My friend, Jaja

Late yesterday my passport arrived, so today was the BIG day when I get my hands on the Nikon D70 camera that DaveRI graciously sent me. It has been a long, stressful journey, worrying about the camera being lost or stolen. The camera was jammed up in America for more than two weeks and was feared lost and then Indonesian customs like to hang on to parcels for weeks too.

Once the parcel reaches Indonesia, all tracking stops, so then the stress really builds up. The notification for pick-up arrived more than a week ago, but unfortunately, my passport went to immigration for it's monthly stamp the day before, so I have had to wait, knowing that the parcel was only 10Km away.

I chose to take an Ojek for the pick-up, rather than worry about police stopping me for contributions. Introducing Mr Jaja, my regular Ojek rider.

Ojek is a motorbike taxi, very efficient with the congested state of the Bandung roads and cheaper than a taxi too apparently, but Jaja charges a bit more than the average Ojek. I am happy anyway, as his riding skills are very sympathetic towards his passenger, but once I am dropped off, he rides like a maniac just like the rest and has the scars on his arms and legs to prove it.

Jaja has been riding me around for about two years, before I bought my own motorbike. When I call him, he is at my door in less than ten minutes. Always with a huge smile on his handsome face, very friendly and helpful too. He even gets up at 4am to do my airport runs, totally reliable.

The parcel pick-up went well, although a bit nerve wracking as the guy sifted through a large tray of hundreds of sheets looking for mine, which was of course the last sheet in the tray! I paid the import duty of $47, signed and the parcel was mine. The girls behind the counter found it very amusing as I stroked lovingly and talked to the parcel.

The sturdy cardboard box showed no signs of abuse and the camera arrived in pristine condition, well protected by the bubble wrap. The 28-80 zoom is going to be perfect for my type of photography and I cannot wait to get started. A minor problem with the charger cable, but I had spares that fitted. So the battery is on charge and I will begin my learning process tonight.

Dave has generously included a 4Gb card which is a fantastic step up from my 512Mb and I am very grateful for. Once again Dave, you are my hero.

Dave