The Unexpected "Walk"

We told the taxi driver to stop and let us out. We'd gone around the same block three times. (Even I knew we were driving in a circle). I've decided to believe that the taxi driver was more lost than us. I refuse to get cynical and think that he was just out to make a couple more dollars.

"Di sini?" he said (here?).

"Di sini," my husband repeated.

We opened the door and spilled out of the blue cab onto the broken sidewalk. We were on our way to the American Club, and we knew we were close. With swim bags slung over our shoulders, and CJ asleep in my husband's arms we started to walk. Huge trees, that crumbled the sidewalk and asphalt with their trunks, shaded the street. There was no traffic because it was a holiday, and we were well away from any main thoroughfares.

We stepped over large holes in the sidewalk where the cement or brick was missing.

We walked by two men sleeping on their push carts. Their feet were bare and as black as the asphalt. We walked by a tree that held a miniature tree house in its branches - pet monkeys? We didn't stick around to find out. Two bird cages swung from low branches holding a pair of doves.

I had the distinct feeling that if my mom could see us wandering around this strange neighborhood, she would get on a plane that instant and come take her grandchildren home. But I didn't feel unsafe, just completely out-of-place.

We walked into a crowd of Indonesian teenagers all wearing red shirts (in honor of their Independence Day). There is no drinking or smoking age limit here, and it was strange to see such young kids smoking cigarettes as they leaned against their bicycles.

I smiled and greeted them, "Selamat Siang." Good afternoon.

"Siang." They replied and smiled back.

We found the club. It was close, just like we thought. We walked through the guarded gates and passed through the thick cement wall. We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in a crystal blue pool. We dined on hamburgers, hot dogs, and milkshakes - a taste of home. We laughed and enjoyed spending time with new friends who we've known less than a week.

It really was a lovely afternoon. But tonight as I think about my day, what sticks with me the most is our unexpected walk. And seeing both sides of the wall.