The Perfect Pick Up

This is kind of a random post, but something I was pondering the other day and thought you all might find it amusing as it gives a little insight into our life here in Indonesia.

As many of you may know, I do not drive myself around but rely on the services of a driver to get me from place to place, mainly for safety reasons. There are pros and cons to this set up...

Pros:
-I don't have to put up with the headache of driving in Jakarta traffic.
-I get dropped off at the door/entrance of wherever I am going.
-I have someone to open the door for me and help load my packages after a shopping trip.
-I can use the time in the car to just sit back and relax, accomplish a little work or write text messages/make phone calls.

Cons:
-I don't have the freedom to just jump in the car and drive myself where I want, when I want.
-No more loud singing to songs on the radio. There's someone else in the car to hear me, for goodness sake.
-I have to endure someone else's driving style, which might not be like my own.

Another part of having a driver is mastering the art of the perfect pick up. There is a science to knowing the exact right time to call your driver so that neither of you are waiting on the other at the specified pick up spot. And it is always a good feeling when you both arrive at the same time and you are able to just jump in the car and drive off. There is a certain satisfaction when you accomplish this perfect pick up because there are many factors that go into your decision of when to "make the call".

-how busy is the place where you are
-where will your driver be parked
-does your driver have to pay for parking before he picks you up
-how long will it take you to reach the pick up spot
-will there be many people also waiting for their cars (i would say most people in Indonesia with
a car also have a driver)
-is your driver waiting for you to call at your car or will he be off socializing with other drivers
and have to walk to your car after you call or eating lunch

With all these factors, the perfect pick up does not happen often but knowing your driver's habits and the place where you are well definitely increases its likelihood. And if you are going to be off in your timing, it is definitely better that you wait on your driver than your driver wait on you. The horn honking that insues when your car is parked waiting for you and holding up the pick-up line is not pretty.

Okay, so there you have it. It really is an art to be mastered, I tell ya.