Trip to the Raja Ampat Islands in June (Indonesia) (page 3 of 6)

Number 6? Both of your analyses are well-argued, but hey, don’t get mad at me 😎, I’d lean more toward Lolo’s take... Namely that Indonesia is going to become huge: which doesn’t mean it’ll be as rich and well-organized as Germany, but definitely powerful! ... But we’ll see, it’s true that with so much corruption and such lousy infrastructure, it’s a long shot!!

PS/ Were you in Indo when the FACEBOOK hitman scandal happened??? There were tons of Indonesian hitman FACEBOOK pages... 50 juta to take someone out (around 4,000 - 4,500 €)...

Okay, no stories, two against one for number 6. I’ll put 1000 € on the table that they won’t make it—any takers? Indonesia’s gonna get a little richer, sure, but it won’t go far, or at least not as far as 6. For real change, there’d need to be a shift in mentality. That shift is happening among the younger, educated generations in Java, but it’ll take more than 17 years before it spreads… Because their parents are still holding onto a good dose of religious-government brainwashing, and let’s not even talk about those in the countryside. Hitmen on Fakebook? No, I hadn’t heard, but my cop friend says she knew. And she didn’t tell me, the sneaky thing!!! Though she’s not exactly looking for trouble to stir things up in her country—I’ve got enough of that on my plate already!! But now she tells me it was on Blogspot or WordPress, like: pembunuhbayaran.blogspot.com

But then she tells me it was on Blogspot or WordPress, like: pembunuhbayaran.blogspot.com

If the Wolflarsen sperm bank doesn’t work out, that’s what I wanna do 🏴‍☠️!!! And sometimes I work for free!!! I don’t get the 1000 € thing... Actually, I have no idea... Hard to predict the future of a country this chaotic!

So they’re going to do better than Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Gulf countries, Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand?

You’re forgetting the population factor—I wasn’t talking about GDP per capita. 6th behind China, the US, Japan, Brazil, and Russia (and I’d add the Eurozone if it still exists). Boleh boleh :-)

two against one for number 6

THREE against one counting Ibu Naps 😛

Yeah, Madame Naps doesn’t dare bet with her man anymore—she loses every time. But it’s all good, between Momo and you, I’ll make 2,000 euros. We’ll see what that’s worth in 17 years, though. Lately, I’ve heard a lot of predictions that sound just like the ones from your economists: in 20 years, it’ll be us giving them massages. Not gonna lie, I’d be fine with that—if it happens, I’ll become a scammer-guide for Indonesians. And as soon as I see one, I’ll yell: helloooooo bapakkkkkkkkk dark skin!!!!! Well, they call us *bule*, which is an insult-mockery about our skin color (like calling someone a "lemon face" or "negro," not exactly nice), so I’m getting my revenge... Back to your 6th point, I got that it wasn’t just random—it’s like China overtaking Japan because they’ve got 12 times the population. But still, there’s China, India (another powerhouse, but with 1.3 billion people), Russia, the US, and others—so no, I don’t buy the 6th one...

Go ahead and practice killing because I told Larsenette about my plan and it only kinda made her laugh, given the price of a life on Facebook I'm having second thoughts. Otherwise, did you see that with the drop in oil reserves, the government is getting more interested in nuclear power? If we consider the seismic risk and the proverbial seriousness of Indian workers, I’d say we’re definitely third... right behind Ukraine and Japan. Anyway, I hope I’m wrong. After all, there’s no reason economists (those so-called experts who’ve never seen a single crisis coming since they’ve existed) should be the only ones talking nonsense.

From what I heard, they’d dropped the nuclear idea because some realized Indonesia wasn’t ready in terms of workforce!! Don’t tell me they’re still considering it? If they are, I can totally see them as #1, ahead of Ukraine and Japan! "Quick, quick, it’s Purnomo—he just tossed his leftover ayam goreng into the nuclear reactor!" ... I can just picture it ...🏴‍☠️

Given the budgets allocated for a nuclear power plant, it’s no surprise some people insist—it represents a bunch of little student... outings to blow off steam from their overworked lives, right? And in the game of predictions, I’d lean more toward Naps, but right now I only have a phone to express myself and a bunch of Indonesians in a trance causing chaos in my room. Gotta take action before I get overwhelmed.

As for number 3, I kinda agree with you, though you shouldn’t underestimate them—they could totally fight for first place!!!!! I don’t know about nuclear in 2013, but a few years back they’d given up on it. Mind you, in India, which is also well-placed, there are loads of power plants, and they’re running. But the workforce is foreign—makes you wonder why... Good luck with your Indonesians, Wolf. My flatmate just arrived with Naps Junior and turned on the damn TV, so I’m half-overwhelmed too...

I think Fukushima had cooled their enthusiasm, but that’s all in the past now. Hopefully, it’s not just empty talk, otherwise it’s a done deal—NOMOR SATU!!! Indonesia menang lagi! Yeah, it must be tough to keep things under control. I can just picture the nuclear technician showing up thinking they’d have an easy time of it.

Whoa, I think the end of the world is coming... My buddy just told me they have nuclear energy offices, and I did a quick Google search and found this: http://www.batan.go.id/ and this: http://bapeten.go.id/ I need to explain this a bit more when I have 5 minutes, but it’s definitely the offices of the Indonesian nuclear agency....

Anyway, with all this, one thing’s for sure. We can’t be accused of working for the Indonesian tourism office because if anyone wants to come after reading this discussion, I take my hat off to them 😏

Well, we're already here, and we're even on time at that. And don’t repeat this, but I heard Momo’s back in the homeland and might come in 2014. More seriously, these days, apart from someone who’s in love with the country and its nature, I don’t see many people for whom it’s worth traveling to this country. Expensive, lousy service, scams, bigotry—the average tourist is better off traveling elsewhere in Southeast Asia. It’s no surprise Thailand is swamped—cheaper, better organized, more honest in business. Even Malaysia isn’t more expensive than Indonesia overall. A free 3-month visa, shorter distances, and in the end, the budget is the same, if not lower when comparing East Malaysia and Indonesia. Sumatra and Java are still okay, and maybe NTB and NTT (it’s been ages since I’ve been there), but the rest of the country is super expensive and chaotic, so really, unless you’re a snorkeling or jungle fanatic, I don’t see any reason to go. Not to mention the gangs of rude young people in cities who mock or insult foreigners. Even culturally, there’s better and more diverse elsewhere...

It's not just nature lovers—it’s still a promised land for guys on the run (with high spending power, though). But I’ve already said too much; we’re getting into a public discussion here. BIIIIIIIP

Who are you talking about? Nurdin my top? Or Momo’s buddy named Fred too, who almost got Momo a free stay with the mustachioed guys?

I see we all know a specimen of the kind haha. The one I’m thinking of caused so much trouble once he was there that there’s a good chance he’s feeding the fish by now. But just in case, I won’t drop any names here. Not that he deserves it, but oh well.

Wow, you know some amazing people! But you’ve either said too much or not enough—Naps is a super curious creature, and you’ve really piqued their interest. Come on, spill the details! Or DM me if you prefer. I check my DMs for my contacts, and of course, you’re one of them, sweetheart. By the way, are you still in Big Durian, or have you moved? We’re still surrounded by second-hand DJs, but this weekend we’re heading to the mountains to get some fresh air with some friends of my partner—one of them is a freeman but cool, so I think we’ll have a blast…

Alright, I’ll send you the details if it’s just between us. A great story like we love them. But right now, I’m packing—we’re off to Thailand and coming back for Idul Fitri. I’ll have a little internet session over there while the missus gets a beauty treatment from the Thai ladies. See ya, and have fun!

Okay, I'm waiting to hear from you. Does Mrs. Wolf like Thailand? Funny, my partner does too. But Indonesia is great, right? :-) Why are you giving your money to the Thais? Do you think you get a better quality-price ratio with less hassle despite the travel cost? You're leaving at this hour? Hey, clear my doubt—did we know each other before you were Wolf?

No no, but it’s never too late to do things right. It’s true that Indonesia often gets overlooked when people see Thailand—there’s plenty to make you think twice...