Again from Jakarta #3


Rainy Jakarta from my window

The last day of a trip overseas is always strange, at least for me. Most of the time is spent packing and repacking - have I left behind anything that I cannot afford to lose... should I leave anything behind... I am definitely going to pay excess, no I cannot take that...I should have arranged for unaccompanied luggage, why did I not think it of it...too late now...
 I always go through this routine and it is nightmarish.I always leave it to the last minute and pray my excess weight may not be too much. It's the books that do it. I just want them with me, rather than shipping them. And they are heavy.
This time I even managed to break the zip of a brand new cabin trolley, while trying to fit everything in. Fortunately a good friend is lending me one and sending it to my lodgings by Go-Jek, a messenger motorbike service which is very popular here in Jakarta. I just have no time to go shopping nor to take the suitcase back to the mall where I bought it two weeks ago.
Then choosing the right clothes to wear  - I am going from very hot weather to cold, maybe sunny, but definitely cooler and need to have jackets handy.  Here in Indonesia there is always the air con in full blast at airports and in offices  and there is always the chance of catching a chill. I managed to get one while travelling from Bali to Jakarta and so I am travelling back to London with a runny nose and a headache.
But apart from the hassle of practicalities, the last day of a trip is also a time for reflection. Mentally, I have already left. I am thinking of home, I wish I were already there, not very pleased at the prospect of having to fly for  long hours, transiting in two airports, not knowing whether my luggage will arrive with me - always a chance of it being misplaced, it is quite common if you break up your journey at more than one airport.

Yes, there are green spaces in Jakarta!

So at the airport, waiting to drop off my bag, waiting for check in to open - in Indonesia there is always a lot of waiting to do -   I finally have a chance to take stock. 
It has been an interesting experience. I got a much better insight into the role fashion plays in a country where being well dressed  has a long tradition but where the fashion  industry is relatively new and facing new challenges.  I made new friends, met many people, saw many fashion shows - there are more fashion shows in Jakarta than in Paris!
I thought this was going to be my last visit to Indonesia for some time but out of the blue  I was offered to work on a new project by Rizzoli, the leading publishers of  books about leading fashion designers, with splendid photographs - they are collector's items, truly.

Modest fashion by Ghea Panggabean

So I will be returning quite soon, around July/August. I am not yet at liberty to disclose the subject - the designer - of my book for Rizzoli but the new book  dovetails with the current book I am writing for Bloomsbury.
So here I am, embarking on an almost full time writing career. I shall have to call myself a writer who sometimes models, rather than the other way round.
I have had a chance to reconsider what modelling means to me and am ready to make a transition.It's a turning point I guess, and the topic for another post.
Meanwhile, while waiting for my airline check in counter to open I am having some dinner and ordered  a gado-gado, a salad with tempe and various other ingredients, with abundant, rather hot, peanut sauce.
Time to eat.



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