Sidewalk stories where walkers, vendors, and city “warriors” collide.
After a mental debate about whether to wake up and exercise or stay in bed, I decided to get up. I justified it to myself: Monday morning is a great time for a walk through the park near my house. With children off to school and young people headed to work (or working from home or wherever else), the park wouldn’t be too crowded.
The park is about 300 meters — just a four-minute walk — from my house. Leaving my neighborhood, I headed down the sidewalk toward the park. Like many others, this sidewalk had been repaired and widened a couple of years ago to encourage walking in a city notorious for its reluctance to embrace it.
But walking in Jakarta — or any bustling urban hub — is never as simple as it sounds. Maneuvering around obstacles requires patience and agility. Concrete posts to block motorcycles, campaign boards stretching across the path, food and drink stalls — all these challenges make what should be a peaceful stroll an adventure in itself.
