Di Mana Ya?!

"Di mana ya?" You will very often here this phrase in Jakarta. The city is an absolute maze without any urban planning going into the sprawl of this city. Consequently, the citizens of this metropolis very often get lost. About 60% of the journeys I've been on with native Jakartans involved either getting totally lost, or going around in circles for hours.  And that is a conservative estimate. I remember the first outing I went to here was to the Wall Street Halloween party. It was spread out over two locations, a pre-party for the underaged students who can't drink yet (and also for the majority of Indonesians who think going out after 11pm makes you a criminal, no matter what you're doing) and an after party at another nightclub. I was offered a ride from the first location to the second. I was happy to accept. What I didn't know was that it would take us about 40 minutes to get to a place that was less than a 10 minute walk away, due to the driver getting totally lost. So, if you hear your driver, friend, guide or host say "Di mana ya?" meaning "Where is it, huh?" don't be alarmed, just sit back, enjoy the scenery and be thankful you're not driving.