Pixeled Photos
Saturday...My second Saturday in Jakarta!
An eye-opening Saturday. One which serves to cement my reservations about this city. Somehow or another, the construction boom, the onslaught of malls and the advent of consumption among the well-heeled have conveniently left behind the forgotten poor.
I went out with my colleagues to 2 beautiful designer malls, Plaza Senayan and Senayan City. Sparkling marble floors, Gucci, Prada, Bvlgari... gourmet coffee, numerous delicatessen that only the most discerning tastebuds can appreciate. People, beautiful people... all togged out in the latest designer-wear.
Great! I feel at home! I shall not pretend to be someone who is left behind in the bandwagon of advancement. In fact, I was glad, way glad to see Topshop, Miss Selfridge and even Debenhams plus a well-stocked Marks & Spensers that sells my favourite cookies and restaurants with lovely interiors (no inkling about the food yet).
In Singapore (and I will hasten to add that I err on the side of generalisation) the poor are kept away from the streets. One does not feel guilty about buying and spending, here... beggars line the sidewalks and the roads with careless abandon. I did what I had to do yesterday, to save me the agony of an unimaginable guilt. I looked away, I looked straight ahead and sought the solace of the mall with relief.
The greatest irony.
While the boutiques and restaurants were teeming with people... a lone store stood.
UNICEF. A UNICEF store selling cards and handicraft in aid of the poor.
There it stood, uncomfortably.
It did not belong.
posted by Poot @ 2:43 PM
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