Kota Tua

I walked north of my hotel, through Chinatown and up to Kota Tua, the old Dutch town. I arrived at a big square full of Indonesian tourists and street performers in costumes like Mario, Mickey Mouse and Doraemon (the Japanese manga blue cat). Immediately I was approached by a group of guys who wanted to ask me all about England and then I had to pose for photos with each of them. I walked another 10 steps and another group got me! They wanted to interview me on camera about Indonesia and England for their English studies. I'd had to do the same a few days before in Bandung.

That took five minutes and I thought I was finally free but another man came running up to me, said "My friends want a photo with you!" and two ladies holding an umbrella followed behind him. I had to pose with them together and then each separately. It's funny but I can see how it must get annoying for celebrities being stopped for selfies all the time.

I took shelter in Cafe Batavia which was full of foreigners (more than I'd seen in any place in Indonesia) and had a live band but it was extremely overpriced. I walked back past some amazing derelict buildings and had a quiet night in watching the FA Cup final.