Just "tryin' to live..."

A walk through the neighborhood is never without a variety of sights and smells. One of the first things your nose discovers on a neighborhood walk is that Indonesians produce a lot of downright awful trash! And it appears that most homes don't use trash pickup. I just assumed that there was no public trash pick up available, but Ronnie swears that he has seen a trash truck. In our neighborhood it appears that most everyone just piles their trash in their own concrete trash receptacle outside their residence. These concrete boxes are open on one side and are either A) terribly stinky or B) burning. 

You will also see a lot of trash along the roads and in ditches, both in the city and in residential areas alike. No one appears to be bothered by this. Somehow I don't think the slogan "Don't Mess with Bandung" would be real effective here.

Anyway, these trash bins are not at all pleasant to walk past so I try to anticipate them and hold my breath for the length of time it takes me to get by and then as many steps as I feel are safe before I breathe again. The smoke from the burning trash seems to be much worse in the late afternoon/evening. We have tried walking home from the grocery store at that time of day and it is rough! Also, Ronnie has run while the fires are burning and I believe that is the reason he’s suffering with respiratory issues now. These people are probably just doing what they have to do, but it sure makes me thankful for our bi-weekly garbage pickup at home.

Another thing I can't help but notice as I walk through the neighborhood are their security measures. Whereas in the States, people most often use security systems to deter would-be robbers, here it seems they must go to more extreme measures to protect their property. In addition to posting guards 24/7 (two 12 hour shifts), you'll also notice the heavy use of extremely pointy objects and/or barbed wire along the tops of their high gates and fences. I have to assume that they have good reasons for employing such defensive measures. If I were a robber looking to break into someone’s house in Bandung, I would definitely be looking for one without a barrier that would rip my pants to shreds or possibly even worse!