Non-Place

Along the walkway the Java girl on the bicycle rattling like the schoolgirl she had missed out on being. Heading to One KM Mall where her Chin employer worked in a nail place it seemed, 4^th floor. BlahBlah. $550 she earned. Good for her but she had heard others earning $600 and $700. Not very happy there. Still, Myanmar maids scored $410 and $420. So…. Illegal was difficult to convey, hardly any kind of concept for the lass. (High School Year 9 poor achiever was about the mark, nice, rambunctious, distracting others.) A Cirebon lass caught us up after we had been detained by Cat-lady Auntie Josephine, who was taken by the colourful batik tee…. Where did you get it?... Oh, Indonesia…. Only $10 Singapore money was it? Cheap. But dangerous. The Cirebon girl like many others looked mid-teens. Illegality. The prostitution industry was similar. Documents shmockuments in the kampungs…. Auntie Jo was a seasoned traveler who had irritated the Carpmael chapter of the feline sisterhood with her unceasing appeals for relief while she went gallivanting roundabout. Inconsiderate of her; dereliction of duty and betrayal of love. Auntie Helen had been up to Josephine’s flat a few times, where she lived with her bachelor brother. Auntie Helen’s JW shtick had been indulged once or twice, but on the last visit the brother, who taught something at one of the U’s, would not turn his face from the TV set. Auntie Jo traveled widely through the region and sometimes beyond. Excellent Convent English no doubt that was even superior to Helen’s. Vietnam on a number of occasions, Thailand, Malaysia, Myanmar—all non-place hotels safe bet like all the Singaporeans booked for their non-explorations. Or most. Indonesia dangerous. The post-Soeharto mayhem was understandably deeply embedded in the memory. Jogja was a mystery to Josephine. Jakarta was it?... The uneducated pair of Java gals laughed and laughed.

NB. A recent mention in the media of Marc Augé’s non-place hotel environments that were now seeping into all areas of contemporary life. Non-place planet.