I'm disappointed - I thought the MILLIONS of western-hating TERRORISTS that live in Indonesia and are JUST WAITING for westerners to stray into their country would have used the pre-worlds as a pre-massacre practice - make sure their GUNS & BOMBS are set up and handling correctly before the main event Funnily enough, I've been to Indonesia twice & never had a problem, ended up in Watts once when I was in LA & got a front row seat to a gang shoot-out - go figure!
Congrats to Martin Wolhuter on his 8th place - Aussie Aussie Aussie!!! ('k so he's South African, but he lives here now)
I'm disappointed - I thought the MILLIONS of western-hating TERRORISTS that live in Indonesia and are JUST WAITING for westerners to stray into their country would have used the pre-worlds as a pre-massacre practice - make sure their GUNS & BOMBS are set up and handling correctly before the main event Funnily enough, I've been to Indonesia twice & never had a problem, ended up in Watts once when I was in LA & got a front row seat to a gang shoot-out - go figure!
Congrats to Martin Wolhuter on his 8th place - Aussie Aussie Aussie!!! ('k so he's South African, but he lives here now)
Hey mate... I saw Australian flag standing high in circuit arena
Capelracer - Those kinds of comments will do no help to the situation. Very recently (like, in the last week or so) there have been demonstrations outside the U.S. embassy in Jakarta.
Call it ignorance or what you will, it would only take one "radical militant" or one "accident" for it to be a complete waste of time to go over there and a bummer to the whole U.S. R/C scene.
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The one advantage Americans have when they travel abroad is they come in all types, shapes and sizes. They are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Athiest, White, Black, Asian, Arabian, Chinese, Indian, Native American, etc, etc., very hard to tell them in a crowd.
I do like how when things are exaggerated in the press others come out and paint a complete opposite and also as incorrect picture.
Things in that area are more in between a "Million terrorists out to get westerners" and "happy sunshine thoughts, with warmth and love all around". Probably closer to going for a drive with Kennedy or hunting with Cheney.
When the event is in a guarded Facility and it is not recommended to leave without escort, it doesn't sound as safe as L.A.
...Jim
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Capelracer - Those kinds of comments will do no help to the situation. Very recently (like, in the last week or so) there have been demonstrations outside the U.S. embassy in Jakarta.
Call it ignorance or what you will, it would only take one "radical militant" or one "accident" for it to be a complete waste of time to go over there and a bummer to the whole U.S. R/C scene.
We care about your safety when travelling here. We want you to feel safe just like home. You will be staying in designated hotels. The circuit and hotels location are inside one complex : Ancol / Fantasy Land. Dozen of body guards will protect the circuit and hotel during the event. No Pass No Entry !!!
To enter Ancol complex or any hotels and shopping malls in Jakarta area, all cars & visitors will be search by security people with metal & bomb detectors. This security policy has been enacted since year 2004. Thanks to your war on terrorism.... but it is everyone policy to win war on terror. Your Indo friends and hotel bus are ready to pick up you from hotel to circuit and return.
My only suggestion to American friends, please have Indonesian friends to pick up you at the airport. Overseas team drivers will be pick up by their factory representatives in here. For non sponsor drivers you should contact your organiser or keep posting here for updates or asking questions. We are friendly people and don't you worry. It's gonna be fun We have Hardrock Cafe, F Bar ( FTV ), TGIF, Mac Donal, A&W, Pizza Hut, Citibank, Hyatt, Hilton, JP Morgan, Chase Manhattan Bank, ExxonMobil, MTV, Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Harley Davidson and all sort of American & European things in here.
Don't you worry... It's gonna be fun and you gonna love it. make up some friends and we will take you everywhere you want to see.
All the articles but for Sunday's report are now posted on SGrid Online, www.sgrid.com, complete with the data spreadsheet from the IFMAR computer - but it's converted from 'excel format' to 'html'.
Sunday's report will be posted as soon as I get my laptop connected to the internet again, probably tomorrow.
Several of my photos are posted at http://www.jateam.com/pre_race_gallery.php but it's temporarily down - (Bandwidth Limit Exceeded. The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to the site owner reaching his/her bandwidth limit. Please try again later.) They'll be posted on SGrid Online, again, as soon as I've got internet access. There's also an interview with the race winner. Photos of the team cars will be up as soon as the racing shots are finished.
Between SGrid Online, Phil's site, and several other locations, you can easily find out how good an event this was in every respect. As to safety, while an "incident" can happen anywhere in today's world, everyone I spoke to felt completely at ease in Jakarta. There wasn't even the slightest feeling of being nervous or uncomfortable - once people learned what Jakarta is like, they were going shopping, out to eat, sightseeing, and everything else. The people there may dislike American foreign policy, but they like Americans. We were all treated great. It didn't matter where you went - although as in anywhere else in the world, it's probably better to not go to the poorest parts of the city while dressing like you're a millionaire, carrying a load of expensive stuff. For that matter, it's best not to go anywhere alone, for the simple reason that because of the winding streets and lack of signs, you're likely to get good and lost, and hardly anyone you meet on the street is likely to know a word of English.
Jim, the "happy sunshine thoughts" are a lot closer to what it was actually like, being there. The "not going out by yourself" suggestion was to prevent people from getting lost, not for their safety. The "armed guards" turned out to be two or three police-looking-guards at the entrance to the track, and to the hotel. The police presence in Miami is many times that of their presence in Jakarta. As to the US embassy, I went there, twice (to take photos). It was about as active as a US ballpark on a day when there's no game being played. We went walking around daytime and evenings, and the only attention we got was smiles from the people who glanced up as we passed them.
For the main event in August, they'll have grandstands set up, so the crowds can come in and watch the races.
Oh yeah - they also had tv and newspaper coverage of the event. There was a whole fleet of reporters and cameramen there on Sunday.
Check out the piccys - I'll also post some of my "going around Jakarta" pix once the racing shots are up.
)
Funnily enough, I've been to Indonesia twice & never had a problem, ended up in Watts once when I was in LA & got a front row seat to a gang shoot-out - go figure!
make up some friends and we will take you everywhere you want to see.
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