Two reasons have prompted me to begin hiding my hair up inside my helmet and pulling the visor down when I drive my motorbike around town. The first issue is the possibility of attracting attention from the police who have a reputation for pulling over foreigners just to figure out what they are doing in Jambi and I don’t quite have a license to drive legally... The second is attracting attention from everyone else. And this has developed for safety reasons also. Everywhere I go people stare at me, this is not boasting just an annoying truth due to the fact that I look completely out of place to Indonesians who practically never see a foreigner in their city, let alone a blonde woman driving a motorbike.
The issue is that this immediate attention diversion stops them from whatever task they were previously doing and sometimes this task is driving. I have gotten used to it and don’t mind people stopping to stare and yell (friendly) at me, but just don’t do it right in front of me! I want to continue on my way but it is difficult when someone has stopped their motor bike directly in front of me. This often occurs out of nowhere when someone pulls out in front of me, notices I am a buleh (foreign white person), stops, and then I have to slam on my brakes and get all wobbly with my amateur driving skills. Cars and also people walking around on the streets do this too.
So it is strange feeling like it is easier to hide and avoid talking to people just for the peace and quiet of anonymity. It would too exhausting to converse with everyone that wanted to ask questions about why this strange foreigner is in Jambi and what is she doing here, and alone?! On the other hand, during longer rides when I am just sitting behind Sumi on the motorbike, it can be completely enjoyable just to smile at other drivers and watch their reaction to seeing a buleh. For now I am trying to find a balance where I can maintain my safety and peace of mind as much as possible.
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