Today, a toll both operator in Bogor got the surprise of a lifetime. A "bule" [me] almost pulled him out of his toll both and beat him senseless !!
I was driving back into our development where we live in Bogor this morning off of the toll road highway. The toll from where I went this morning one exit up the toll road north towards Jakarta to the Circuit Sentul exit is 1,000 IDR (rupiah). I handed the toll operator a 10,000 IDR bill. He handed me my change, and I drove off. As I was driving off, I looked at the change in my hand and notice there was no receipt ticket or "bon" / "kwitansi". This made me next notice that the toll operator had [purposely] shortchanged me and given me back only 4,000 IDR (in two, 2,000 IDR crisp new bills) when my change should have been 9,000 IDR (10,000 - 1,000 toll = 9,000 change) shortchanging me by 5,000 IDR.
I stopped the car by the side of the road about 40-50 yards (about 41 meters) from the tool booth, and though to myself that I can either:
A) just forget about it, and drive off and consider it a charitable contribution; or
B) walk back to the toll operator's booth I had just come from and teach that SON-OF-A-BITCH a lesson he'll never forget !
I chose option B, and when the toll operator saw my face in his window and me standing there right after a truck had gone through he got the surprise of a lifetime! NEVER FUK WITH A BULE AMERICAN, EVER AGAIN ! I had to be restrained by a "security guard" or else I would have pulled him out of his booth by his neck. I got my correct change back.
The point here is not about the money. We are only talking mere cents in American USD. The point is about the PRINCIPLE of him assuming I was a stupid ignorant "bule" he could cheat and get one over on. That toll operator will think twice before cheating a "bule" again. The funny part is that he thinks he is done with me now; but I am going back to his booth again later today for "round #2" lambasting and berating !!! LOL
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In another related incident of Indonesians trying to "get one over on you" I pulled into the Pertamina gas filling station earlier this morning on my way up the toll (related to story above) and was waiting in line or "queue" to get some gas behind another automobile. As I was there waiting for the car in front to finish and pull up, a couple motorbikes (not just one) squeezed in right in front of me (without waiting in queue) by driving through the very marginal space between my car and the pump island pulling up ahead of me to get their gas in front of me. Their (the Indonesian) way of thinking probably goes something like this:
"I only have a small little 1-2 gallon (5-7 liter) tank and I will be done quickly so why should I have to wait behind that automobile which may take a minute or so to re-fuel?! I am more important than that car in front of me is, and I need to get along and out of here quickly so I'll just cut in on him/her and it's ok because that's my right any way, and I'll be on my way and (s)he will not have to wait for nearly as long as I would have to wait for them if I stayed in queue behind them"
Ironically, the pump attendant is also thinking along the same lines,
"yeah, just pull right up here in front of the car you were behind and I'll fill you up so you can get on your way more quickly and in front of the automobile you were just behind - you shouldn't have to wait in queue behind anyone, you deserve to go first because you only have a motorbike"
Today, neither the motorbikes nor the pump attendant got their way(s) as I opened my window to say something and shook my finger at the pump attendant, saying that I WAS FIRST and if he took that hose and stuck it into the motorbikes tank first I would take the hose and nozzle and shove it down his GD throat!!
It shouldn't be necessary to have to do either of the two things I had to do today with either the toll operator or the gas station attendant. Although, Indonesia may be known for its smiling people and general good-natured affable propensities, and not liking conflict; they are also some of the rudest self-centered bastards I have ever had the displeasure of being around since living here.
In other countries I have been to when taking a photograph of someone I was with or scenery, people of other countries or nationalities will see what you're doing and [politely] not walk directly in between you and the subject your photographing, but will either wait or go around. Not in Indonesia - again, they couldn't care less and will walk right between you and you'll actually have to put your hand out to tell them to wait a few seconds. Indonesians may be polite on a one-on-one basis; but in a group or in public they are the one of the rudest nationalities I've ever been around.
The epitome of this is yet another recent true story. On the way back to Jakarta recently from Belitung on a Sriwijaya flight, the plane landed and was at the gate and everyone began taking their articles from the over-head bins and were beginning to disembark. I got out of the isle in polite queue, got my bag from the over-head and was waiting for the people in front of me to move. I felt someone pushing me from behind, and a man a few people behind me actually had the BALLS to say, "sir can you move" even though there were plenty of other people in front of me who were slowly processing and making their way out of the cabin. I turned around and gestured for him to [try] to crawl over me!!
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