010

 

# 45 – EL SALVADOR – El Jabali (road course) – Track #1,582, Quezaltepeque – August 22, 2010 (accompanied by Carol)

 

# 46 – ROMANIA – Bradu (road course) – Track #1,603, Bradu – October 16, 2010

 

# 47 – BULGARIA – Closed Route – Burgas (road course) – Track #1,604, Burgas – October 17, 2010 (accompanied by Lyubomir and Plamen Simeonov)

 

# 48 – SOUTH KOREA – Korea International Circuit (road course) – Track #1,605, Yeongam, Jeollanam-Do – October 24, 2010

 

# 49 – PHILIPPINES – Batangas Racing Circuit (road course) – Track #1,608, Batangas – November 21, 2010

 

# 50 – NORWAY – Lyngas Motorbane (road course) – Track #1,648, Lier – April 30, 2011

 

# 51 – MALAYSIA – Sepang International Circuit (road course) – Track #1,656, Sepang – May 28, 2011

 

# 52 – INDONESIA – Sentul International Circuit (road course) – Track #1,657, Babakan Madang, Boder – May 29, 2011

 

 

The ‘International Big 5’ standings.

During the last 43 months, I have added 43 trackchasing countries to my list. That’s an average of one new country every month for going on four years.

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California USA – 52
2. Roland Vanden Eynde, Vilvoorde, Belgium – 47
3. Will White, Quakertown, Pennsylvania USA – 25
4. Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California USA – 24
5. Chris Economaki, Charlotte, North Carolina USA – 20

 

I’m off to a good international start this year. 

Obviously, I’ve been doing a good bit of international trackchasing over the past couple of years. Indonesia is my third “new country” for trackchasing in 2011. My country trackchasing total now stands at 52. I’ve identified about 20 more countries where I could trackchase. Some are more off the beaten path than others. Heck, some of the places I’ve already visited are way off the beaten path! I’ve got a little bit more “international firepower” left for this year. Stay tuned. As Will White says, “I would never be surprised to see you show up anywhere in the world”. Of course, his words are loosely translated.

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing, 

Randy Lewis

World’s #1 Trackchaser

Life should NOT be a journey to your grave with the intention of arriving with a well-chiseled and honed body but rather to crash in, riding your golf cart up the 18th fairway with a glass of single malt in one hand and a brownie in the other. You should be totally worn out and used up with a tattoo on your chest proclaiming, “What a ride”.

 

 

TRAVEL DETAILS

 

AIRPLANE

Orange County, CA (SNA) – Salt Lake City, UT (SLC) – 588 miles

Salt Lake City, UT (SLC) – Chicago, IL (ORD) – 1,255 miles

Chicago, IL (ORD) – Cincinnati, OH (CVG) – 264 miles

 

RENTAL CAR #1 

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport – trip begins

Xenia, OH – 77 miles

Glencoe, Kentucky – 266 miles

Salem, Indiana – 386 miles

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport – 500 miles – trip ends

 

AIRPLANE 

Cincinnati, OH (CVG) – San Francisco, CA (SFO) – 2,030 miles

San Francisco, CA (SFO) Seoul, South Korea (ICN) – 5,620 miles

Seoul, South Korea (ICN) – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KUL) – 2,860 miles

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (KUL) – Jakarta, Indonesia (CJK) – 735 miles

Jakarta, Indonesia (CJK) – Tokyo, Japan (NRT) – 3,630 miles

Tokyo, Japan (NRT) – Los Angeles, CA (LAX) – 5,449 miles

 

Total air miles – 22,431 (8 flights)

Total rental car miles – No rental cars

Private drives – about 80 miles

 

Total miles traveled on this trip – 22,511 miles

 

 

TRACK ADMISSION PRICES: 

Kil-Kare Speedway – $20

Gallatin County Fairgrounds – $10

Florence Speedway – $10 (not a trackchasing expense)

Salem Speedway – $15

Sepang International Circuit – complimentary admission

Sentul International Circuit – complimentary admission

 

Total racetrack admissions for the trip – $45 U.S.

 

 

LIFETIME TRACKCHASER COMPARISONS 

There are no trackchasers currently within 200 tracks of my lifetime total.

 

1. Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,657

 

2. Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 1,368

 

3. Guy “The Kid” Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 1,365

 

 

Official end of the RLR – Randy Lewis Racing Trackchaser Report

 

 

 

 

 

Do not miss my interview with Ruswadi, my Indonesian driver for the trip.

 

Indonesia….action at the Sentul International Circuit.

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Indonesia touring…..my most interesting one-day foreign tour ever?

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Click on the link below

 

My trackchasing day in Indonesia

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Click on the link below

 

Possibly my most interesting one-day international trackchasing touring day ever!!