Three women

Jakarta is apparently notorious for its traffic but, after my successful run yesterday, I felt ready to take on grander challenges. At first, I had actually been thinking of going up to the Sentul Highlands for some trail running but the logistics of that, especially as I do not speak any Indonesian, turned out to be overwhelming. Instead I thought that, after exploring the white colonial buildings of Old Jakarta and the seaside promenade, I would run back to the hotel, which according to Google Maps would be roughly a half marathon.

In 34 degrees heat with scooters coming fast from every possible direction, I guess I should be happy for the fact that I managed to even run 6 km before I succumbed to reason and took a taxi to the National Monument from where I then ran the last 3 km. Rarely, if ever, has a hotel gym pitcher with cucumber water tasted so good.

With this madness behind me, some afternoon pool time seems to be in order. Just before boarding at Arlanda, I was able to find a copy of Lisa Taddeo's Three women of which I have read several very positive reviews. While I would have preferred the English original, the translation is excellent and I think this is a book that will stay with me.